There’s been a quiet (r)evolution: many brands are no longer differentiating between men’s and women’s watches. So, what do they call them? Just – watches. These days, it seems to be practically a given that, under certain conditions, a watch is a unisex object.
There, I’ve said it. As yet, virtually none of the brands have uttered the term “unisex”, but that’s what we’re talking about: the timepiece as a beautiful, sexless object. For him or for her? That’s a question that the brands themselves no longer attempt to answer. For once, they leave that up to the client. It’s for the client to decide whether their purchase would better suit a masculine or a feminine wrist, or both. If May 1968 was about sexual liberation, perhaps January 2018 will mark the start of a unisexual revolution?
Now, are there a few things to think about when purchasing this Piaget? Certainly. To begin with, 43mm is a large watch, no matter how thick it really is. The Altiplano is expertly built to take a seat on any wrist nicely, but you can’t away from pure physical existence. 43mm is a large watch, surely for you personally considered by most to be a “dress watch”. Secondly, its $20,000+ price tag puts it squarely in the same variety as a 5120 from Patek Philippe and other similar Calatrava models. Going head to head with Patek is a hazardous game as resale on any Patek is sure to be more powerful than literally every other brand in the world. Within this range you’re also looking at the Saxonia collection from A. Lange & S?hne and a couple of options from Vacheron Constantin. These three brands are unquestionably more “watch man” brands than Piaget, by pure overall perception. While the Altiplano is equivalent to all of the watches mentioned here in terms of finishing and quality, and sometimes vastly superior, there are numerous people who don’t watch Piaget for who they really are – a truly world class manufacture. And if you don’t believe me, do I need to show you this again?The fact that Piaget is not frequently listed among the Pateks and Langes of this planet can work to your advantage. I have discovered that many actual watch men would much rather be wearing a bit that does not attract too much attention, but has a story to tell should someone ask. The Piaget Altiplano 43mm automatic has two official tales to tell, one per album it broke, and then a third when you turn the watch above.
Finding the right balance
Let’s take a look at Vacheron Constantin. The new Overseas watches, for instance, may well showcase the manufacture’s rather masculine sports chic vision, but the collection’s new perpetual calendar is an ultra-thin watch, just 4 mm deep. In the past, its 41 mm case diameter would have clearly signalled a male client base, but its slender profile and gold livery mean it looks equally good on a woman’s wrist.
Overseas ultra-thin perpetual calendar © Vacheron Constantin
The weight-loss regime has had a similar effect on Cartier. In the new Drive extra-flat, the manufacture has found the perfect profile. With no complications and no superfluous thickness, the new Drive gives full expression to its design aesthetic, in a new, subtle and sophisticated unisex size. It’s a perfect piece – balanced and just right. This new version demonstrates in an intelligent way that beautiful need be neither masculine nor feminine. It’s just beautiful.
Drive ultra-thin © Cartier
Even Panerai, that champion of aquatic virility, is placing its hopes in the Due line this year. Depending on your point of view, it’s either the most urban, or the least nautical collection. What no one will dispute is that it’s a slimmed-down collection and, in red gold, like the Luminor Due 3 Days Automatic (PAM00756) in 38 mm, it looks fabulous on any wrist. Men, women – it really doesn’t matter.
Luminor Due 3 Days Automatic (PAM00756) © Panerai
Squaring the circle
Unisex styling is most commonly found in round watches. It’s the shape most easily shared by men and women. Nevertheless, in the collective unconscious some shapes are more masculine, and others are more feminine. The square, for example, is traditionally a masculine shape. Bell & Ross are the textbook example, with their macho BR-01 references that cemented the brand’s reputation.
At SIHH 2018, Hermès went completely in the opposite direction. The Carré H, created in 2010, is back in centre stage. Now larger in size, it has a polished, microblasted finish, and the dial features a square guilloché motif. At the same time, perhaps to offset all this angularity, the brand has softened the corners of the square, the curved profile of the case and the convex crystal. The end result (which measures no more than 38 mm on a side) is balanced and… unisex.
Carré H © Hermès
Vintage for one, vintage for all!
The ascent of the unisex watch may also have something to do with the vintage vogue. Vintage watches are, by their very nature, unisex: they are moderately sized (38 to 41 mm), they have few complications, and a restrained, classic design. Vintage works well for both sexes, because it’s all about the era, not about the gender.
Reverso Tribute Duoface © Jaeger-LeCoultre
Jaeger-LeCoultre has taken this on board, refocusing on the Reverso Tribute Duoface, a re-issue of the original model. The manufacture has updated it with a strap made by renowned bootmaker Casa Fagliano. There’s a similar story at Piaget, where the iconic Altiplano, born in 1957, still graces the wrists of both men and women six decades later, and continues to break records. The same goes for the two-handed model known as the “Andy Warhol”, created in 1973, which remains in the current catalogue. Thanks to its stone dial, it remains a uniquely powerful unisex classic. Looking ahead, it remains to be seen how the new watches revealed at Baselworld will tackle the unisex market.
