Forget Designer Bags —Every Stylish It Girl Has Secretly Been Wearing This One Luxurious Accessory For Years
While the crook of the elbow has always played host to a designer bag and our décolletages are home to a piece of jaw-dropping jewellery, it’s the wrist that has emerged as the stage to show off the latest opulent accessory coveted by the chicest dressers around—luxury watches. From Zoë Kravitz to Zendaya, this unsung joint has been reclaimed by style savants as prime real estate for showing off this hallmark of savoir faire and refined taste.
“There’s just something about watches that feel elevated in a way that other fashion items don’t,” says Brynn Wallner, a watch expert, writer and founder of femme-forward resource Dime Piece.
Wallner is a wealth of knowledge when it comes to horology, providing everything from exclusive insights to leading industry events to dropping the names of the latest trending style to grace a celebrity’s wrist and translating the craftsmanship of these heritage pieces into a digestible, quippy and accessible language. Most of all, Wallner has the inside scoop on the luxury watches that are rising in popularity, selling the most and soon to be the item du jour, which means that you can count on her advice to steer you in the right direction when purchasing your first investment or simply adding to your collection.
And as a fashion writer at Who What Wear UK, this is something that especially resonates with me. Watches are set apart in the way that they are incredibly symbolic. Sure, they will keep you on track and mark the passage of time, but they’ll also serve as a permanent reminder to stay present and that true elegance is eternal. A luxury watch is something that, when chosen well, will serve you through all seasons of life, and there is truly no time like the present to start building an arsenal of your own.
As Waller so aptly puts it, “there’s a lot of pressure on that one item to go with a lot of different outfits”. She continues: “Your watch needs to look just as cool when you’re going to the grocery store as it would be to a work cocktail event.” With so many watch brands on the market, from heavy hitters like Cartier to more contemporary and design-led fashion maisons like Chanel, it’s also hard to know where to begin. Allow this, then, to be your comprehensive guide to the best luxury watches for women. From the styles of note to professional advice and the factors to keep in mind when shopping, uncover everything you need to know about the best luxury watches for women, ahead.
The 11 Best Luxury Watches for Women:
1. Cartier de Panthère
(Image credit: Getty Images)
Style Notes: Sleek, feline and sinuous in shape, the Cartier de Panthère watch is one of the French house’s most iconic silhouettes. Created in 1983 by Michèle Kanoui, the design boasts a fluid bracelet that curves around the wearer’s wrist—much like the eponymous jungle cat the creation derives its name from—and a demure, mini square face. While its devotees include Princess Diana and Gwyneth Paltrow, the appetite for the piece has intensified in recent years, with the watch spotted everywhere from Kylie Jenner in Venice to Timothée Chalamet courtside at an NBA game. (Couples who share dress watches, stay together, right?). There’s a reason why Cartier is so prevalent,” Wallner says, and that’s built on literal centuries of work, their famous clientele, their imagination, the way they position themselves and their prowess as both watchmaker and jewellery maker”. “They just know what they’re doing,” she adds.
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CARTIER
Panthère De Cartier Small 18ct Yellow-Gold and Steel Quartz Watch
CARTIER
Panthère De Cartier Mini Stainless-Steel Quartz Watch
Cartier
Panthère De Cartier Yellow Gold Watch
2. Chanel Première
Style Notes: To know Chanel is to know their hallmarks—soft ribbons of leather that weave through a chain strap, candy-coloured woven tweed, a slingback that curves at the front and features a contrasting front cap. Of all the luxuriate’s signatures, however, it’s their watches that remain the most underrated. In 2022, Chanel proved just why their timepieces were amongst the most desirable with the release of the Première Édition. The watch was inspired by an original design from 1987 and paid homage to the brand’s most iconic motifs, with the octagon face calling back to the stopper perched on a bottle of No.5 perfume and straps evoking the braiding of the Flap bag. Now, Chanel is expanding their haute horlogerie category with a jewellery-forward iteration dubbed the Première Galon. A true cocktail watch, the style is accented by a gilded, twisted bangle that fuses sophistication with functionality. It’s already earning the endorsement of It girls, too, with Gracie Abrams, Devon Lee Carlson and Blackpink’s Jennie already wearing this style on repeat.
Shop the Watch:
Chanel
Première Galon Watch
CHANEL
Première Galon Diamonds Watch
CHANEL
Première Galon Watch
3. Longines DolceVita
(Image credit: Getty Images)
Style Notes: Living life “la dolce vita” might be a calling card for those looking to emulate the serenity and sweetness of the azure Mediterranean, but for luxury Swiss watchmaker Longines, the phrase takes on a different meaning. The brand’s DolceVita watch is a rectangular shape marked with a silver “flinqué” and blue steel hands. Released in the 1920s, hence its similarity to the Cartier Tank, the piece is considerably more elegant than the average everyday watch, yet is still perfect for quotidian affairs. Of course, if you take cues from the watch’s starry wearers like Audrey Hepburn, Kate Winslet and Jennifer Lawrence, these everyday activities include galavanting down the Boulevard de la Croisette for the annual Cannes Film Festival. A life well lived, indeed.
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4. Bulgari Serpenti
Style Notes: Historically, snakes have always served as an object of temptation. Fitting then, that Bulgari’s iconic Serpenti watch is such a coveted fixture within luxury spheres. The piece first rose to prominence in 1962 when the original showgirl, Elizabeth Taylor, wore it while filming Cleopatra in the Italian capital. (An incredibly apt appearance given Bulgari’s Roman roots.) Watches truly don’t get more decadent than this, especially when you consider the Tubogas—the most recognisable style in the Serpenti family—and its spiral band that winds up the forearm or cabochon cut pink rubellite crown. More discrete dressers can also enjoy this iconic motif with the Seduttori, a timepiece that incorporates a python print through the form of tessellating stainless steel, rose gold or yellow gold scales.
Shop the Watch:
BVLGARI
Serpenti Tubogas Stainless Steel and Opaline Quartz Watch
BVLGARI
Serpenti Tubogas 18ct Yellow-Gold, Stainless Steel and Brilliant-Cut Diamond Quartz Watch
BVLGARI
Serpenti Seduttori Stainless-Steel Quartz Watch
5. Rolex Lady Datejust
(Image credit: Getty Images)
Style Notes: When you think of luxury watches, Rolex is likely the first name that springs to mind. That was the case for Wallner, too. “Watch brands kind of missed me in their marketing, and when I say me, I mean someone who is representative of a millennial woman with a good job and disposable income,” she said. “I didn’t have any context or know about watches at all, and the only watch brand I knew was Rolex.” Now, as a certified expert on the topic, Wallner still cites Rolex as one of the most prolific luxury watch brands in the world. However, of all the watch styles Rolex has forged over its century in operation, it’s the Datejust that Wallner recommends the most. Not only is it the Geneva-based watch brand’s highest-selling model, as Wallner tells me, but the one she personally sees the most of chic dressers. (Which is saying a lot, considering how many watch aficionados and professionals she interacts with on a daily basis!) Oh, and did I mention that Victoria Beckham, Jennifer Aniston, Rihanna and Carmela Soprano? Talk about a powerhouse line-up.
Shop the Watch:
Rolex
Lady-Datejust Watch Oyster, Everose gold and diamonds
Rolex
Lady-Datejust Watch, Oystersteel and White Gold
Rolex
Rolex Lady-Datejust Watch, Oystersteel and Yellow Gold
6. Audemars Piguet Royal Oak
Style Notes: There are certain luxury brands that aren’t typified by an ostentatious logo, but rather recognised through a specific stitch, diminutive thread or strategic fabric choice. The Audemars Piguet Royal Oak is one such example of this in the watch world, with a captivating octagonal case, grid-esque grande tapisserie dial and a folding bracelet subtle indicators that identify the piece to eagle-eye enthusiasts. On the contrary, AP is also a house that doesn’t hesitate to flex its horological finesse, either. “Iced out”, as Wallner describes it, versions of the Royal Oak are becoming increasingly popular, with some styles dripping in brilliant-cut diamonds and set in an 18-carat white gold case. “There is the quiet luxury element, but there also is like the flashy element, too,” Wallner says. “We saw Aryna Sabalenka, who is an AP brand ambassador, wearing her big rose gold Royal Oak with the diamonds on it after she won the US Open. That is not a subtle watch, it’s flashy and has ‘wow’ factor.” Perennial tastemaker, Hailey Bieber, also has both iterations and wears them regularly, proving how a watch really does help set the mood. “I feel like there is the more subtle way of wearing a watch, but there’s also the flex way and we’re seeing both,” Wallner adds. “We’re seeing women flex in the way that men have historically, especially when they’re like on their like next level of collecting.”
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Audemars Piguet
Frosted Gold Selfwinding
Audemars Piguet
Royal Oak Selfwinding
Audemars Piguet
Royal Oak Selfwinding
7. Patek Philippe Nautilus
Style Notes: A watch that has Beyoncé waxing lyrical about it on a song is enough to have us sit straight up and pay attention. But it’s safe to say that the Patek Philippe Nautilus doesn’t require much to pique our interest. Just look at it! Launched in 1976 as an elegant sports watch for maritime pursuits, the porthole shape has served as the ideal canvas to showcase the bounds of high-end Swiss watchmaking. A bezel encrusted with spessartite baguettes that create a halo of gemstones ranging from deep cognac to light champagne? Of course, that’s possible! How about a full gem-set finish with 2,364 brilliant-cut internally flawless diamonds placed in a wave pattern across the dial? Consider it done. These pieces are so coveted that there’s even a waitlist that spans half a decade at minimum in order to purchase one. Funny how time flies…
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Patek Phillipe
Nautilus Watch
8. Omega Constellation
(Image credit: Getty Images)
Style Notes: If timepieces were measured on the chicness of their ambassadors alone, Omega would certainly be leading the charge. With endorsements from every corner of the entertainment world, Omega’s lineup includes Hollywood dynasties like supermodel mother-daughter duo Cindy Crawford and Kaia Gerber, Australian actress Nicole Kidman and her nascent model scion Sunday Rose and the formidable former James Bond, Daniel Craig. This starry group is becoming for the brand that brought us the Constellation, a watch that features slender curves, graceful claws and a dial that’s marked by a mother-of-pearl face and diamonds that delineate the hour.
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Omega
Constellation Steel
Omega
Constellation Steel
Omega
Constellation Steel
9. Tissot SRV
Style Notes: Tissot was born in the heart of Swiss horology—a region regarded and renowned as the best in the business. With an origin story like that, it’s truly destiny that they should be revered for creating one of the best luxury watches for women. Of all the designs to choose from and covet, it’s the SRV. Inspired by Art Deco design, the face subverts the classic eight-sided convention by elongating the structure with a sleek and geometric lens.
(Image credit: Tissot)
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10. IWC Schaffhausen Portofino
(Image credit: Getty Images)
Style Notes: The turquoise harbour, pastel houses and sprawling hillside of Portofino, a quieter coastal enclave tucked in along the Italian Riviera, is a place that’s ripe to be mined for inspiration. IWC Schaffhausen did exactly that, choosing the jet-set destination as the name for one of their most recognisable shapes. Inspired by a pocket watch, this design features a larger watch face for a more imposing and dominant design that evokes the essence of styles popular in the late 20th Century. “These larger styles trickled down from ‘90s supermodels wearing these big Rolex Daytonas and inverting the gender norms and labels associated with watches,” explains Wallner. “It’s cool for a woman to wear a big man’s watch, like a sports watch, a chronograph or a diver watch, and challenge what’s being sold to them.”
Shop the Watch:
IWC
Portofino Automatic 34
IWC
Portofino Chronograph
11. Hermès Cut
(Image credit: Getty Images)
Style Notes: Hermès can be viewed as a barometer of what’s in taste. Poetic and refined, but never sombre or austere, the brand is the pinnacle of what it means to be a modern, luxury fashion house. And while the leather goods like the Hermès Birkin or Kelly often steal the spotlight, Wallner has put me onto their watches. “I love what Hermès is doing, I think their watch programme is amazing,” she says. They released the Cut watch two years ago, which was a sports watch designed for women with an automatic movement, which is just like androgynous and cool,” she adds.
Shop the Watch:
Hermès
Cut Watch, Large Model, 36 mm
Hermès
Cut Watch, Large Model, 36 mm
Hermès
Cut Watch, Large Model, 36 mm
What Luxury Watches are Trending for Women?
Now that you’re familiar with the precise best luxury watches for women, it’s high time we discuss the specific trends that are currently dominating. The most apparent is the rise in the cocktail watch. These styles are more minute and double as a piece of bijoux. (Think: Cartier Baignoire and Tiffany HardWear.)
As the name suggests, these designs are more suited towards early evening soirées and pair perfectly with a chilled dirty martini or opera glove. Delicate in nature and evoking the essence of high jewellery, these are styles that are considerably more dramatic when compared to slightly larger and softer shapes. Yet at a time where purveyors of the arts and trips to cultural institutions like ballets, galleries, galas and theatres are dwindling, these delicate pieces are actually resonating outside of these arenas.
In fact, smaller watches, like the Cartier Santos Dumont, which Taylor Swift wore during her engagement to Travis Kelce, are on the rise and speak to a trend of practicality over pompousness. Speaking to me about her first investment watch, the Cartier Tank Francaise, Wallner tells me that she gravitated towards this style because of its ease of wear and versatility. “I wanted something daintier that I could stack and would go with every outfit without being such a statement, especially for my first watch,” she says. “I think that this new wave of female enthusiasts are oftentimes looking for their first watch, and I think it’s just a safer bet not to buy a huge one.”
“We are seeing a rise in more jewellery-forward pieces; gem sets, cocktail watches, for instance,” she continues. “If you can’t afford the high jewellery or the iced-out watch, it is an exciting category to look at on the secondary market because, for a long time, those watches have been really undervalued.
“Part of the reason why we’ve been seeing a rise in small watches for men and women is because they’re kind of different from what’s on the primary market, so you see people going to thrift stores and scouring The Real Real to find these really edgy and individualistic pieces.
“If you open your mind and your heart to more creative, design-forward pieces, and if you have the patience to really look online, there are deals to be had.”
What to Consider When Buying a Luxury Watch?
When it comes to actually making your first luxury watch purchase, it can often feel like you’re weighed down by decision fatigue, which isn’t the most ideal mindset to be in when making a decision that will set you back hundreds, if not thousands, of dollars. Therefore, it’s imperative that you factor every element in—metal, size, weight, quality, heritage, everything!
“You should also think about what metal you wear. If you’re more of a white metal person, you would go with steel or yellow gold,” Wallner says. “Size does factor in, too,” she continues. “It might be nice to buy a really, really huge watch, but practically, you should consider how it sits on your wrist. You want to buy something that feels comfortable, so you need to strike the right balance. I always tell people to just stay within their means and not like go crazy.”
What are the Best Brands for Luxury Women’s Watches?
When it comes to luxury watches, it’s really important to note that the best brands are the best simply because of the history and legacy that supports their creations. The crux of the industry are the Swiss majors, including Rolex, Omega, Audemars Piguet and Patek Philippe.
Cartier and Bulgari are also incredible names, but they have made a name for themselves for the way they combine their jewellery knowledge with innovative horological practices. To me, however, the most exciting brands are the disruptive fashion maisons that are emerging as worthy contenders. Applying the craftsmanship of their ateliers to this category, these are brands who are shaking things up and ensuring the more established labels stay nimble and competitive, which in turn delivers the most impactful and original devices. Wallner agrees with me, citing Louis Vuitton as an example of a maison that is doing this well. “It’s really exciting because it’s introducing new players as more creative and design-minded fashion houses start taking their watch programmes seriously”
“I think it’s opening the eyes of more standard and heritage watch brands,” she adds. “It’s just kind of like a cradle of innovation going on, and it’s not just innovation focused on the movement and what’s inside, but also design coming from the expertise of the fashion houses. I think it’s bringing more women, too, because fashion brands get women. The customer base is already there, they’re already switched on and engaged.”
