Discuss 1 comment

Read

Do the Watch Brands Really Cater for Women?

written by C.Adler - 13th Dec 2011

Are men’s watches merely a male obsession and women’s watches an after-thought, wonders Claire Adler

For years now, marketing directors from Switzerland’s luxury watch houses have been speaking of women showing more interest in buying watches for themselves. But in my experience, the hard core women watch collectors were few and far between and the most technically elaborate watches remained largely a male concern – so much so that while attempting to track down a significant number of lady collectors for a series of interviews, I found such women usually proved elusive. Admittedly, there were and are serious players amongst them – including one lady said to be the proud, if super discreet, owner of over 1000 Vacheron Constantin’s men’s models.

Of course, collectors in the rarefied world of high watchmaking appreciate discretion at the best of times. But there are currently signals that where watches are concerned, sisters are doing it for themselves.

Debbie McKernan, head of jewellery at Hamilton & Inches and a fan of watches, believes women are now better informed than ever about what the watch world has to offer. “Women are definitely moving towards a wardrobe of watches to accessorise their key fashion pieces,” says McKernan, whose own collection includes a Cartier Pasha, a 40 mm power reserve Panerai and a Rolex Explorer 1. She is now saving up for a Patek Philippe 24.

“I love the idea of the beauty and functionality of a watch as a useful piece of art. As a Swiss person and a passionate watch collector, I’m so proud that Swiss watches are the best in the world,” enthuses Moscow-born Monaco-based Olga Roh, founder of luxury fashion label Rohmir, whose collection mixes vintage and contemporary pieces. “My man’s size Rolex Daytona with mother of pearl, gold and diamonds makes my heart beat faster. I’ve always been a fan of timeless Cartier pieces like the Tank – the first present from my husband, while my Reverso is my friend on the road – I wear it both as a watch and a bracelet. I also love Harry Winston evening dress watches and Breguet’s Reine de Naple – an eternal statement of elegance.”

In a telling and intriguing sign of the times, Patek Philippe recently brought out two grandes complications designed specifically for women – a minute repeater, at £273,500, and a split-second monopusher chronograph at £334,600, bearing classic dials and smaller and thinner cases than their male counterparts.

The move is a welcome return to Patek Philippe’s early days – after all, in 1868 the company created the first ever Swiss wristwatch for a Hungarian noblewoman, Countess Koscowicz of Hungary.

This was far from the first time an intricate watch was made for a woman. One of the most complicated watches in existence, according to the late Nicolas Hayek, former chairman of the Swatch Group, is the Breguet Marie Antoinette pocketwatch, bequeathed to the Islamic Art Museum in Jerusalem in 1974. It is a watch so sophisticated and so long in the making that Marie Antoinette never even saw it finished herself. Instead, when she climbed the scaffold to the guillotine, most agree Marie-Antoinette was holding another Breguet, delivered to her in 1792 in prison. But the Marie Antoinette pocketwatch brought together every known complication at the time of its completion in 1827, including a thermometer.

Earlier this year, Forbes ran an article with the headline “China’s women buy Maseratis and Ferraris like Italian pastries”, reporting that a third of the millionaires in the world’s fastest-growing economy are women and that they are buying an arguably impressive three times as many Maseratis and twice as many Ferraris as Western women. Meanwhile, Audi recently claimed a significant number of its sports cars, including the R8 and TT, are being bought by women in India.

While the rise of affluent women entrepreneurs sends their luxury purchases soaring, it’s hardly surprising the Swiss watch industry is now determined to tap into this spending potential. In the new enlarged Harrods watch and jewellery area which opened for business in early November, Omega has opened a shop-in-shop devoted to women’s watches.

“I think my love of watches started with my fascination for my grandfather’s pocketwatch as a child, I could play with it for hours and I’d often wear it,” says New York based jewellery designer and keen watch collector Kara Ross. “A couple of years ago I found a vintage Elsa Schiaparelli pocket watch while scouring a flea market. It took me back to the wonderful memories of my grandfather and with that inspiration I designed a collection of cuffs, necklaces and earrings with Roman numerals for my boutique.”

It’s not always clear whether women are making the purchases themselves: “Women do shop together, but more often than not, they are casing the joint and they then bring in men to pay for the items,” quips London watch mogul Marcus Margulies, who owns Bond Street’s Marcus store. “Many women have become higher earners, but the most expensive watches we sell are still going to men.”

Still, might these latest developments augur a new dynamism for the watch world? Many of these newly wealthy women, especially those with a heightened sensitivity for detail, are perfectly qualified to be connoisseurs of the future. Swiss watch brands have long understood that this potential was waiting for the right moment to be unleashed.

Then again, it could just mean the horological gender reversal has reached a new phase. Women have been brandishing men’s watches for years and Jaeger-LeCoultre in particular has noted women buying men’s complications including the Gyrotourbillon, with its cool £252,000 price tag for the platinum version. “Masses of women are still wearing men’s watches nowadays,” says Marcus Margulies. “But I remember the days a few decades ago when very chic Italian men wore small ladies watches and it was the height of fashion.”