DIAMOND WATCHES LONDON: WOMEN'S LUXURY WATCH MARKET IS CHANGING

Watch aficionado Danny Shahid, whose DWL boutique is in Mayfair’s exclusive Burlington Arcade, explores how luxury women’s watches are evolving with the times: 

“Women’s timepieces from luxury Swiss watchmakers are historically seen as an afterthought as the market has been dominated by the efforts of brands to meet the wants, needs and demands of their male client base. Luxury women's watches have been confined to smaller versions of their male counterparts, often featuring pink dials and gem-set constructions. 

The idea that "shrinking and pinking" a watch design would meet the wants of women around the world is rooted in misogyny and outdated, sexist marketing. Today the big watchmakers are exploring the idea of not only giving women more options, but designs that are tailored to their lifestyles and what women actually want. 

When we look at the 2022 watch market, demand is at an all-time high for practically every luxury watch. The vast majority of large 40mm+ designs are experiencing massive surges in demand, with 34mm-39mm watches being sought after to a slightly lesser extent. Women are actually becoming increasingly comfortable wearing men's watches. The traditional boundaries that encircled the size of watches are being broken down with a shift away from the notion that women’s watches need to be smaller than men's. Influencer Molly-Mae Hague serves as a perfect example, given that she is often seen donning a solid gold green dial "John Mayer" Rolex Daytona ref. 116508.

Women are defining their own preferences by wearing watches that would traditionally be thought of as masculine designs. As such, the 40mm Rolex Daytona, the 41mm Rolex Oyster Perpetual and the 41mm Rolex Datejust have all experienced swells in demand from female watch enthusiasts. Women are also comfortable wearing Richard Mille's typically large-wearing watches, alongside the Audemars Piguet Royal Oak and plenty of other timepieces that would have been almost exclusively worn by men, except for their dainty pink-dialled gem-set quartz-powered siblings.

The Swiss watchmaking industry has been somewhat slow to react to this shift and has only just begun to release mid-sized designs that appeal to both women and men. Audemars Piguet recently launched a revamped collection of 37mm Royal Oaks. The ref. 15551ST.ZZ.1356ST.01 and its sibling variants are unisex in their aesthetic – something that wouldn’t have happened a decade ago as it would render a watch too 'girly' for men to wear and thus leave the brand without its largest customer base. 

 In a world where women dominate jewellery and accessory spending, it is surprising that luxury Swiss watchmakers have been so slow to contemplate 50% of the population's horological desires. While there is a long way to go before male and female watch design is fully homogenised with designs that span all sizes, significant progress has been made in recent years. 

One brand that we can look to as the shining light of female-centric watch design is French jeweller Cartier. While their models are often unisex and relatively progressive, their modern watches demonstrate the brand's ability to create a plethora of designs with wide-ranging appeal to women. Perhaps ahead of other watchmakers due to their jewellery trend connection, Cartier offers significant variation in sizing and intelligent designs that women enjoy wearing.”

Danny Shahid’s flagship DWL shop is in Mayfair’s Burlington Arcade, the home of luxury boutiques. DWL has more than 14 years’ experience in sourcing rare and big name watches, some of which are subject to lengthy waiting lists elsewhere. Staff are often asked for their expert opinion by fellow jewellers and retailers. The luxury watch experts’ stock is constantly changing but they have immediate access to more than one hundred exquisite models, most worth between £10,000 and £40,000 but some with a value of up to £500,000.

For more information about DWL, please visit www.diamondwatcheslondon.com and to find out more about Danny Shahid, follow @excellencebydanny on Instagram.