The changing face of ladies’ watches
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William McNish
Strategic Planner at RE-UP
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With 10-plus years as an economist and marcom professional in the IT and energy sectors, but driven by the monkeys inside, Eszter Faykiss brought her passion-project Loupiosity to life. Since then, Loupiosity has been exploring fine watchmaking, jewellery and art through its own experiences.
She is obsessed with the details but cannot go without seeing the greater context, be it historic, human or economic. Having lived in the Middle East, Australia and Europe, she thrives in different cultures and is naturally inquisitive. She loves visual harmonies, sharp balances and originality, and has developed a deep appreciation of craftspeople chasing perfection. Equipped with a digital heart and an always critical mind, she likes to double-check everything with her best friend Google. Eszter Faykiss believes that style together with good taste and manners are the makings of gentlewomen and gentlemen. She is an HRD Antwerp-certified diamond grader.
What's your favourite ladies' watch of SIHH 2018 and why?
Eszter Faykiss, founder and editor-in-chief, loupiosity.com: I really fell for the 38mm Panerai Luminor Due 3 Days. I think it is implicitly a statement from one of the coolest masculine brands out there, saying that we want women to wear our iconic shapes, too. More on the feminine side, I love the new editions of the A. Lange & Söhne Little Lange 1.
Nowadays ladies are paid significantly better than before (over 90% of the male wages as opposed to the 64% in 1980).
Why do you think Fine Watchmaking brands have finally started to change the way they make ladies' watches?
In the last decade, many brands (whether in the luxury industry, fast-fashion or FMCG) have campaigned for female empowerment, gender equality, women’s right to education, etc. This is a social, sociological, but also a strong financial interest. If you look at the US alone, 46.8% of the total workforce was female in 2015, which is 17% more than in 1950. The Millennial population is estimated to be almost 80 million and ladies in this generation are paid significantly better than before (over 90% of the male wages as opposed to the 64% in 1980). All in all, this means that there is an affluent potential customer base with different life-goals and motivations, who buy goods for the quality, value and the buzz around it. Therefore, addressing women, who seek more variety in well-made and realistically priced timepieces, seems to be a smart strategy.
[Figures by Pew Research and RTi Research]
What do you think the big future trend for ladies' watches will be and why?
For all the reasons above, I’m expecting a growing selection of models in different styles, offering women more options to embed timepieces into their ‘wardrobes’ for various occasions. I love diamonds, but there are life situations when they just don’t match the moment or mood. Women have a myriad of different leisure activities, lifestyles, tempers, personalities, ambitions and they work in different positions. Highly technical or edgy models can be fitting just like the more playful or delicate pieces. I think that collections will increasingly adapt to these diverse needs. Additionally, I can also observe growing interest among women for vintage timepieces and auctions.
Do you think we will see more brands creating ladies’ watches in the near future and why?
I hope so. However, I don’t think a laser-cut line between watches dedicated to men and women is necessary. Just by having both genders in mind when developing new models, a great chunk of today’s gap can be filled. Brands have started to explore this solution, but it has still to gain momentum.
And finally, what pages would you like us to link to in the article?
We started a mini-series a few years back, entitled ‘Girls don’t just wanna have fun‘. In this, we showcase mechanical and artistic wonders that were specially designed for women, and others originally for men that come alive on spirited ladies’ wrists.
