Watches aren’t like other accessories. While wonderful, a handbag or a pair of shoes doesn’t have a beat. But a watch—being the mini machine it is, tick-ticking to its own little rhythm—does. They’re not quite alive, but almost. Top-tier timepieces may even outlive their owners: Luxury watch house Patek Philippe’s long-time ad slogan reads, “You never actually own a Patek Philippe. You merely look after it for the next generation.”
Timepieces are fascinating, complex gadgets with a centuries-old history. But unless you’re the industry’s conventional consumer (see: a man with deep pockets), the watch world doesn’t always abide by an open-door policy. On the design front, women consumers are rarely given the same well-rounded consideration as their male counterparts. Men have their pick of “sports,” “dress,” and “dive;” while women are often left to choose from the “shrink it and pink it” section: dainty-ified male silhouettes offered in “girlish” color palettes.
