9 best women’s watches to make an impact in 2024: from Rihanna’s weighty Jacob & Co. to Michelle Yeoh’s undying loyalty to Richard Mille, celebrities are making gender distinctions a thing of the past
It’s hard not to look back in awe at the sheer variety of watch types that the industry has targeted at women in recent months.
Timepieces across the board are becoming more unisex, with smaller case sizes in vogue, already increasing the options for more slender wrists. Meanwhile, celebrities – like Rihanna with her Jacob & Co. watch choker, Michelle Yeoh’s undying loyalty to Richard Mille on every red carpet and Hong Chau becoming the first woman to wear a Panerai at the Oscars – were but symptoms of a larger movement in the opening up of watch options.
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1. Chanel Mademoiselle Privé Sautoir Lion
Chief among these developments was the return of the sautoir, or secret watch – born from an anachronistic era when checking the time was seen as unseemly for a woman. Necklace forms led the way, with luxury brands such as Chanel led the charge with their Mademoiselle Privé Lion sautoir.
2. Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso Secret Necklace
From the high horology side, Jaeger-LeCoultre gave us a sautoir necklace rendition of the Reverso, complete with diamond set necklace links and case. With this design, it seemed almost inevitable that one of the most enduring watches with a hidden feature (traditionally for polo) got a sautoir edition for the neck.
3. Van Cleef & Arpels Ludo Secret Mystery Set Emeralds
Van Cleef & Arpels gave us sautoir pieces in both necklace and wrist versions via the Perlée secret pendant watch and Ludo Secret Emerald Mystery Set. The latter sautoir wrist piece particularly caught our eye as the emerald pave motif reveals a hexagonal mesh dial of mother-of-pearl. The design is so elegant as to have been nominated as a finalist in the jewellery category for this year’s Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève (GPHG).
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3. Arnold & Son Perpetual 38 Mintnight
Fellow GPHG nominee Arnold & Son gave us the dazzlingly intricate Perpetual Moon 38 Mintnight made of white gold, with mother-of-pearl and ruthenium crystals on a dial that showcases a dominant moonphase complication, a finalist in the ladies’ watch category.
4. Bulgari Serpenti Tubogas Infinity
Pieces with precious stones abounded as in previous years. Bulgari’s mainstay Serpenti collection saw a dazzling Tubogas Infinity update earlier this year with diamonds coiled around the snake-inspired bracelet timekeeper.
5. Chanel J12 Spatiotemporal
Chanel gave us a traditional wristpiece using precious stones to stunning effect. The J12 Spatiotemporal came as a pair of black and white watches laden with diamonds to subtle but dazzling effect.
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6. Tiffany & Co Bird on a Rock pendant watch
Tiffany & Co. combined both the necklace watch trend and its strong background in precious stones for its submission to Only Watch 2023, a pendant-only piece with the maison’s signature motif: Bird on a Rock.
7. Boucheron Joy de Lumière
Meanwhile, Boucheron’s major timepiece this year was also a submission to Only Watch: the Joy de Lumière featuring more than 260 diamonds on white gold surfaces. Sadly, we will have to wait until 2024 to see exactly how in-demand these pieces are as the biennial auction has been postponed.
8. Richard Mille RM 07-04
For those less jewellery minded, Richard Mille gave enthusiasts myriad new colourways of its ladies’ sports watch, the RM 07-04. Featuring a smaller and thinner case, these pieces feature the brand’s signature durability via grade 5 titanium bridges and baseplate, all eminently visible through the skeleton dial. The piece encourages slender wrists to push their limits, as the watch weighs in at just 36 grams but can survive up to 5,000Gs of acceleration.
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9. Longines Mini Dolce Vita
Finally, for those looking for something in the middle, Longines dropped the Mini DolceVita collection in multiple versions and colourways. Those with metal bracelets are a particularly successful combination of the traditional DolceVita with sector dial designs, a mainstay of vintage Longines more generally seen in the Heritage Classic line’s larger sizes.
- From Chanel’s Mademoiselle Prive ‘secret’ necklace watch and Tiffany & Co’.s Bird on a Rock pendant, to Bulgari’s Serpenti Tubogas Infinity coiled bracelet, timepiece forms have been playfully rethought for the modern woman – or man
- For those preferring a traditional wristwatch, maximum impact can still be made with bold choices, from the Arnold & Son Perpetual 38 Mintnight or Richard Mille RM 07-04 to the elegant Longines Mini Dolce Vita