International Women’s Day Watch

Today is International Women’s Day. In case the woke media hasn’t give you the 411, it’s a global day celebrating the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women. Of which there are many. A list that doesn’t include writing for The Truth About Watches (ping me!), a blog that hasn’t featured any women’s watches. Some of that’s because . . .

There’s no reason a woman can’t or shouldn’t wear a “man’s watch.” Those small, bejeweled women’s watches are all well and good, but I reckon men’s watches are equally appropriate on a woman’s wrist. Many brands offer smaller sizes of their men’s timepieces, so there is that.

By the same token, I see nothing wrong with a man wearing a “woman’s watch.” Plenty of celebrities opt for iced-out watches; the diamonds = female ornamentation thing is long gone. We really do live in a time where anything goes.

We also live in a time where the Apple Watch outsells the entire output of the Swiss watch industry. You simply can’t get more unisex than an Apple Watch. Anyway, enough about watches. How about watchmaking?

As you might imagine, the watch industry is a generally male-dominated enterprise. While there are plenty of women watch designers – SWATCH regularly turns to female artists for inspiration – there are precious few women-owned or controlled brands. But they are out there.

Christine Genesis of Genesis Watches is a German master watchmaker. She modifies Eta 2892-A2 movements and adds hand  finishing and decoration to create unisex (38.5mm) meisterwerks for around two grand.

Cinette Robert is the President and CEO of France’s Dubey & Schaldenbrand. When the quartz crisis hit, Ms. Robert bought up vintage movements. Her company restores and redecorates them to artistic acclaim and financial success.

Back in the late 90’s, Simone Bédat left Raymond Weil to found Bedat & Co. The Swiss watchmaker crafts diamond-laden timepieces of extraordinary quality for an exclusive clientele (B&C watches cost a bomb).

There are also highly accomplished women who work for grail brands. Carole Forestier-Kasapi, for example, has been Cartier’s Director of Movement Creation since 2005. She’s launched over thirty movements for the House of Cartier, supervising the temporal engines’ design, testing and production.

There are other remarkable women plying their trade within the watch industry – women on the front lines of design, construction, marketing, distribution and sales. On this day – and others – we salute them for their contribution to the horological community. They’re dedication and determination inspires us all.