Sautoir watches are making a stunning comeback, with designs intended to captivate and mesmerize.
In 2024, these timepieces appear disguised as thimbles, hidden within mannequins, tucked into safety pins, or concealed behind pincushions. This trend was sparked by Chanel, following the discovery of watches worn as pendants at last year’s Watches and Wonders.
In 2023, Piaget led the way with stone dials and emerald round faces. Jaeger-LeCoultre transformed its iconic sports watch, the Reverso, into a geometric delight, suspending its recognizable rectangular frame on a diamond-studded pink gold cord with a small black onyx strap dangling from the end.
Van Cleef & Arpels concealed watch dials behind exquisite gemstone discs of rose quartz and blue chalcedony. Chanel, in its characteristic style, hid them behind diamond-encrusted lion heads.
This is not merely a fleeting fashion moment, as it has persisted for some time, and Watches and Wonders 2024 proves that this trend is here to stay.
A brief history of long necklaces
Sautoirs and the pendant watches mentioned above have been around since the 17th century, gaining popularity and becoming fashionable when French nobility began wearing them as status symbols in the 18th century. The name comes from the French verb “sauter,” meaning “to jump,” allegedly referring to the way the necklace dances with the wearer’s movement, and describes long necklaces that can reach the waist.
Unsurprisingly, the style resurged in the 1920s, with flappers finding them ideal accessories for low-waisted dresses and simple necklines. In the 1930s and 40s, figures like Audrey Hepburn and Grace Kelly favored longer necklaces. However, it was Piaget who introduced the breathtaking “21st Century Collection” in the late 1960s, featuring jewelry pieces with secret or open watch dials suspended on chains of precious metals and stones.
These creations blurred the lines between high jewelry and haute horlogerie, drawing inspiration not from the solemnity of the Jura but from the innovative spirit displayed on Parisian catwalks. Piaget created the “Swinging Sautoirs” series, referencing the relative freedom of the era and reflecting the allure of free movement and enticing pendant styles.
Fashionable Pendants
If 2023 marked the return of sautoir watches, 2024 is the year they become a “core collection” item. Chanel particularly embraces the inherent playfulness in these designs. Drawing inspiration from Mlle’s studio equipment, they transform everyday tools into precious metal delights. Watch dials are concealed behind pincushions crafted from gold, diamonds, mother-of-pearl, and onyx.
They nestle at the waist of a small mannequin, whose figure is entirely snow-covered. One small dial is even placed on the base of a brilliantly cut, gem-encrusted thimble and hidden within the bottom of a safety pin. Of course, there are lions – this is Chanel, after all – but turning practical items into precious objects appears both witty and whimsical.
Piaget’s Swinging Dance
To celebrate its 150th anniversary, Piaget revisited its old catalogs for creative inspiration. The collection’s highlight is an Aztec-esque style featuring turquoise and malachite, accented with yellow sapphires and brilliant-cut diamonds.
This timepiece is set with a 29.24-carat Sri Lankan yellow sapphire and a 6.11-carat aquamarine, with its soft round trapezoid case suspended above; the dial can be detached and worn on the wrist with a green satin strap. Less ostentatious but no less striking are two gold chain designs, one set with diamonds and topped with an 11.68-carat white round opal pendant, embellished with white and yellow gems and another detachable dial.
The other chain gives the impression of diamonds, gold, and chalcedony dancing seductively beneath the dial. The last of these three pieces is much simpler, an elegant pendant watch featuring a handcrafted gold chain inspired by an old piece from the archives.
The Grand Finale
Vacheron Constantin also drew inspiration from their archives, reintroducing the Grand Lady Kalla. When the Kallista watch debuted in 1979, it was renowned not only as the world’s most expensive watch at the time but also for its 130 carats of diamonds anchored to a solid gold ingot case, making the diamonds flow like a glittering river along the case.
A year later, the smaller, female-oriented Kalla was born, and it’s this watch that Vacheron Constantin has breathed new life into, wearable in multiple ways, including on sunglasses.
When the watch is mounted on a diamond-set bracelet, it’s adorned with platinum pendants set with rubies, emeralds, onyx, and diamonds, which can be worn as a brooch when replaced by the dial. The watch itself features onyx and diamonds, while the watch’s tassels are made of highly lustrous Akoya pearls.
As 18th-century French nobility understood, pendants are symbols of status. They are the antithesis of quiet luxury—movement makes them noticeable, and rich gemstones create a play of light. Undoubtedly, they epitomize “look at me” jewelry, because sometimes a static pendant isn’t interesting at all.
The Resurgence of Sautoir Watches: A Timeless Trend Makes a Dazzling Comeback
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