Ahead of their Time: How Watches Influence what we Wear

As early as the year 1490, Italian paintings depict fashionable gentlemen proudly wearing pendant clocks, since this time the worlds of men’s fashion and horology have been inseparable. So much so that by the end of the 16th century pendant watches became the most desirable accessory in a gentleman’s wardrobe. Often the developments in one field have greatly affected the other, one could even go so far as to say that the changing trends in watch design have had a more prolonged effect on what we wear than any other single influence; a bold statement, I know.Take for example the waistcoat or vest, an item of clothing which first became fashionable in England by royal declaration in 1666.

Samuel Pepys’ diary entry for October 8th, 1666 enlightens us to this moment in history, The king (Charles II) hath yesterday in council declared his resolution of setting a fashion for clothes, which he will never alter. It will be a vest”. Some ten to fifteen years earlier the pendant watch started its transformation to the pocket watch, losing its highly decorative case and becoming an object to be worn inside one’s clothing as opposed to suspended from a cord or chain outside. Some one hundred and twenty years later men’s fashion saw another drastic change. Around 1800 men’s clothing became more tightly fitted; it seems a strange coincidence that once again some ten to fifteen years earlier the watch also saw another change of form.

Pocket watches became much thinner and as a result clothing could become much closer-fitting and still allow one to wear one’s watch. Nearly another century passed and watches became more robust. Around 1880, something more recognizable to the modern businessman appears, the three-piece suit, an item of clothing which in its many guises was also worn from morning to evening whether riding, dining, or in the office.

Around 1935 something strange occurs: the waistcoat goes out of fashion and the two-piece double-breasted suit becomes the standard for the fashionable gentleman. This loss of a piece of clothing which has been the standard for the well-dressed man for over two and a half centuries happens to follow the total acceptance of the wristwatch in fashionable society. In the nearly eight decades which followed, the changes have been just as noticeable, for example the cuffs of men’s shirts are much looser fitting than they were at the turn of the century. Watches have become so important to designers that some Italian fashion houses have started to incorporate openings on the cuffs to allow watches to be put on over the shirt. By doing this designers are suggesting on some level that we dress around our watches. The term “Watch Wardrobing” has become very popular over the last couple of years; quite simply the term describes keeping dozens of high-end watches as accessories as opposed to a true collection, quite literally spending more on our watches than on the clothing we wear with them. This being the case, the question begs to be asked; do we think more about the watch we are going to wear for that special occasion or the clothes we will wear with it?

As further proof of the watch’s influence on fashion design, Antiquorum will, in April of this year, be offering for sale the collection of the famous Milanese designer, Carlo Rivetti. Carlo Rivetti has been collecting watches for over twenty years and has assembled an exceptional collection of Rolex wristwatches which chart the changing trends of the 20th century. His companies, C.P. Company and Stone Island, are famous for the use of industrial materials in their garments, woven steel and ballistic nylon are but two examples.

Once again a strange trend seems to appear, over the last 20 years the use of industrial materials such as titanium, carbon fiber and tantale, all of which were more likely to be used in military machinery than a watch case, have found their way onto our wrists, and designers like Rivetti have, over the past five years, been putting them on the catwalks of the world. Maybe the best way to find out what will be in the top fashion designers’ collections in five years’ time is to take a look at the trends in wristwatches today.

Drum Watch
German, second quarter of the 16th century. Gilt metal, tambour-shaped watch with concealed dial and iron movement.

Jeremie Gregory,
Royal Exchange (London), circa 1665. Silver pair-cased pre-balance spring, single-hand watch.

Lépine, Invenit et Fecit, à Paris,
No. 5431, circa 1789. 18K gold center-seconds watch with true equation of time.

Patek, Philippe & Cie., Genève,
made for King Oscar the Second of Sweden in 1885. 18K gold enamel and diamond-set half hunting-cased keyless dress watch.

Vacheron Constantin, Genève,
produced circa 1925. 18K yellow gold gentleman's wristwatch with coaxial single button chronograph on the crown and register.

Omega Titane, "Polaris",
produced circa 1986. Self-winding, titanium and pink gold gentleman's wristwatch with round button chronograph and registers.