Heads up — pop quiz!
Q: What makes a women’s watch?
Not a straightforward question, is it? Here, let’s look at it this way. What do you think of when someone says the words “women’s watches” to you? What timepiece comes to mind?
That’s not an easy thing to pin down either — because for every dainty Chopard Happy Diamonds watch, you have the formidable heft of a Richard Mille RM51-01 Tourbillon Tiger & Dragon. For every extravagantly voluptuous diamond-set Crash de Cartier, you have the classic symmetry of a Patek Philippe Twenty~4. For every wildly whimsical Van Cleef & Arpels Lady Arpels Féerie, you have the regal sophistication of a Breguet Queen of Naples. For every vibrantly hued Bulgari Serpenti with enameled scales, you have the monochrome Chanel J12 in inky ceramic. For every fiercely glamorous Audemars Piguet Diamond Fury, you have the unadorned, quietly utilitarian Baume & Mercier Promesse in stainless steel.
Confession time now — that was a trick question.
There is no definitive women’s watch, because there is no real definition of a women’s watch. If you follow this statement to its logical conclusion, you’ll realize that, really, there is no such thing as a women’s watch. (Fun activity — repeat the above exercise with men’s watches, and — guess what! There’s no such thing as a men’s watch either. Shocker.)