Luxury women’s watches are a fabulous concept. Each and every ladies wrist watch is an exercise in beauty, class and finesse; however, designer ladies watches are still made by some of the best watch making brands in the world and are often chronometers in their own right. While it’s easy to dust away women’s dress watches, they’re often worn by women as a statement of intent and an equaliser with luxury watches for men. Indeed, some of the most powerful women in the last few decades have been known for the luxury watches for women that they wear.
Womens Luxury Watches
For fashion designer, Victoria Beckham, appearance is everything. It’s unsurprising that she sports a Rolex Daytona Cosmograph, while Jennifer Anniston mixes up her look, interchanging her men’s Gold Rolex President with her women’s Rolex Datejust and Cartier Tank Française. Luxury brand watches are staples within the Royal Family, with several of the most famous models in the world worn by Kate Middleton, stainless steel Cartier Ballon Bleu; the Queen Consort, Cartier Tank Française, and Meghan Markle wearing the late Princess Diana’s Cartier Tank Française.
Luxury watches for women capture the essence of the brand, with collectable watches and vintage women’s watches representing some of the best models on the market. Let’s take a look at six of the best.
1. BVLGARI Serpenti
When looking at women’s watch brands, it’s tempting to head straight for the Swiss watchmakers, but some of the most gorgeous and pretty watches for ladies come instead from some of the finest jewellers in the world. Where classic women’s watches may differ from luxury men’s watches is in the range of options of materials used in the watchmaking process. Bulgari’s Serpenti coils allow the jeweller to play with rose gold, gold and stainless steel as well as experiment with the pattern on the coils. With many different models making up Bulgari’s vintage women’s watch collections, the Serpenti offers the wearer the opportunity to stand out.
2. Cartier Tank
A well-loved vintage ladies watch, the Cartier Tank watch is in fact a unisex watch, with House Cartier claiming, “By turns masculine and feminine, the Tank asserts that freedom and elegance have no gender.” Invented by Louis Cartier, grandson of Cartier founder, Louis-François Cartier, in 1917, the Tank now includes several different versions, including the Tank Américaine and the Tank Anglaise. While the Tank is one of the best known watches in the world, only six Tank watches were produced the year after they were launched, with only 33 made in 1920. Across the next five decades, Cartier produced 5,829 Tanks, so finding a vintage women’s Tank watch is quite the feat – but well worth it. Inspired by the tanks of WWI, the ‘brancards’, or vertical bars, represent the tank’s treads while the case evokes the vehicle’s cockpit. The Tank’s design marked a shift away from the traditional round shape of a watch.
3. Rolex Daytona Everose
Pre-owned ladies Rolex watches are a popular choice, even though some women prefer to wear men’s models. It hasn’t stopped Rolex from spotting a gap in the market for something perfectly feminine. Rolex, King of Watches, wasn’t satisfied with the rose gold that they were using. Instead, Rolex’s proprietary material, Everose, is of their own making. Everose is not a standard yellow gold, but a composite mixture of pure gold mixed with copper and platinum. First used in 2005, Rolex had used rose gold in their watches up until this point. Unwilling to be compromised by the effects of chemicals, like chlorine, and saltwater on the copper in its rose gold products, Rolex instead formulated its own material so that its models could maintain their ‘Perpetual’ credentials.
Rather than creating an Everose model or watch, Rolex has instead produced their other classic models in Everose, with the Daytona the first to be made in Everose.
4. OMEGA Constellation
As ever, Omega is in pursuit of precision and excellence. It’s no wonder that they have opted to mark their success in chronometer trials by creating a slimmer, smaller version to be worn as a women’s luxury watch.
While the Constellation may be a more feminine version of the Omega core models, the watchmaking excellence is maintained. The differences that exist in the slimmed down claws and the slender bezels. Numerals can be either Roman or diamond-set. While quartz models sport the typical Constellation bracelet, larger models can have leather straps as an option. In terms of time-keeping, each mechanical Constellation hosts a Co-Axial Master Chronometer Calibre, certified at the highest level of precision, performance and magnetic resistance.
If looking for a vintage women’s Omega, the Constellation offers a varied range, including the Manhattan collection with claws – or griffes- an integral part of the design while 1999’s Quadra was targeted uniquely at women and had a square face. Often, Constellations will come with the option for a mother of pearl dial, which is an utterly feminine take on this chronometer.
Read everything you need to know about Omega watches now.
5. Patek Philippe TWENTY-4
The Patek Philippe Twenty-4 takes inspiration from the Art Deco era, with Cubist geometric shapes softened by a diamond set finish and a choice of metal casings that includes silver stainless steel, 18ct rose or white gold. Alongside the diamonds set into the Twenty-4’s face, they also feature on the bezel and the case, with the crown studded with either an onyx or a diamond solitaire.
Patek Philippe is generous with their diamonds, with some models – most notably the 4920 – boasting more than two thirds of a carat of diamonds. Opulent and feminine, the Twenty-4 offers a fabulous choice of options, including rose gold and soft leather watch straps. For those that prefer the sports look, the Twenty-4’s stainless steel model more than ticks the box. Bringing together the best in both style and function, the Twenty-4 is water resistant up to 30 metres.
6. IWC Da Vinci
When considering best watch brands for women or thinking about female swiss watch brands, it’s possible that IWC might not spring to mind. However, the Schaffhausen-based Swiss watch brand has been producing women’s watches since the 1870s. Inspired by Leonardo Da Vinci’s pursuit of aesthetic perfection, IWC’s Da Vinci brings together several watch complications and elegant housing. Launched in 1969, the Da Vinci models are art-inspired timepieces, with the iconic Da Vinci Lady Chronograph the most highly regarded and successful women’s watches ever made by the IWC. Smooth round curves feature heavily, with round cases, round crowns, round diamonds, round bezels, a round date window, rounded lugs and a round Moon phase display.
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