From the C-suite to the everyday consumer, the world of luxury watches has traditionally been a boys' club. But that's quickly changing: "2025 is the year that we see women's watches go from being an afterthought for most brands to a legitimate part of their catalogs that receive the attention and care that they deserve," Joshua Ganjei, CEO of European Watch Company, told Who What Wear.
The "shrink it and pink it" marketing strategy no longer cuts it. "It’s all about personal taste, but women don’t always want something smaller or daintier," TAG Heuer ambassador Alexandra Daddario told me. "A woman’s watch is anything a woman wants to wear. We’ve seen fashion evolve so much over time, and women have the freedom to show off their own personal wealth and to dress how they want."
All facets of the industry are evolving. More than ever, for instance, women are calling the shots in executive positions, including Ilaria Resta at Audemars Piguet, Caroline Scheufele at Chopard, Ellen Sorensen at Zenith, Marie-Laure Cérède at Cartier, and Catherine Rénier at Van Cleef & Arpels.
To explore the past, present, and future of women's watches, I pored through books and archival imagery and enlisted the help of CEOs and social media stars alike. Keep reading for my findings.
Past
Fancy a fashion history lesson? To kick off this story, I'm delving into the fascinating evolution of women's watches. After consulting experts and doing hours upon hours of my own research, I've compiled a brief but informative history of the topic, including a list of fun facts organized by statistics.
Let's start at the very beginning—before women's watches were even a thing. "Historically, the question of whether a watch is feminine or masculine has not always been relevant," Audemars Piguet explained on its website. "In the 16th and 17th centuries, timepieces were rarely designed with one specific gender in mind. They were distinguished primarily by their rarity and high value. They were rarely worn, and when they were, both men and women usually wore them around their necks."
However, this changed with the invention of the world's first known wristwatch, which was commissioned by a woman. "In 1810, [Breguet] began an unprecedented creation for the Queen of Naples: a watch designed to be worn on the wrist," Breguet explained on its website. "The oblong-shaped creation with an engine-turned silver dial was very delicate and included several complications: a repeater, a moon-phase indicator, and also a thermometer."
By cleverly hiding their dial, these elegant and inventive pieces allowed their wearer to tell time with discretion
Van Cleef & Arpels
Of course, non-royals were soon able to enjoy this new invention. Vacheron Constantin was an early adopter of women's wristwatches and designed the watch I featured at the top of the collage above. "The watch is held by a delicately engraved and finely worked mounting on a magnificent bracelet featuring two winged goddesses, while the dial is encircled with a setting of diamonds," Vacheron Constantin explained on its website.
The 1920s saw the invention of so-called "secret watches" for women, spearheaded by Van Cleef & Arpels. "By cleverly hiding their dial, these elegant and inventive pieces allowed their wearer to tell time with discretion, making every second a secret," the brand explained in a press release. Van Cleef & Arpels continues to design "secret watches" to this day.
Later on in this article, I'll explain how watch brands primarily use well-paid celebrities to market to women. These illustrated vintage ads depict an entirely more low-key strategy, yet one constant remains: the marriage of form and function. A 1930 ad described Rolex as "leaders of fashion and precision," proving that the brand knew early on that women weren't interested only in appearances but also in utility.
Present
To explore the present state of women's watches, I set out to answer two main questions: What do women want, and who is influencing these desires? However, as when dealing with any multifaceted subject, these simple queries spawned about 20 more subtopics. What do insiders debate about? What's the most controversial women's watch trend? So to touch on these wider topics, I decided to illustrate this section with yearbook-style superlatives. These bite-size nominations will help you quickly get the lay of the land when it comes to the women's watch world right now, while expert quotes will provide deeper context on a few of the subjects.
What Women Want Now
Versatility and variation are two qualities women desire when purchasing watches right now, according to Zenith President of the Americas Ellen Sorensen. "Our Defy Skyline is so versatile due to its quick-change bracelet," Sorensen told Who What Wear. "You can change the strap to another color by yourself in seconds. With one watch you can have multiple looks with different straps. This is very appealing and appreciated." The new Hermès Cut watch, which debuted at this year's Watches and Wonders in Geneva, is another noteworthy timepiece that boasts interchangeable metal and rubber straps in a wide variety of colors.
When it comes to preferred watch sizes right now, my experts acknowledged that the pendulum is constantly swinging back and forth. Some pointed out that dainty designs reign supreme, while others were insistent that supersize styles are the look du jour. In other words: XS versus XL is the hottest debate of the moment.
It’s empowering to choose a watch based on what I need it to do, not just how it looks.
Ocean Ramsey
What else do women value in a watch? Spoiler alert: It's not just appearances! Women are very much into highly technical, functional watches such as those made for diving, yachting, piloting, and racing. "Women now seek watches that combine aesthetics with technical prowess, aligning more with their increasingly dynamic and versatile lifestyles," TAG Heuer explained in its magazine, The Edge. "TAG Heuer has responded to this evolution by creating models featuring advanced complications, such as the TAG Heuer Carrera Date, which marries technical innovation with a nod to the tradition of luxury watchmaking."
For insight, I tapped a watch lover with a unique perspective on the subject: Ocean Ramsey, a free diver, marine conservationist, and ambassador for Bremont. I asked Ramsey for her thoughts on the stereotype that women always want smaller, frillier watches. "This misconception suggests that women's watches are meant to be more ornamental than functional, which doesn't align with the realities of what a watch needs to do for me," she told me. "In the diving world, a watch is a lifeline—it needs to be durable, reliable, and easy to read in challenging conditions. It's empowering to choose a watch based on what I need it to do, not just how it looks."
Precision is yet another quality women look for in watches. No one knows this better than alpine ski racer and Longines ambassador Mikaela Shiffrin. In her sport, "literally hundredths of a second can be the difference between a victory and fourth place," Shiffrin told Who What Wear. As for Shiffrin's watch of choice? The Longines Conquest. "It's my go-to watch because it's so versatile—whether I'm training or going out, it has the perfect blend of elegance and function," she said.
Women of Influence
Who has the power to shape women's desires? Like it or not, the answer is often celebrities and athletes, which is why watch brands shell out big bucks to work with certain stars. In my interview, Omega CEO and President Raynald Aeschlimann acknowledged that celebrity endorsements don't always provide an immediate return on investment—but it's all part of the plan. When Kaia Gerber wears an Omega watch to the Met Gala, for instance, "it's more than a message about style," Aeschlimann said. "It's about aligning yourself with a trusted and honorable brand. Customers might not rush out and buy an Omega watch straight away. But they will see us being worn by respectable artists, and they'll make that connection in their minds. We then become an aspiration and a long-term goal for their wrist."
Celebrity ambassadors are proud to work with brands that aren't exclusionary. "Women want to be a part of it all," TAG Heuer ambassador Alexandra Daddario told me. "TAG Heuer and other watch brands are smart to include women in their PR [and] behind the scenes. It’s important to include women because they want to buy these luxury items and having the female perspective behind the scenes is something I’ve seen TAG embrace."
I personally know a thing or two about being influenced by celebrities, as my dream watch is Princess Diana's gold Cartier Tank Française, now worn by Meghan Markle. No Instagram trend, TikTok hashtag, or ad campaign could have sparked my interest quite like the late Lady Di. Such is the power of a celebrity endorsement. Speaking of royals, I dubbed the current Princess of Wales, Kate Middleton, the watch world's most loyal unpaid ambassador. Why? Unlike her jewelry, shoes, and bags, which she changes out daily, she's exclusively worn one timepiece for the last decade: her Cartier Ballon Bleu. To say her seal of approval is valuable would be the understatement of the year—there's no telling just how many women's wrists she's inspired.
Future
What's next? My stable of experts kindly shared their thoughts on the watch trends that will be popular with women in 2025. None of them coordinated their responses, but several of their answers aligned perfectly with those of other experts. When industry insiders agree, you can bet I'm all ears. Continue reading to find out four timepiece trends set to take over next year.
Colorful Watches
Three of my experts concurred: colorful watches for women will surge in 2025. "I expect our colorized movements and rotors will continue to be especially popular in the coming years," Sorensen told me. "Colored dials and color ceramics that you can find across our collections—Chronomaster, Defy, and Pilot—sell very well." Caroline Scheufele, co-president and artistic director of Chopard, agreed. "Colorful stone dials like malachite punctuated with diamond-set bezels have become more popular lately," Scheufele told me. "Stone dials are not a new trend, but they're having a bit of a comeback recently—it possesses a vintage feel, yet feels new again." As the perfect example of this trend, watch expert Trang Trinh (aka, @girls.o.clock) cited Audemars Piguet's Code 11.59 watch in eggplant and baby blue.
Oversize Watches
Watch expert Zoë Abelson (aka, @watchgirloffduty) predicts we'll see plenty of women wear XL timepieces next year. "With The Row fever, we're seeing everyone screenshot and mood-board the Olsen twins' style more than ever," she told Who What Wear. "We might see a resurgence of wearing oversize men's watches like we see in the paparazzi shots of them casually wearing a 40mm Rolex Daytona or a 39mm Audemars Piguet Royal Oak hanging off their wrist (along with a beat-up Birkin). If this happens, you heard it here first."
Trang agrees. "In a world of mini watches, I find myself yearning for the return of the unabashed sports watch," she said. "My watch is often the final step in building my ensemble, and I rely on it to add some visual weight to my simplified uniform that comfortably carries me to and from my laptop to meetings and back. As a result, I think we'll find ourselves craving a bigger statement timepiece as the new year rolls around."
Jewelry-like Cocktail Watches
Elegance is the name of the game when it comes to this trend. "I think jewelry-style watches will continue to be popular," Aeschlimann told Who What Wear. "Finding that balance between watch and accessory is something that many women are searching for. Think diamonds, captivating colors, and beautiful bracelets. The Speedmaster 38mm collection that Omega released this year is a good example of this."
Ganjei CEO of European Watch Company is on the same page about this trend. "I predict brands will roll out gemset, jewelry-like watches along the lines of the Bulgari Serpenti and the Cartier Baignoire that will be marketed specifically to women," he told me.
Abelson also listed small, delicate wristwatches with diamonds as a major 2025 trend, but she believes women will gravitate toward vintage versions specifically. "There are so many gorgeous pieces from the 1920s to 1940s that are begging to be worn again, and they can be purchased relatively cheaply compared to more modern styles," she said. "There is so much variety in this genre of watches. They often come on silk strand cords or integrated bracelets—all the more reason to collect multiples with different designs."
Beyond the Wrist
Brace yourself: The watch necklace trend is coming. "In the age of smartphones, why shouldn't we wear our watches anywhere but our wrists?" Trang told Who What Wear. "Originating from playful celebrity styling moments like Rihanna's and Emma Chamberlain's watch chokers, the statement watch trend has taken the internet—and brands—by storm."
Trang went on to cite some recent examples in the luxury space. "Chanel reimagined its Première watch into a versatile necklace that doubles as a belt, and Piaget revisited its Swinging Sautoir—the watch pendant can be unclasped and worn on the wrist with a satin strap," Trang said. "As watch brands continue to push the boundaries of creativity and functionality, the marriage of watches and jewelry is set to redefine accessorizing in the digital age."
If you ask Abelson, there's no reason we should limit watches to our wrists and necks. "Fun fact: Do you know that the first wristwatches were made for women?" she said. "Still, it was considered 'mauvais ton' (bad-mannered) for a woman to check the time, so watchmakers got creative with watch brooches, watch necklaces, and watch lighters. I even have a house key with a Jaeger-LeCoultre watch in it! These pieces are so fun to collect, and you get double the purpose."
