Celebrating Women’s Influence in the World of Watches

Women’s influence has shaped the world of watches for centuries. Today, women make up a significant number of watch buyers, as well as watch brand CEOs, designers and artisans. 

Women’s roles have evolved over time. Her tastes too have shaped and changed the industry. From being the patron for which the first-ever wristwatch was commissioned and conceived, to the figureheads of leading brands, women have always been at the heart of watchmaking. 

Women’s Influence in the World of Watches

While watchmaking has a lopsided reputation being a men’s domain, women were vital in the advent of wristwatches and have been playing an indispensable role since. 

Like kings and other patricians, watches were also appreciated by queens and noblewomen, especially in social settings when their exquisiteness could become the talk of the evening. Prior to the advent of wristwatches, portable watches were typically in the form of pocket watches. For men, pocket watches would be attached to a waistcoat’s button hole and slipped into a pocket. However, for women, things were not so easy as they would have to chain the pocket watch to their raiment or retrieve them from their purses. Earlier alternatives articulated into brooches and pendants, in spite of their wrought beauty, were not especially practical for those needing to tell time at a glance. It represented a compromise between style and convenience. 

The introduction of wristwatches was a seed planted by the Queen of Naples. Her request ignited a revolution in the world of watches. Watches could now be unshackled and worn effortlessly around the wrist. For women, the grace and ease of wearing wristwatches trumped carrying pendant watches. 

Men’s wristwatches were developed much later than women’s, and generally for military and aviation purposes. Though introduced earlier, their mass adoption was swift, thanks in no small part to the brewing World War I. Wristwatches superseded the popularity of pocket watches. It is plausible that men might have learned of the convenience of wearing wristwatches from women.

Watches can be seen as a microcosm of social progress. Access to employment, education, voting and a range of other opportunities previously unattainable has yielded women’s greater participation in all levels of society. In earlier centuries, only those with aristocratic background could afford exquisite objects of value as grave as ornate watches. Queen Victoria was known to have purchased a blue pendant watch during the Great Exhibition of London in 1851. On the contrary, an ordinary woman in those days was financially dependent on her family and husband. 

The wider societal shift has seeped into watchmaking. While the florid creations were de rigueur back in the days, fast forward to today, women’s watches are thoughtfully designed to suit a variety of tastes and purposes. Simply, a women’s watch can be anything, and women are no longer pigeonholed into selecting a certain look. Women are free to choose a watch of their own volition and wear it as they see fit. 

Furthermore, women’s participation in the world of watches has also graduated from mere consumption to include watchmaking and decision making. Today, women can be found across all areas of watch production. From movement design, assembly and decoration, to chairing and managing brands, women have been quietly breaking the ceiling and empowering their peers in the process. Celebrating their immense contributions to watchmaking, we highlight several trailblazing women.

Pioneering Women in Watchmaking

The development of wristwatches took place in the early 19th century. Caroline Murat, the Queen of Naples, commissioned the famed watchmaker Abraham-Louis Breguet for a groundbreaking wristwatch that would set the nascent stage for modern wristwatches. Napoleon’s youngest sister was a loyal customer who had amassed 34 clocks and watches between 1808 and 1814. The supportive relationship culminated in a revolutionary conception: an ultra-thin, oblong repeating watch, arrayed with a thermometer and mounted on a wristlet of hair entwined with gold thread. Her passion and demands formed the nexus between pocket and wrist watches. According to Breguet, the commission was undertaken in 1810 and the wristwatch was delivered in 1812.

Recognising her influence on Breguet and the course of watchmaking history in general, the Maison pays her the ultimate homage with a regal collection that bears her royal title: the Reine de Naples. A liberal interpretation based on the pioneering wristwatch, timepieces of this collection are emblems of Breguet’s refinement and precision.

History shows that not only are women some of the most passionate watch collectors, they are also some of the finest watchmakers and artisans. Suzanne Rohr is case in point.

Rohr skilfully combines her proclivity for classical art with dexterity and precision. A master enameller, she is renowned for her Geneva technique. Her works are regarded as the ne plus ultra of miniature enamel paintings. In 2017, she was awarded a Special Jury Prize at the Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève (GPHG), an honour shared with her former protégée, Anita Porchet, who is also a well-known master enameller.

Traditionally, women are trusted for their attention to detail and a keen eye for beauty. In challenging areas like engraving, enamelling, gem setting, movement finishing and assembly, women artisans are sought for their natural talent and acquired expertise. These laborious specialities require perseverance, consistency and sound judgement. With embellished timepieces commanding higher prices, women artisans and watchmakers have more than proven their worth in these demanding roles.

The Rise of Female Watchmakers and Designers

Beyond artisanship, women also excel in other disciplines such as management and design. Examples are numerous with many women CEOs and high-ranking executives such as movement and technical directors leading a number of watch brands, both luxury and independent names. Their diverse experiences and perspectives help organisations stay abreast of the fast-paced watchmaking business and navigate consumers’ ever-changing tastes and cultural sensitivity, as well as the volatile international commerce at large. A woman designer enables designs that better connect with prospective women collectors at an emotional level. 

Carole Forestier-Kasapi, currently Haute Horlogerie and Movements Strategy Director with TAG Heuer, spent over 14 years at Cartier and was formerly Cartier’s Head of Movement Creation. A serial award winner, her honour roll includes the Breguet Prize in 1997, the Best Watchmaker Prize at the 2012 GPHG when she was Cartier’s Head of Technical Development, and the Gaïa award in the craftsmanship and creation category. 

As an inquisitive person, she spent her childhood in family workshops with her watchmaker parents after school. Watchmaking is in her blood. Since taking up the reins at TAG Heuer, she presages, in interviews, the brand’s return to haute horlogerie. Under her guidance, the Maison recently unveiled the Monaco Rattrapante, a split-seconds chronograph in one of TAG Heuer’s most distinctive case designs.

A multi-hyphenate, British designer and historian, Dr. Rebecca Struthers is the United Kingdom’s only practising watchmaker with a PhD in horology. She shares her own watchmaking studio and workshop with her husband. Originally trained as a jeweller and silversmith, Struthers discovered her true calling in watchmaking while pursuing her education at Birmingham City University. With a string of accolades under her belt, she released Hands of Times, a book on the history of time, in 2023. The Struthers also produce their own movements and watches. 

In her interview with the New York Times, Struthers spoke of her admiration of Ruth Belville, a London watch purveyor active between the late 19th century and World War II, and her own trials and tribulations as a young working class, tattooed, woman watchmaker to earning her stripes in the men-dominated business. According to her, times have changed.

Evolving Trends in Women’s Watches

The earliest wristwatches were products of their time. As magnificent as they were, they were created to be decorative first, functionality second. Then, they were masters of disguise to fit in with the royal court. In the ensuing centuries, watches have evolved with women’s changing circumstances and expectations. Not unlike the modern woman, they have become multifaceted.

Complexity, functionality and excellence are given equal consideration as style. A women’s watch may feature a mother-of-pearl dial surrounded by the flawless diamonds, but underneath it, holds a state-of-the-art movement, finished to the highest standard. In the past few years, brands have begun to dedicate skeletonised and open-worked watches to women on par with the men’s. High complications are also offered in smaller dimensions to cater to women. Chronographs, viewed as the de facto sports watches, are made in a range of sizes. Even avant-garde jewellery watches have traded in quartz movements for mechanical calibres as watchmakers work harder to innovate. It is a testament to the adaptability of watch brands and their conscious efforts to treat women clients with the utmost respect.

In return, women have emboldened watch brands in exercising their creativity, pushing out bolder designs and colours, and contemporising archival pieces. A perfect example is the Bvlgari Divas’ Dream. The extraordinary collection captures the essence of the modern woman while retaining the brand’s Roman roots and heritage, recalling the Romans’ inexpugnable predilection for coloured stones. It exudes feminine enchantment, and amidst its splendour, an ultra-thin manufacture movement projects an inner fortitude to match its outward beauty.

Celebrating Women’s Empowerment Through Watches

Watches do more than just telling time; they are objects of self-expression. Watches are purchased to celebrate milestones. The brands do more than just making watches that women covet; they are expending their resources to uplift women through selected endeavours. The purchase a woman makes goes immediately into a circular economy to help other women in their needs and pursuits, enabling one to look good, feel good and do good. 

Each year, Cartier empowers the next generation of women go-getters with its Cartier Women’s Initiative. The annual international entrepreneurship programme incepted in 2006 aims to propel women entrepreneurs in their impact-driven businesses, with a strong emphasis on sustainable social and/or environmental goals. Alumni have provided countless assistance to their communities in all corners of the globe. From working with women from the low-income background to produce food to underserved children in Kenya, to educating women on finance and investing, Cartier is arming these ambitious women entrepreneurs with the necessary tools to drive positive change.

Chopard, a family-owned vanguard of sustainable luxury, is also at the forefront of philanthropic causes. Since 2009, the Swiss Maison, under the direction of Artistic Director and Co-President Caroline Scheufele, has been partnering with Petra Nemcova’s All Hands and Hearts – Smart Response to help rebuild safe, resilient schools in areas ravaged by natural disasters, with proceeds coming from Chopard’s Happy Hearts jewellery collection. As a watchmaker, Chopard’s whimsical Happy Sport watches delight women with the talismanic diamonds, seemingly free of restrictions, dancing with the grace of a ballerina within the watch case.

Iconic Women and Their Timepieces

The choice of watch a woman wears conveys a powerful message and conjures a vivid imagery. Certain watches have become inexplicably linked to high achievers, champions of change and style icons through this association. Their aspirations seem to intertwine with their timepieces.

One such watch is the Cartier Tank. Introduced in 1917 by Louis Cartier, and though inspired by tanks deployed on WWI battlefields, the dress watch is distinguished for its flat, vertical brancards and a sapphire cabochon crown. The coveted watch represents the epitome of understated elegance. It was the choice watch for one of the most photographed women of her time, Jacqueline Kennedy, former first lady of the United States. Her poise, eloquence and elegance won her admiration worldwide. Produced in 1962, the gold watch paired with a black leather strap was a gift from her brother-in-law Prince Stanislaw Radziwill. Inscribed with 23 Feb. 63 / 2:05 AM, the watch commemorated the family’s participation in a 50-mile walk. The programme was initiated by her then husband, former US President John F. Kennedy, to encourage the American people to exercise.

Another former first lady is also a fan of the Cartier Tank. A graduate of Princeton University and Harvard Law School, Michelle Obama was tireless in her advocacy work, raising awareness on poverty, education and health. She established a task force to address obesity and launched the campaign Let’s Move in 2010 to improve the health of American children. In her husband’s first term as the US president, Michelle wisely opted for the Cartier Tank Française in her official portrait. The choice to go with a stainless steel model helped soften her image as one of the world’s most important women figures and made her appear approachable and independent.

In addition, Cartier was Princess Diana’s beloved watchmaker insofar that she was known to own more than one Cartier Tank. Her first, a Tank Louis Cartier, was a gift by her father, while her second, a Tank Française, was spotted frequently on her. A symbol of strength, her tragic passing continues to be mourned each year, and Princess Diana remains a people’s favourite being a doting mother and a fearless protector of her children.

A Celebration of Women in Horology

Whether it is large or petite, decorative or functional, gemset or minimalist, the marketplace is replete with watches of all sorts that cater to any taste. It is a testament to the unequivocal influence that women hold on horology at large, from the CEOs and watchmakers who chart the present and future of the industry, to women watch collectors who hold considerable sway through their means, passion and preferences. 

Cortina Watch is Asia’s leading luxury watch retailer. Home to a diverse portfolio of women’s watches, we are honoured to assist you in discovering and finding your dream watch. Book an appointment with us today.

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