The Best Oversized Watches Edit 2021
The days when watches were clearly divided into men’s and women’s models are coming to an end. CHARLIE BOYD speaks to industry insiders about the joy of a big-impact timepiece, regardless of gender
It was a refreshing moment on the launch day of Watches and Wonders 2021 to see Jaeger-LeCoultre’s CEO Catherine Renier unveil the latest magnificent feat of fine watch engineering – the ‘Reverso Hybris Mechanica Caliber 185 Quadriptyque’. The most complicated ‘Reverso’ ever created, it flaunts epic proportions at more than 50mm long, 30mm wide and 15mm deep – in watchmaking terms, it is a beast. When asked by interview host and World Tempus editor Suzanne Wong whether a women’s ‘Reverso’ would be next in line for a facelift, Renier didn’t miss a beat – she explained that this wasn’t a men’s watch, this was just a watch, and by deftly slipping it on her wrist, proved that women could wear it, too.
Renier went on to explain that the maison was also unveiling further ‘Reverso’ designs with exquisite diamond settings and floral enamel artistry, but she was careful to first and foremost describe these novelties as impeccable examples of the maison’s métiers d’art techniques. She had made her point: while we will, of course, still see new launches featuring traditionally ‘feminine’ design codes, the gendered way we talk about watches is changing. And it is about time.
“Lots of brands are starting to operate in this way,” says Ming Liu, a prominent watch journalist who covers horology for the Financial Times and New York Times. “It is becoming less about gender and more about size – this has already happened for lots of other product areas; with sneaker culture, we no longer talk about whether they are men’s or women’s sneakers – we leave it in the hands of the wearer,” she explains. “We are intelligent enough to know what we want, and the more brands that do this, the more it will become normalized; it empowers the customer.”
In the same week as the ‘Reverso’ launch, Watchfinder & Co., a leading destination for pre-owned timepieces, announced that it would be removing gender terms from its product offering entirely. Cartier, which attests to crafting only unisex watches, also presented a gender-fluid neo-vintage design that arguably stole the entire Watches and Wonders show. The Cartier ‘Tank Must’, first launched in 1977, had been revived in compelling yet universally flattering shades of burgundy, navy and emerald green. Labeling the dimensions of these new models simply ‘small, large and extra-large’, there was no mention of gender categories here, either, and the same goes for its new 40mm ‘Ballon Bleu’, another oversized and trending style.
We have also witnessed a proliferation of watch designs sitting around the 36mm mark this year – a sweet spot that suits both the average male and female wrist size, and the measurements of ‘men’s watches’ (if we can even still refer to them as such) have diminished ever so slightly compared to last year, too, giving even more choice to those of us with petite proportions. Watch dials are somewhat like hemlines – they are in constant flux, but there is usually a social, economic or culture-led zeitgeist behind their yo-yoing.
Liu questions whether the shift towards gender neutrality has recently accelerated due to more and more customers shopping online. “Now, female customers aren’t going into store and being immediately directed to the ‘ladies’ section’,” she says. “They’re shopping online, where they’re able to easily explore the entire product range, perhaps without even registering the prescribed gender of each timepiece.” It also stands to reason that once they’ve ascended the career ladder, the women of Gen Z are unlikely to love being limited to ‘ladies’ watches, when they’ve spent the 20 years prior selecting any sneaker they fancy.
“Allow yourself to try a larger watch and experiment with different materials. Open your mind to new possibilities – you may be surprised
”Watch influencer Déby Maldonado
Thankfully, we have been seeing this gender shift on a design level for some time now. “I think recently there’s been more attention paid to what women actually want from a watch,” explains watch editor Laura McCreddie-Doak. “Previously, women’s watches were ‘shrink and pinks’, i.e. take a man’s watch, make the dial smaller and add a pink strap, often with movement changing from mechanical to quartz as well,” she explains. “When the brands started to think about what women might actually want from a watch, and the myriad possibilities that affords – because, newsflash, 49.5 percent of the world’s population do not all think the same – designs were naturally going to get bolder.” Gender assumptions are indeed starting to feel inappropriate, and it works both ways – there are also men who gravitate towards fully stone-set timepieces. “Gendering anything anymore just seems so limiting,” continues McCreddie-Doak. “Women have been wearing so-called men’s watches for ages. These labels are outdated.”
There are plenty of examples of female connoisseurs who are already converts to this way of thinking. “I like sizes 36, 37, 40, 42 and 44mm for my wrist,” says Déby Maldonado, better known as watch influencer @IWCgirl, whose love for the androgynous IWC Shaffhausen brand has burgeoned over her past nine years working in the label’s Brazil boutique. Maldonado goes as far as to say that we shouldn’t even get hung up on size, either. “Allow yourself to try a larger watch and experiment with different materials. Open your mind to new possibilities – you may be surprised,” she suggests, as some materials (such as dark ceramics) may look smaller on the wrist than expected. Misha Daud, a notable luxury-timepiece collector better known as @watch_fashionista, is similarly bold in her choices. “I love larger-size watches because they stand out. I’m not a wallflower kind of girl and I don’t want a candy-colored watch,” she quips. “But I also make sure it’s me that wears the watch – the watch never wears me.”
So, how to select the right power watch while sticking to practical proportions? Liu compares the process to tailoring – a watch that is patently too big for your wrist is like an ill-fitting suit – so, if you are extremely slender-wristed, perhaps consider a heritage brand with big history or bold color pumped into a medium-sized dial. “Don’t buy a case so large it overhangs your wrist bones,” agrees McCreddie-Doak. “That doesn’t look louche and sexy – it looks like a five-year-old wearing her mother’s shoes.” If you’re aiming for epic proportions, bracelet straps may look oddly short once you have removed the links to fit your wrist, so experiment with leather and bracelet options. “It’s the same as buying a dress or a pair of shoes that make you feel amazing – work out what makes you feel powerful. Is it the size of the case? Is it color that gives you a boost? Or is it owning a certain well-known brand?” she asks. “It’s the same rule as with any watch purchase – listen to your heart, not your head.”