When Rihanna wore a diamond watch as a necklace, we thought it was just a gimmick. But Taylor Swift quickly followed suit with a custom watch necklace, and then Cartier‘s favorite influencer Emma Chamberlain and avant-garde actress Julia Fox all jumped on board. This “Time Warp” trend has officially become the new fashion phenomenon!
Are you ready? Dig out your vintage watches and join this new trend!
Rihanna truly deserves her title as a “fashion icon” because icons have the ability to create and lead trends. This “Time Warp” is the latest jewelry trend she’s spearheaded. It all started with her custom piece from Jacob & Co. in the summer of 2023.
Everyone knows Rihanna is crazy about jewelry – she’s previously collaborated with Chopard on jewelry designs, and Jacob & Co., a brand beloved by rap artists, is naturally one of her close partners.
When Rihanna expressed her desires to brand founder Jacob Arabo, the celebrity jeweler known as the “Diamond Designer” immediately brought her vision to life. He created a necklace using a Brilliant Flying Tourbillon watch set with over 30 carats of diamonds as the “centerpiece” for Rihanna.
Rihanna was clearly satisfied with this design and creativity. At this year’s Las Vegas F1 Grand Prix, she wore a $400,000 Jacob & Co. diamond watch on her ankle! Yes, this was another custom piece for Rihanna – an icy watch anklet set with 70 carats of diamonds. She knew that in an all-black casual outfit, this three-strand diamond watch worn on the ankle would be a standout highlight and a great conversation starter.
Rihanna’s friends quickly followed the trend. Taylor Swift wore a watch necklace on the Grammy red carpet this year. This piece was created by another Hollywood celebrity jeweler, Lorraine Schwartz. She used a vintage Concord watch face as the centerpiece, crafting this trendy piece with three rows of black diamonds.
A few months later, Cartier‘s beloved YouTube influencer Emma Chamberlain followed suit at the Miu Miu Spring/Summer 2024 show. Her watch choker wasn’t as dazzling as Jacob & Co.’s or Lorraine Schwartz’s diamond designs, but it was undeniably creative.
Emma chose Cartier’s Baignoire watch as the centerpiece of her necklace. This smooth, oval-shaped dress watch quickly gained popularity after its debut at the 2023 Watches and Wonders exhibition. Emma paired this understated yet distinctive watch choker with a classic “intellectual style” – a Miu Miu Prince of Wales check suit, buttoned plaid shirt, and tortoiseshell glasses.
Actress Julia Fox also jumped on this new trend, albeit with a more radical approach. During New York Fashion Week, she wore a “watch mini outfit” – a strapless top and mini skirt adorned with 25 vintage watches.
Luxury watch retailer Wrist Aficionado commented on this new trend: “Blurring the line between watches and jewelry is an excellent way to push this product category towards a whole new audience who may not be accustomed to wearing watches.
Men’s watches have traditionally focused on practicality and functionality, but today they are undoubtedly used more as fashion statements and a way for enthusiasts to connect. For women’s watches, jewelry-like designs can lower the barrier to entry, making watches easier to incorporate into outfits, whether subtly or boldly.”
Some fashion-forward brands have already embraced this trend. For instance, Cartier collaborated with W magazine for a watch-focused photoshoot featuring Emma Chamberlain. The popular influencer demonstrated unconventional ways to wear Cartier watches: in her hair bun, as a brooch, or like Rihanna, on her ankle.
A New York-based Vietnamese jewelry designer brand, Sage & Saber, claims they started doing this four years ago. They’ve been repurposing vintage watches into various jewelry pieces, including hair clips, necklaces, and rings, placing watches in unexpected locations.
It’s challenging to pinpoint who truly pioneered the “watch as jewelry” concept. For women’s watches, this idea dates back to the Victorian era when ladies’ timepieces appeared as brooches, pendants, or rings. In the mid-20th century, Van Cleef & Arpels even designed the Cadenas watch specifically for the Duchess of Windsor, concealing a watch within a bracelet to allow her to check the time discreetly in social settings.
For women, watches and jewelry have always been closely intertwined. In the smartphone era, watches are no longer just time-telling tools for women; their existence leans more towards decorative jewelry.
This is why these fashion icons creatively wear watches in various unexpected places – whether they can actually read the time is irrelevant; creating stylish and unique looks is their primary goal. So what are you waiting for? Dig out your long-neglected watches and catch this new jewelry trend wave.
Watches Gone Wild: How Cartier and Celebrities Are Redefining Timepieces as the Ultimate Fashion Accessory
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