Here’s how women and secret watches are indelibly linked to the origins of the wristwatch

The origins of secret watches can be traced back to the early 19th century when they were status symbols and fashionable adornments worn by ladies of stature. In an era when women were discouraged from checking the time in social settings, these discreet creations offered a practical solution.

As for men, the pocket watch was the standard timepiece during that time. Perceived as a symbol of masculinity, it embodied practicality, precision, and utilitarianism.

However, women’s elaborate and restrictive fashion then didn’t have suitable pockets for the cumbersome timepieces, so ornamental watches were ingeniously incorporated into bracelets, necklaces, brooches, and chatelaines (decorative belt hooks worn at the waist with multiple chains suspended from it), serving the dual purpose of timekeeping and as an accessory.

These feminine iterations of early watchmaking were often intricately detailed, featuring tiny painted scenes or gemstones. Interestingly, up until the early 20th century, wristwatches were almost exclusively worn by women. Oblivious to the convenience and practicality of wearing a timepiece on the wrist, men dismissed the small timekeepers as too effeminate and a passing fad. Incidentally, this would be the start of the journey of the wristwatch.

It is believed that Queen Elizabeth I of England was among the first to don a wristwatch in the 16th century, sporting an elegant time-telling charm on her wrist. Centuries later, in 1810, renowned watchmaker Abraham-Louis Breguet crafted an oval repeater timepiece mounted on a wristlet of hair and gold thread for Caroline Murat, the Queen of Naples.

In 1868, Patek Philippe created a bracelet watch for Countess Koscowicz of Hungary that cemented the wristwatch’s status among Europe’s elite. Shaped like a triptych, the ornate timepiece featured a dial concealed beneath a hinged gem-set cover that was flanked by two panels adorned with diamonds and gold. Remarkably, the wristwatch only gained proper traction during WWI, when it became an indispensable tool for military men to synchronise troop movements and plan timed attacks with precision.

Although still largely worn by women, secret watches of today occupy a specialised niche within the world of high jewellery. By masterfully combining haute joaillerie and haute horlogerie, top maisons constantly push their boundaries by demonstrating their creativity and savoir faire through peak expressions of artisanship.

Here are some of the most beautiful secret watches in the world.

CHANEL

In 2020, Arnaud Chastaingt, director of Chanel's Watchmaking Creation Studio, elevated the iconic Chanel button by incorporating it into the brand’s watch designs. This unexpected fusion resulted in the exclusive Mademoiselle Prive Bouton collection, which pays tribute to Chanel’s little black jacket sleeve featuring a braided trim and the distinctive button.

Illustrated by the Mademoiselle Prive Bouton Decor Noeud timepiece from 2022, the bejewelled yellow gold and diamond-set button ingeniously conceals the watch dial in a perfect meld of haute couture and watchmaking artistry.

In 2023, the maison welcomed four new metiers d’art pieces to the Mademoiselle Prive collection in honour of Gabrielle Chanel’s star sign, Leo. Among these was a 20-piece limited-edition long sautoir, showcasing a sculpted yellow gold lion’s head adorned with 252 diamonds and onyx for its eyes. The decorative motif swivels to unveil a black lacquered dial accentuated by the sparkle of 32 diamonds.

BVLGARI

The Oriental Buds secret watch comes from Bvlgari’s Mediterranea high jewellery collection in 2023. Presented with a matching necklace, the creation evokes a lush exotic garden with its geometric symmetry inspired by Byzantine architecture. Taking 900 hours to complete, the timepiece is brought to life by an array of diamonds, tourmalines, emeralds and sapphires beads in an opulent colour palette.

The scene-stealer on this piece is the 5.65-carat Colombian cushion-cut emerald that’s encircled by a pave-diamond setting of Indian Mughal-inspired motifs. Activate the pusher on the side of the rose gold watch and the floral motif lifts to reveal a dial festooned with diamonds. A thoughtful detail: The dial is detachable to allow the watch to be worn on the left or right arm.  

VAN CLEEF & ARPELS
 

One of Van Cleef & Arpels’ most cherished signatures, the Ludo bracelet was created in 1934 and got its moniker from the nickname of one of the founders, Louis Arpels. Resembling a flexible woven belt, the supple mesh of the Ludo bracelet is meticulously hand-assembled one link at a time in a honeycomb or brick pattern by the maison’s craftsmen.

Last year, the emblematic range welcomed a high jewellery reinterpretation of a 1943 Ludo timepiece from the Maison’s patrimonial collection in a new size and two combinations of materials: Rose gold with either diamonds or pink sapphires. In the tradition of secret watches so dear to the house, these novelties show off their dial in guilloche white mother-of-pearl with a light squeeze of the two buckle-inspired motifs.

DIOR

The La D de Dior Precieuse a Secret Rose watch is a tribute to Monsieur Christian Dior’s most beloved flower, expressed as this precious secret timepiece. Swathed in nearly 2,000 pink sapphires and tsavorite garnets, this dainty 21mm piece is pure artistry. The centrepiece – a masterfully designed rose – is enhanced by diamonds meticulously tracing each petal's edge, bringing a lifelike quality to this miniature marvel. The timepiece is also available in a full diamond-set version.

CHAUMET

The idea behind the high jewellery collection Le Jardin de Chaumet was to showcase the Chaumet’s savoir faire by focusing on the botanical motifs and handcrafts that have been cherished by the brand since its inception in 1780.

For instance, the Feuille de Vigne (French for vine leaf) set, which includes this white gold secret watch with a central Mozambican ruby, highlights Chaumet’s prowess in gem-cutting. As seen here, each red, black and grey spinel on the cover of the secret watch was custom cut to create the eye-catching mosaic effect. Even the naturalistic shape of the vine leaf and intricate lace-like openwork on the back of it shows the maison’s virtuosity. Adding a finishing touch is the beautifully articulated diamond-set bracelet.

HERMES

First used on belts in the 1930s, the facetted Hermes pyramid stud transforms this timepiece into a radiant jewel with a luxe punk-rock vibe. Featured in a petite 15mm size, the Medor Mini Joaillerie’s square case is topped with a large pyramid-shaped cabochon that reveals a dial at the touch of a button at 3 o’clock. Four iterations are offered for this secret watch, with three in rose gold with diamonds, as well as a fourth in white gold that is entirely paved with diamonds.

JAEGER-LECOULTRE

Although the Reverso was first designed for polo players, women’s versions of the iconic timepiece appeared soon after its launch in 1931, including variations that could be worn on a cordonnet (French for small or fine cord) bracelet or transformed into brooches, handbag clips or pendants.

Last year, the Jaeger-LeCoultre took that legacy to another level with the Reverso Secret Necklace. Here, the Reverso watch is reinterpreted into a pink gold sautoir, which sees the cordonnet reimagined as a supple chain of diamond-set links and onyx beads from which a gem-set Reverso is suspended.

The Art Deco-inspired high jewellery piece features a geometric motif on its caseback that’s worn facing front. The watch is hidden on the flip side until the wearer reveals it. While the dial might seem upside-down, it is set that way so that the wearer can read the time naturally as she lifts the watch. Embellished with almost 3,000 diamonds, the gem-setting on the Reverso Secret Necklace requires over 300 hours of work by the maison’s Métiers Rares atelier artisans. Equipped with the manually wound Jaeger-LeCoultre Calibre 846, the timepiece has a power reserve of 38 hours.