It has happened before, and it will happen again. We live in a time where it seems to be cool for women to wear men’s stuff, whether it’s items of clothing or more recently, their timepieces. While it can be rather frustrating to want to wear that particular watch on a chosen day only to find out your better half is already wearing it, you’ve got to admit: It does look rather darn cool. Like I mentioned before, women love wearing men’s clothes and other trinkets, but it does make you wonder why; are manufacturers getting it wrong?
Honestly, I don’t believe so. Among the millions of women out there, there are some that are just not attracted to the diamonds, pearls, and bright feminine colours, and this doesn’t only apply to watches. Then there is also the question of size. Now more than ever before I see women wearing larger male watches and you know what, it works.
Take for instance a Rolex Lady Datejust – now that measures a rather small 26mm. You would assume that this is a classic size for a woman of today, but it’s just the opposite. While some will appreciate this, most would not – trust me I’ve asked. Don’t get me wrong, Rolex do make larger sized women’s wristwatches, but I believe they come no bigger than 34 mm. When considered, that is still not that large, and even if it were, you have the next problem – styling.
Women’s watches tend to be overly fussy at the best of times. Don’t get me wrong, women still desire that glamorous dress watch too. However, for everyday wear it can be a bit too flashy. Think of it this way: Men like wearing dress watches, but for that daily wearer we tend to want something a bit sportier, more robust. Women are just the same, but when you start looking for that style of wristwatch for women, they always seem to incorporate that little bit of extra bling (diamonds or pearls). Even when they don’t, they are just too small. Believe it or not, a lot of men actually prefer seeing women wear a timepiece that has a bit of wrist presence. Who knows, maybe it’s a power thing?
Seeing a woman wear a man’s watch demonstrates an appreciation of craftsmanship and great taste in good watch design. Not to say that women’s watches are badly designed, but they tend to verge on the side of more playful. Even the rich and famous, who could just about afford any watch they lay eyes on, now seem to be wearing men’s watches. I now see more women wearing Rolex Daytonas, Submariners and GMTs than ever before, and it doesn’t stop there. I even see them wearing the Royal Oak Jumbos and all sorts.
I think an area that women have now started to delve into are vintage watches. Why? Well, it’s quite simple really. Vintage men’s watches still have that certain something about them, that presence, but they are also a tad smaller than their modern counterparts, making them more or less perfect for women. And right there is another point. Men’s watches tend to have a bit more lineage about them; they have predecessors, they are timeless. Women’s watches don’t tend to have this history behind them, and I think this has now become more important, coupled with the timelessness.
When all is said and done, the fact of the matter is this: Women wearing men’s watches look good, and, in all honesty, I wish more of them did.
