Women are a growing segment of watch-buying consumers in our current era. According to Brian Duffy, chief executive officer at Watches of Switzerland, in 2019, women accounted for more than 40 per cent of sales in its organisation, which is one of the UK’s largest retailers of Swiss watches. These days, as perceptions of femininity and masculinity constantly evolve, watch brands are expected to respond to the changing wants of its female customers in order to remain competitive in the market.
It is true that watchmakers (who are mostly respectful traditionalists) are increasingly acknowledging the fact with more timepieces designed with women in mind — a diamond-embedded collection, a scaled-down watch face or an occasional token complicated moonphase timepiece. Yet even these concessions highlight stereotypical, dated ideas of what women want in their watches. “Today’s world [has] made women as active as men in business, social media and many other life spheres,” says Marina Lunkina, who works in public relations in Moscow, to The New York Times, “It’s obviously affected our style.” Now, women are demanding complex watches with a strong, modern appeal that breaks the conventional ideas of femininity.
What then do these developments mean for an industry that periodically looks backwards?
This story is from the September 2020 edition of T Singapore: The New York Times Style Magazine.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the September 2020 edition of T Singapore: The New York Times Style Magazine.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
Look At Us
As public memorials face a public reckoning, there’s still too little thought paid to how women are represented — as bodies and as selves.
Two New Jewellery Collections Find Their Inspiration In The Human Anatomy
Two new jewellery collections find their inspiration in the human anatomy.
She For She
We speak to three women in Singapore who are trying to improve the lives of women — and all other gender identities — through their work.
Over The Rainbow
How the bright colours and lively prints created by illustrator Donald Robertson brought the latest Weekend Max Mara Flutterflies capsule collection to life.
What Is Love?
The artist Hank Willis Thomas discusses his partnership with the Japanese fashion label Sacai and the idea of fashion in the context of the art world.
The Luxury Hotel For New Mums
Singapore’s first luxury confinement facility, Kai Suites, aims to provide much more than plush beds and 24-hour infant care: It wants to help mothers with their mental and emotional wellbeing as well.
Who Gets To Eat?
As recent food movements have focused on buying local or organic, a deeper and different conversation is happening among America’s food activists: one that demands not just better meals for everyone but a dismantling of the structures that have failed to nourish us all along.
Reimagining The Future Of Fashion
What do women want from their clothes and accessories, and does luxury still have a place in this post-pandemic era? The iconic designer Alber Elbaz thinks he has the answers with his new label, AZ Factory.
A Holiday At Home
Once seen as the less exciting alternative to an exotic destination holiday, the staycation takes on new importance.
All Dressed Up, Nowhere To Go
Chinese supermodel He Sui talks about the unseen pressures of being an international star, being a trailblazer for East Asian models in the fashion world, and why, at the end of the day, she is content with being known as just a regular girl from Wenzhou.
