Luxury watches were once the province of a predominantly male audience, but recently observed trends suggest that this masculine bias is beginning to be balanced out. The Baselworld 2013 collection proved that a growing number of leading watch brand names are beginning to target feminine audiences, with companies such as Jaquet Droz notably releasing their pioneering assortment of ladies’ prestige watches. The amount of expenditure on luxury items is tracked by LGI Network, and it has been noted that women’s timepieces have increased in popularity by more than 30% over the last 24 months; a rise which more than accounts for the renewed focus of brands like Jaquet Droz.
Rolex is undoubtedly the most popular horological brand name to be embraced by high profile celebrity women, and three timepieces in particular have been identified as especially sought after within these circles. The first of these is the Rolex Lady Datejust; an iconic model whose presence should come as no surprise. The intrinsic elegance and distinctive Cyclops magnifying eye have always made the Datejust collection some of the most recognizable wristwatches in the world. The original Oyster Perpetual Datejust was the very first watch to display a date aperture, and today the Lady Datejust continues to exude a reputation for timeless class while being worn by a huge range of high profile celebrities such as Jennifer Aniston, Beth Bauer, Jennifer Garner, Lindsey Lohan, Whitney Port, Rhianna and also the universally respected skier Lindsey Vonn (see above image).
The Rolex Submariner is a male timepiece that has become renowned as the quintessential diver’s watch, and its original incarnation in 1953 was the earliest wristwatch design to be able to remain water resistant amid depths of 100 metres. Since then, it has evolved with the passage of time to withstand water pressures of up to triple the initial capabilities, yet its adoption by the female horological audience has perhaps been one of its most surprising innovations. Favoured by celebrities who are looking for a more actively athletic style of wristwatch, the Rolex Submariner is now frequently worn by individuals such as Vanessa Redgrave, Cameron Diaz and Sharon Stone.
The final watch that has been noted as a favourite among celebrity women is the Rolex Milgauss. The story behind the Milgauss is a particularly interesting one, as the original incarnation of this wristwatch was discontinued for almost 20 years before its triumphant reintroduction in 2007. This cease in production greatly increased the demand for the eminently popular Milgauss, and it now guards a status as one of the most sought after Rolex timepieces of all. Worn by Nicky Hilton, the Milgauss is an astonishing example of craftsmanship that has been designed to effortlessly resist magnetic fields of up to 1,000 gauss, hence the name. Created with the scientific community in mind, the peerless precision of the Milgauss has proved just as appealing to the celebrity female audience.
Despite Rolex’s indisputable dominance, many other luxury Swiss watches have now developed a firm following within female circles, and because of this the amount of new trends expected to arise in the coming years are highly likely to provide for this increasing demand. Here at Banks Lyon, we are proud to stock a gorgeous selection of ladies timepieces from a variety of leading brand names, including Rolex, and we await the arrival of still more feminine luxury wristwatches with keen anticipation. To keep up to date with all of our latest news, please be sure to visit our dedicated Facebook and Twitter pages.
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