Is the power watch the new ‘it’ women’s timepiece? At Watches and Wonders 2022, Rolex, Cartier, Chanel, Hublot and Vacheron Constantin all went for bold over delicate designs

Apr 26 , 2022

The Rolex Oyster Perpetual Day-Date 36. Photo: Rolex

Too many luxury watch brands take a man’s watch and simply reduce the size for a women’s rich, or stick with tiny timepieces – but times are changing

The 35mm Pasha de Cartier Grille features a loud and proud hashtag diamond grille while the ice blue dial on Rolex’s 36mm Day-Date is pure power

At too many watch brands, the designers are men with limited ideas about how to make women’s watches attractive. Often they take a man’s watch and simply reduce the size, or if designing from scratch, they are still stuck on the idea that women want tiny timepieces.

But at Watches and Wonders, we saw five watches that are strong, solid and bold, yet still elegant and sophisticated.

1. Cartier

The 35mm Pasha de Cartier Grille with its distinctive diamond-draped grille. Photo: Cartier

Cartier – the world’s third-largest watch brand – showed off some bold and funky challenges to the typical assumptions of what women want in a watch. The 35mm Pasha de Cartier Grille may have a bigger brother, but this sibling can perfectly well stand on its own. The hashtag-reminiscent diamond-draped grille can be removed with a simple twist for a more traditional look, or worn loud and proud as is. Under the hood is an automatic movement, and to match this timepiece with different outfits, the watch comes with interchangeable QuickSwitch straps in purple and blue alligator.

2. Rolex

Over at the other end of the Palexpo halls, a lighter hue of blue could be seen: the ice blue dial of the 36mm Rolex Day-Date. With case, now-fluted bezel and President strap all in platinum, the added heft is enough to give anyone a sensation of power when it’s strapped on your wrist.

3. Chanel

The monochromatic Chanel J12 Mademoiselle, bearing the image of Coco Chanel herself. Photo: Chanel

The black and white Chanel J12 Mademoiselle bears a fresh interpretation of the Mademoiselle herself – Coco Chanel, dressed in a Breton top and sailor pants. This was her revolutionary outfit back in the early 1930s living in her villa La Pausa on the French Riviera. The monochromatic look with its all-black movement makes for an immediately recognisable work honouring an iconic woman who always made her own rules.

4. Hublot

The 39mm Hublot One Click Steel Rainbow is a go-to covered in stones in all colours of the rainbow – rubies, pink sapphires, amethysts, blue sapphires, blue topazes, tsavorites, yellow sapphires and orange sapphires. Photo: Hublot

But for those times you just want to be anything but black and white, why not go all in? On those occasions, the 39mm Hublot One Click Steel Rainbow really shines. Covered in stones of all colours: rubies, pink sapphires, amethysts, blue sapphires, blue topazes, tsavorites, yellow sapphires and orange sapphires, this watch truly shows who is in charge.