Can A Fashion Brand Timepiece Actually Boast Fine Watchmaking? Yes
8 min read
by Nirja Dutt
The age-old misconception that only watch-making brands are best needs a rehaul, today there is a plethora of jewellery and even fashion brands that are making a compelling case for fine watchmaking.
Almost a decade ago, Hermès premiered its (now) beloved Slim d’Hermès, a light yet serious, slim yet substantial timepiece and the entire time, the presentation team spoke about its typeface. As I sat in the cosy yet zen presentation room in Baselworld I kept wondering how I didn’t know about such a big sector of the house, in my head they were always leather legends. Pardon my delusion, but the year was 2015 and this was my second time at a watch fair, ever. But it had sown the seed, fashion brands can do watches with all seriousness too if they really want to and the result is mesmerising.
From then on, I noticed a plethora of brands getting into the game, some on a surface level, others have outsourced their inner workings to the right brands and some have went all the way. They started from ground zero and really came into their own. And what I have come to find is the most criminal way to judge this space would be stereotyping. Not all fashion brands can make watches but, not all fashion watches are bad.
Let's start from the top, the following brands are not ‘watch first’ but definitely ‘watch forward’. Each one puts copious amounts of research, thought, brand integration, and even innovation into their timepieces and what makes them special is that these brands craft so much more than just time, but their watches still tick.
Hermès
To be fair, the first watch the brand ever made was in 1912, as a gift for Emile Hermès’ daughter Jacqueline which was crafted to encase her pocket watch on the wrist in order to prevent it from slipping during horse riding and other leisure activities.
But it was only in 1928 that the brand started creating watches for commercial purposes and even then they were made in conjunction with Swiss brand Movado. By 1978 the house had come to realise that this division was meant to be expanded and they established La Montre Hermès in Beil, Switzerland. This led to the launch of several watches including the Arceau, and Cape Cod among others. As the brand grew they knew the path had to lead to crafting their own manufacture that came to life in 2012, Les Atlerier d’Hermès Horloger in Noirmont. Today, Hermès Horloger is a fully-fledged watch manufacturer with all skills mastered in-house and 100% Swiss production. The brand maintains its equestrian history that started the division in the first place and is deeply rooted to the house’s ethos and produces at least 60,000 watches a year and owns more than ten major watch designs including: Médor, Kelly, Dressage, Arceau, Heure H, Slim, Galop, Cape Cod, Nantucket, Faubourg, Carré H, Klikti.
Louis Vuitton
While the brand is first and foremost known as one of the most recognisable fashion brands in the world and has a vivid history of over 170 years old history, they are best recognised for their trunks and leather goods. Watches is now a large department for the brand ever since they acquired Le Fabrique du Temps literally translating to ‘the time factory’ in 2011. But the little known fact is that the first ever Louis Vuitton timepiece actually came to life in 1988. Made in conjunction with designer and architect Gae Aulenti, the Monterey I was a quartz movement watch that had a date, time, alarm and moonphase complication and followed by the Monterey II which had a ceramic case as opposed to the original which featured the case in 18k gold. Unclear on how long this was sold for, today it is a rare timepiece that is chased by collectors for its rarity.
Today, the house has crafted some of the most compelling timepieces that have captured the mindspace of many customers. The manufacture boasts a 4000 square metre facility that produces everything in house. The Tambour still remains the stalwart of the house’s offerings and has been reimagined in every way possible including some wild renditions Tambour Carpe Diem and Tambour Jacquemart Minute Repeater that have caught the attention of the entire watch world. The house is also working towards crafting only high watch marking timepieces and will be phasing out all quartz creations soon.
Chanel
While the codes of the house are clear—pearls, chains, tweed among 0thers, the house’s watch journey is more serious than you think. While the first watch that ever came to life was the aptly titled Première in 1987, it was the magic the house created with their J12 series which really put the fashion mogul’s horology stamp on the map.
By 1993 the house had acquired the Swiss manufacturer G&F Châtelain in La Chaux-de-Fonds. By 2001 Chanel acquired Bell & Ross and in 2011 they became an investor in Romain Gauthier. This investment was also instrumental in crafting their 2016 Monsieur de Chanel watch. And they even own a stake in F.P. Journe and have been in an industrial alliance with Tudor since 2018. Not to mention they also own a 20% stake in Kennisi as well. Today they reimagine complications in the J12 case that has even led to winning awards from the prestigious Grand Prix d'Horlogerie de Genève (GPHG) in the ladies category for their J12 sapphire creation.
Gucci
Contrary to popular belief, Gucci has consistently produced timepieces since the past 50 years. The house known for their logomatic language had incorporated watches in their array of offerings in 1972. Nestled in the city of La Chaux-de-Fonds, Neuchâtel, Switzerland, the house produced its first ever timepiece Model 2000 Gucci which even has a Guinness World Record in its name for selling over one million units in two years.
Today, the house has numerous in-house movements with a plethora of styles and possibilities that include rare stones, precious gems and complications that conjoin the house’s artistry. A key example of this is G-timeless planetarium which features a dancing hour complication with a custom star shaped flying tourbillon in the centre. The house has even gone a step further and offered customisation on G-Timeless Moonlight watch, which is made to order as per the client’s specific place, time and date of birth are uniquely depicted on the dial.
And while this round up only scratches the surface on how far these houses have gone to create an impact in their own right on the watch world, upon further research you will discover there is so much more than meets the eye. So remember, fashion the watch that fashions you, and don’t leave fashion watches out of it. >
