A ladies’ timepiece used to be a bit of an afterthought for many watchmakers. Going by the releases and design trends this year at Watches and Wonders, the world’s biggest horological showcase, that is surely no longer. Pursuits of beauty, poetry and (surprise!) usefulness are making the ladies’ category perhaps the most exciting it’s ever been. In this series of Vogue Watch Reports, we curate 2025’s most noteworthy releases from Geneva. Here, a look at a new generation of luxury daily watches.
A luxury timepiece is an investment, to be sure, and one evergreen category is the everyday watch. Something that is well-made, beautifully designed and stylistically versatile to carry you through most occasions. Sophisticated and understated to take you from workdays to the evening, or even weekends and special occasions.
A new generation of ‘dailies’ emerged this year, thanks in part to the growing trend of smaller case sizes. What’s interesting is that these watches, even as they have been rescaled to slighter proportions, are being imagined for wrists of any gender. It’s the rare sweet spot of a nearly-universally flattering case size. Somewhere between 32 to 36mm, and which fits most wearers.
In design, there’s also a shift from delineating daintiness for women. That sort of outmoded thinking has gone out the window. Watchmakers are recognising that the (very large) market of women are just as like to be in pursuit of an investment timepiece that doesn’t infantilise their tastes. (Read: make it small, put a battery in it, and placate with some diamonds.) Good! It’s driving the design brief of a modern luxury daily watch in a challenging but ultimately rewarding direction. A bit of reassuring heft and substantiality, coupled with essential elegance and style.
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A classic, rejigged
The appeal of a classic is a proven, enduring design. Which is why the matter of even a few millimetres in difference can be exciting: it opens up plenty more wearable possibilities. Cartier, for instance, has debuted a new small size for its contemporary Santos de Cartier that recalls some of the most desirable vintage models.
Santos de Cartier small model in stainless steel, $8,750
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As for A. Lange & Söhne, its new 34mm 1815 models offer a traditional, understated look that is impeccably elegant. It’s one of the German watchmaker’s most discreet, yet tremendously chic designs: a classical three-hand watch that gets all of its details just right. It’s powered by a hand-wound manufacture movement, newly developed for the watch and the brand’s 75th since it was re-established in modern form. And despite its small case size, this new movement promises a 72-hour power reserve.
A. Lange & Söhne 1815 34mm in white gold, price upon request
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A nifty square
A square, geometric watch face is unique in a sea of circular models and easy enough to wear on the daily. The Cubitus, Patek Philippe’s newest collection, welcomes a new 40mm model this year in options of white or rose gold that shrinks its casual chic look just a smidge to fit nearly every wrist.
It’s an investment to be sure, but the Cubitus is finding its place as one of the revered watchmaker’s most brisk, energetic designs in its contemporary catalogue.
Patek Philippe Cubitus ref. 7128/1G-001 40mm in white gold, $110,900
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At Bell & Ross, meanwhile, its signature circle-in-a-square design inspired by aeronautical equipment gets monumentally downsized to an elegant 36mm in the new BR-05.
Bell & Ross BR-05 36mm in stainless steel with an ice blue dial, $6,000
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A sporty look
When it comes to a sports watch, there are generally two aesthetic camps. The first is a tool watch, inspired by divers, chronographs and such. Look to Montblanc’s Iced Sea Automatic Date 0 Oxygen, now available at 38mm with frosty gratté-boisé dials crafted with an ancestral technique. Worn on a rubber strap, its all-white look is sporty yet chic; or swap it out for a steel bracelet for a touch of metallic contrast.
This year, Montblanc is also rolling out its 0 Oxygen update across its watches. Essentially, oxygen is removed entirely from the insides of the case. This is meant to reduce oxidative wear, so the brand’s watches last longer between services—a thoughtful feature available on new models introduced this year, and which can also be applied to prior models as an upgrade.
Montblanc Iced Sea Automatic Date 0 Oxygen 38mm in stainless steel, from $4,900 on a rubber strap
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The other look of a sports watch is a sturdy, luxury design with an integrated bracelet. This is the archetype minted in the 1970s, and which has endured for over five decades. The reason for its staying power is simple: steel lasts a long time with minimal babying, and a subtly sporty look is congruent with the more casual dress codes of today.
IWC has taken the temperature of the times, and scaled its Ingenieur Automatic to a nifty new 35mm size. It’s part of the Schaffhausen manufacture’s refresh of the collection, and this new case size comes in options of full steel with a silver or black dial, or 5N gold with a matching golden dial.
IWC Ingenieur Automatic in stainless steel, $10,500
Vogue Singapore’s June 2025 ‘Gold’ issue is available on newsstands and online.
