How high fashion is shaping the future of watch design

What does Prada, Victoria Beckham, and Tamara Ralph have in common? Each one has collaborated with a watch brand in a capacity that lends to their design language, something that was unheard of till a few years ago. Italian luxury house Prada created nylon straps for a plethora of Panerai watches that are thought to be gentle additions to their otherwise masculine appeal, and Victoria Beckham collaborated with Breitling for their quintessential Chronomat series that brightens up the ease of a bracelet watch—and Tamara Ralph has collaborated with Swiss watchmaker Audemars Piguet to create a series of reimagined classics in their Royal Oak avatar. All of this can’t just be a coincidence, there has to be more to the story...Deloitte claimed last year in their Swiss watch report that the female audience is the most untapped resource in the watch world.

But this is just the tip of the iceberg—fashion brands in the watch space, too, have upped the ante when it comes to taking horology more seriously. Louis Vuitton acquired three suppliers to integrate into the company’s horological division.

These suppliers—Art & D, which is a manufacturer of watch components and gem-setting, H2L, which is a manufacturer of watch cases and components, and Microedge, a producer of high-end watch decorations particularly for movements—give Louis Vuitton a hold over its supply chain, allowing it to produce its own dials, cases, and movements as well as decorative elements. Now that’s a big up because they will now be able to claim ‘in-house’ development for all sectors—a title many watch-only brands can’t claim till this day. Gucci, on the other hand, has been presenting tourbillons (a complication known for its anti-magnetic powers that helps in watch accuracy) for a few years now only to unleash a state-of-the-art minute repeater. This happened at the Watches & Wonders trade show organised by the Watches and Wonders Geneva Foundation this year. The tourbillon—known for its indicative sound—can help you know the time via its melodic chime, its origins date back to the 17th Century and is severely coveted in the fine watchmaking space. Gucci has shocked audiences with their advancement in this space.

Hermès has been known to toy with the idea of time with a heavy dosage of their own playful point of view. Think specialised fonts, reimaging house codes on the mini canvas like scarf artworks on the dial, the kelly lock and plaque as a suspended dial, the list is endless. While having a signature design language is imperative to make a mark in the world of time, it is their complication universe that really got the attention of collectors and enthusiasts. Their in-house complications span across double moon phases (an indicator of the current lunar phase, the double edition is to notify the wearer of its position in the northern and southern hemispheres). Another feature includes perpetual calendars (the watch has the ability to tell you the hour, minute, seconds, date, time, day, night, month, an added time zone) and the best part, it doesn’t need to be adjusted often for accuracy. All these watches feature equally beautiful dials, championing their aesthetic purpose vis-a-vis their complicated nature.

Chanel, too, has been championing their innate monotone scheme across their watches interspersed with pearls, leather woven chains, and charms inspired from French fashion designer Coco Chanel’s life and designs. But the external embellishment isn’t on the agenda alone, they too have crafted movements that embody the house to its very inner grain adorning them with diamonds, bringing to life the brand inside out. One of the oldest watch brands in the world, the Swiss luxury brand Vacheron Constantin (think almost 300 years...yes, you read that right) is known for their fine watchmaking and serious watch-only point of view. They have collaborated with Chinese-born, Parisian couturier Yiqing Yin and French perfumer Dominique Ropion to reimagine their Égérie collection as ‘Pleats of Time’, infusing the strap with a signature scent that gets more intense as you wear it down and a dial that is void of any numbers and only features a moonphase representing how time is best defined by nature.

While the usually testosterone driven industry is high on perfect watches for him, now we also see brands going softer, smaller dials, more elegance than attitude, plenty of ‘gender neutral creations’ (as all watches should be). High jewellery watches exist but they are an expression of artistry, not just an offering for women. Needless to say, it is clear that fashion and watches are more than just friends... they are in a serious relationship and it is only getting deeper. The change is real, and I have to say while it’s helmed by women, fashion is the vessel that is carrying this phenomenon all the way.

This article originally appeared in the Cosmopolitan July-August 2024 issue.

Image credit: The brands

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