A wristwatch in Connecticut is considered clothing, not jewelry, in the budget bill being debated in the Senate.

Why does it matter? By calling a watch clothing, the 7 percent luxury tax kicks in at $1,000 — not the $5,000 threshold for jewelry.

The luxury tax is applied at clothing that costs more than $1,000, jewelry above $5,000, cars above $50,000 and boats above $100,000.

The rationale in the law is that a watch is worn.

A bracelet is not?

Mark is the Capitol Bureau Chief and a co-founder of CT Mirror. He is a frequent contributor to WNPR, a former state politics writer for The Hartford Courant and Journal Inquirer, and contributor for The New York Times.