As a lady, if you choose to don a man’s watch you are following in the footsteps of many stylish and rebellious women who have come before you.
For most of modern history, a woman wearing men’s apparel has been a defiant act.
During the world wars, when women took on male roles they also had to adopt their work wear for practical reasons, but outside of these times of necessity it took icons such as Coco Chanel in the ’20’s, Marlene Dietrich in the ’30s and the Teddy Girls of the ’50’s to pave the way for women wearing men’s apparel.
Even with these trailblazers, it has only been relatively recently that wearing men’s fashions has become commonplace and respected for women, as even up until 1993 ladies were not allowed to wear trousers on the Senate floor.
“So if wearing men’s fashions in the past was a rebellious act, what does it mean to wear men’s styles now?“
Although things have been slowly improving, there is still a divide in perception of the masculine and feminine.
Masculine attire still portrays feelings of strength, authority and power, while the feminine can still give a feeling of being the ‘lesser’. More fragile, delicate and vulnerable.
This division of the robust masculine, and the delicate feminine is still frequently seen in how watch brands divide their men’s and women’s designs today. This results in many women venturing into the men’s sections in order to find a watch that fits with their personality and how they wish to portray themselves.
“But I’m just not that keen on men’s styles. I want to be a boss babe but I love feminine watches! Do I have to go out and buy a Submariner to prove I mean business?“
Absolutely not!
There are many wonderful and successful women who love to rock the smaller timepieces.
If you love smaller or more feminine watches, then that’s absolutely what you should wear, you just shouldn’t feel confined to the ladies section if you don’t feel it fits your look.
“I like the style of men’s watches, but aren’t they just too big for women?“
Only if you apply men’s style rules to the ladies, which, of course, you can’t.
Big watches are the style equivalent of boyfriend jeans and oversized shirts. When done right, it just works.
Women can also find it easier to wear the bigger watches due to our flexibility around fit on the wrist.
A practically universal truth for men is that they wear the bracelet or strap as a snug fit.
For ladies?
Anything goes.
Want it tighter around the wrist?
Cool.
Want it loose enough to wear it half way down your arm?
Also cool.
“But isn’t it just plain uncomfortable for women to wear watches that big?“
Comfort is all about what you’re used to.
Wearing anything in a size or style that you’re not used to may feel strange at first, but usually you grow accustomed to it in time, or make tweeks to how you wear it for a better fit.
Experiment and see what feels right.
“So does this mean there are no watch size or style rules for women?”
Just as baggy jeans and oversized shirts aren’t appropriate for ladies in all situations, I would say neither are certain watches.
But that’s for another post.
Stealing men’s watch styles can open up such a huge range of choices for women, there really is no reason to feel confined to the ladies section if that isn’t where your heart lies.
Try experimenting with something more masculine.
Ms. Dietrich would approve.
Kaysia
The Escapement Room 
I don’t see the fuss about women wearing men’s watches. Typically men’s watches have more style and complications. Any man that says a woman wearing his shirt isn’t 🔥 is lying to himself 🤣. On the opposite, men who claim to be hetero wearing dresses? It’s just off putting.
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My wife refuses to wear anything larger than 34mm unless it has a cartoon character on it. Even then she won’t wear my 50s OP (but I think that’s more of a worry about it’s fragility than just that it’s mine).
I, OTOH, would be more than willing to wear her two-tone De Ville, but the bracelet doesn’t fit my Popeye arms.
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