Historically, most watches that were designed specifically for women were smaller, diamond-set, with elaborate gems or perhaps attached to a brooch, necklace or belt.
It didn’t much matter if they were accurate, since it wasn’t thought necessary for women to know the time; more important was the beauty and value.
Breguet made the first women’s wristwatch in 1810, in the form of a pocket watch attached to a bracelet designed for Catherine Murat, the Queen of Naples. The order was for a ‘repeater watch for bracelet’ for which Breguet charged 5000 francs. Murat was an early watch collector; she would go on to acquire a total of 34 watches from Breguet. One of the most unusual, which took more than two years to complete, was an ‘oblong repeater for bracelet’. Completed in December 1812, the dial featured Arabic numerals which were very rare on gold or silver dials. When the watch – which has since disappeared, having not been recorded in any known inventory for either a public or private collection – was sent to Breguet’s workshop for repair in 1849, the accompanying note read: ‘Very thin repeater watch No 2639, silver dial, Arabic numerals, thermometer and fast/slow indicator off the dial, the said watch is mounted on a wristlet of hair woven with gold thread, simple gold key, a second wristlet, also woven with gold, in a red leather case, for repair.’
In 1868 Patek Phillippe made its first wristwatch for Countess Koscowicz of Hungary, who wished to impress her guests at a reception. The timepiece, a piece of yellow gold jewellery with a rigid bangle with carved horizontal lines, held an ornate Belle Epoque rectangular case. The case was made from a triptych of black-enamelled sections, each centred by a diamond-studded flower motif with larger central section hiding the watch face. At her reception, Countess Koscowicz would draw the attention of her guests, press a button and lo and behold, the central section opened to reveal a watch dial. The ‘wristlet’ became a must-have accessory for women of high status and fashion and also saw the firm of Patek Philippe erroneously listed in the Guinness Book of World Records as the inventor of the first wristwatch.
Queen Victoria was another of the early royals to embrace the wristwatch, a bold choice at a time when pocket watches were the norm. Her selection of Patek Philippe was no accident; the brand was already gaining a reputation for its innovation and luxurious elegance, qualities that mirrored the queen’s approach to her role.
One of Queen Victoria’s most famous secret watches was a bracelet watch she received from Patek Philippe in 1851. Set in a gold bracelet adorned with diamonds, the watch was the epitome of Victorian elegance. It was discreet enough to be worn at formal events, yet functional enough to allow the queen to keep track of time during her royal engagements.
In France, the development of the lady’s wristwatch was a little less glamorous. Thierry Hermes’ granddaughter Jacqueline asked her father to produce a leather pocket and straps to contain her pocket watch, so that she could wear around her wrist and it wouldn’t get in the way when she was playing. He did; and he called it the porte-oignon (onion carrier). Commercial production of the wristwatch began at the firm in 1928, when Hermes went into partnership with the Swiss manufacturer Movado.
Hermes aside, by the middle of the 19th century many watch makers were producing bracelet watches, often with elaborate enamelling and jewelling of sapphires, rubies or diamonds. These early jewellery-like bracelet watches were worn exclusively by ladies. Men considered wristwatches to be too small to be properly engineered in order to keep time accurately, as well as being too prone to damage by shock or contamination with dust and moisture due to their exposed location on the arm. Most also believed the wristwatch to be far too effeminate when compared to the enduring fashion of the pocket watch. “The fellow wearing a wristwatch is frequently suspected of having lace on his lingerie and braiding his hair at night,” stated the misguided Albuquerque Journal in May 1914.
In 1917 Cartier introduced the Tank, its rectangular face and sleek lines being inspired by the Renault tanks used during WWI and setting it apart from the more common round watches. Grace Kelly was a devotee of the Cartier Tank; her endorsement encouraged women who aspired to the same classic elegance and sophistication and more than 100 models of the Cartier Tank have been created since its inception.
By the 1920s, the lady’s wristwatch had emerged from the world of aristocracy to the elegance of the Art Deco era. Sizes were as small as possible while still including precious stones and engraving. In fact, the Calibre 101 by Jaeger-LeCoultre – which features the smallest mechanical movement in the world – was designed in the 1920s.
This was also the era of the cocktail watch, coveted for its beauty and strength and reflecting the collective spirit of women during this period. The components of a cocktail watch are largely the same as those of a regular ladies’ watch; the difference is in the way they are designed. Cocktail watches were intended to express individuality and spark conversation.
As women became more active in sports, watches were developed to withstand rigorous wear. The Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso, launched in 1931, was originally designed to protect the watch crystal from being damaged by renegade polo balls; the face turns from the side to the rear. It already had strong competition in the marketplace, however; in 1927, Mercedes Gleitze became the first British woman to swim across the English Channel. She emerged 15 icy hours later with a Rolex Oyster on her wrist and the watch was still ticking.
The outbreak of WWII had a significant effect on the design of women’s wristwatches. No longer for decoration, they became more robust with accurate movements and, often, sturdy cases. The Medicus, which was designed by Omega in 1937, featured a revolutionary central seconds hand and was designed to be bigger and easier to read. It became known as the ‘nurse’s watch’ because it could be used to accurately measure pulses. The Medicus was also groundbreaking in another respect: it was the first watch in the world whose wrist straps were secured with fixed central attachments.
While practicality was paramount during the war years, elegance and versatility became the buzzwords from the 1950s. When Jackie Kennedy chose the Cartier Tank Cintrée with its slightly curved case as her favourite watch (a gift from her husband), it became an instant must-have item. In 1921, when the Tank Cintrée was first released, the concept of a curved case was absolutely radical: how was it possible to place a movement inside the case? In fact, watchmaking entrepreneur Edmond Jaeger designed an incredibly thin movement to make the design possible.
Debuting in 1956, the Rolex Day-Date was the first watch to display the date and the full day of the week in a window on the dial. With its semicircular three-piece link bracelet unique to the model, it’s also the only Rolex exclusively available in precious metals.
After Audrey Hepburn became a fan of the Rolex Lady-Datejust, released in 1957, so did thousands of women who also aspired to blend everyday practicality with luxury; the signature date window and Cylops lens of the Lady-Datejust combined functionality and beauty in a watch that was 10mm smaller in profile than the men’s watch but with a feminine twist that has been in continuous production ever since its launch.
The Bulgari Serpenti was the favourite watch for Elizabeth Taylor, whose influence on high fashion saw the watch, which featured a face set within the serpent’s head and a gold coiled body, become an icon of luxury and glamour. The Serpenti was designed in the 1940s by Bulgari founder Sotiros Boulgaris, using a technique called Tubogas to create a style that would wrap around the wrist of the wearer in a way that was similar to ancient Roman jewellery.
Princess Diana, on the other hand, favoured something a little more understated: the Patek Philippe Calatrava, a minimalist design first released in the 1930s, with clean lines and subtle sophistication.
The Ladymatic by Omega was released in 1955. It was the brand’s first automatic ladies’ wristwatch; the movement became the world’s smallest rotor equipped automatic calibre and it was used on many Omega ladies’ watches throughout the 1960s. One particular print ad for the Ladymatic watch urged the man of the house to ‘share’ the experience of owning and tending to a self-winding, high-precision timepiece ‘because she deserves it’. After Omega relaunched the Ladymatic in the 2010s, the company’s sales increased by 50%. Each watch features an average of 60 diamonds and is, according to the contemporary marketing, ‘designed for women who fearlessly pursue their ambitions’.
As we’ve come to expect from the Georg Jensen brand, the Vivianna is a unique watch style. Created by Swedish designer Vivianna Torun Bulow-Hube in 1962, it’s minimalist in the extreme, with an open bangle as the watch strap and a mirrored dial without numbers.
Launched in the 1970s to capture a market looking for luxury and femininity, the Piaget Limelight Gala is characterised by elegantly curving lines and dazzling diamonds. At the time, the asymmetrical curves and the setting of the diamonds along the bezel and case were revolutionary while retaining the appeal of the watch as jewellery.
On at least one occasion it was the women’s wristwatch that led to the popularity of the men’s equivalent. The Royal Oak, from Swiss manufacturer Audemars Piguet, took its inspiration from the cannon holes in an ancient warship and the old hinged diver’s helmets. But with a face of 38mm or 41mm, it was generally considered to be too large when it was launched in 1972. That is, until the smaller lady’s watch was introduced. The 32mm version soon became hugely popular with male wearers and the Royal Oak enjoyed worldwide success.
Vintage watches never go out of fashion, and why would they – they convey style without being flashy, they often offer a story and they allow the wearer a connection with the past. They are also known for their ability to hold or even increase in value. They could well be the perfect accessory.
