A Universal Genève men’s wristwatch, 1958, pairs nicely with a Cartier Zodiac charm bracelet, ca. 1970, and a Cartier Americaine unisex watch, 2005.
Slim diamond watches with mother-of-pearl faces and pink leather straps aren’t for everyone. Although stylish women have been poaching men’s timepieces for years, adding instant swagger to any outfit, these days they’re the go-to among watch aficionadas, and not just for their implied status or rugged good looks.
“A lot of women in my field wear men’s watches,” says Cara Barrett, an editor at Hodinkee, the online magazine for watch enthusiasts. “A lot of times they’re more interesting, especially with the movement,” she explains. “They’re manual or automatic, where most of the women’s watches are quartz.” But it’s not only about complexity, either. She finds them eminently practical. “I tend to wear men’s watches just because I don’t have to change the battery. I can wind them everyday — or wear them everyday, and they just wind themselves.”
“When you pay a certain premium for a nice watch, the level of quality that you’re getting with the movements is so important, because it keeps [running] for such a long time and you won’t have to service it as much,” Barrett adds. “It will last forever if you take care of it.”
She also admires the heft and durability of a men’s watch. “I just think the size is better,” she says, adding that a stainless-steel watch, for example, feels like “a much sturdier choice.”
“I only have men’s watches actually — 100 percent men’s watches,” says Giorgia Mondani, a second-generation collector and the author of several books on watches. She’s also the CEO of her family’s publishing company, Guido Mondani Editore, and the site Mondani Web.
She considers men’s watches a better investment than women’s. “Men’s watches have more collectible value. So when I buy a luxury watch for men, I know that in two years, maybe I can resell it for the same price or maybe even more.” She, too, prefers the larger size. “From an aesthetic point of view, I like big watches.”
Lady Gaga is now a spokesperson for Tudor watiches. Photo courtesy of Tudor
Hugh Taylor, a watch expert at British dealer Xupes Limited, has been tracking the trend since the mid-2000s. “Women have been wearing men’s Rolexes, particularly the Datejusts and Day-Dates, since they first flooded the Who’s Who market in the ’40s and ’50s,” he says. “The more extraordinary scene was when women started strapping on the sports models, which were definitely first intended for the male market,” roughly a decade ago. “By 2010, a bunch of celebs were doing it, and people were using the term ‘boyfriend watch.’ ” Barrett also noticed more female celebrities with men’s watches, “particularly the Rolex Daytona.”
The industry is catching up with the trend. “If you look at the big brands, there are many famous women or sportswomen or actresses who are ambassadors,” Mondani notes. Case in point: In August, Lady Gaga became a spokesperson for Tudor, specifically the brand’s signature Black Bay model.
This appreciation for substantial, practical timepieces mirrors the shift in women’s lives over the last few decades. “Women aren’t staying home and hosting lots of cocktail parties anymore,” Barrett points out. “That is reflected in the change of the style of watches that women wear. More women are in boardrooms, more women are working, more women are doing thousands of things.”
For those in the market for a men’s timepiece, Barrett suggests scouting sizes in the 29 to 40 millimeter range, though she acknowledges that what works for her doesn’t work for everyone. “It’s up to the woman. It depends on the size of her wrist.”
A Rolex is an obvious choice — for good reason. But Barrett and Mondani also recommend looking into models by Patek Philippe, Cartier, Omega, IWC, Audemars Piguet, A. Lange & Söhne, and Piaget. Taylor hopes to see women pushing the envelope a bit as well. “I’d like to see them experimenting more with brands who for me are on the money when it comes to the postmodern look, such as Nomos or new-age Tudor.”
“The thing with watches is you can wear whatever you want, whenever you want,” Barrett says. “It doesn’t really matter as long as it brings you joy.”
