Why Should You Choose Couples Watches?
Today they are the most common fashion accessory but once, watches were chronographs; merely timepieces, functional instruments that measured the hours and minutes of the day. Pocket watches turned into wristwatches and many different multifunction variations on the theme. These clockwork wonders were expensive luxury items at first, widespread production brought the prices down until everyone could own a watch.
Like most consumer goods, the range of watches for men and women is huge, as is their price range. Fashion watches can be very inexpensive but some of the original manufacturers of watches kept their very high standards and continue to produce top-of-the-line timepieces for the discerning buyer.
Enter the age of mobile phones and you wonder why anyone would still need to buy a watch nowadays?
Reasons to Wear a Watch
Watches have come a very long way from their basic functional utility. Quality watches have become items of beauty and their functions have blossomed over the course of their history. Some watches are now specially produced for certain activities such as sports, exploration, and even professions.
You may carry the latest high-tech smartphone, but it will never compare with the masterpiece that you carry on your wrist. The right wristwatch shouts out class and style. High-quality watches are, quite frankly, status symbols.
A watch is still more convenient than a smartphone. It is there on your wrist, ready to glance at in instant without having to pull a hone out of a pocket or handbag.
Men’s Watches vs Women’s Watches
The obvious difference between watches for men and watches for women is size. It is not common to see women with chunky watches on their wrists other than back in the 1980s when calculator watches were considered the ideal accessory to a power suit.
Women’s watches are also more ornate. For example, a bracelet watch is considered more for its fashion look and appeal than function. While there isn’t any reason why a woman shouldn’t wear a multifunctional watch, sports watches, water-resistant dive watches, and watches that show different time zones are much more common to men.
This also doesn’t preclude men from wearing watches as a fashion statement. They might choose a watch with a tooled leather strap, a two-tone stainless steel watch, a gold watch featuring a diamond, or one of the most famous Swiss watch brands such as a Rolex or Patek Phillippe.
So, if there seems quite a difference, is there a case for couples watches, i.e. his and her watches?
The Concept of Couple’s Watches
There’s nothing complicated about the concept of his & her watches. It is simply a pair of watches, one for her and one for him. They will usually be identical, except staying true to tradition, the female watch is smaller than the male watch.
Some say the two watches don’t have to be identical. They must have a commonality in their look that binds them and they look great together. This allows you to be creative, looking at different color schemes and designs. The idea is that you are staying true to the concept of his and her watches because they have the sentiment and the meaning.
The difference though is that if you both wear one of the watch sets, the connection is visible. Not everyone may connect two watches that look different with being an expression of your bond.
Reasons to Buy Couple’s Watches
Paired watches are a way for couples to visually demonstrate their bond. It is a clear indication that you are a couple and it is a stylish way to do it.
His and her watches are romantic but also practical. It can be hard to think of a gift that will be truly appreciated by either sex.
Another practical reason is longevity. We know we live in a consumer-led throw-away society but that is changing. Everyone is becoming more eco-conscious. A good pair of watches will last a long time and will not need replacing too soon. It might not be the most romantic reason to buy a matching watch set but it is significant.
Couple’s Watches Are Usually a Female-led Purchase
Women usually lead the way in making “his & her” choices in fashion and it applies to watches too. Men rarely think about luxury watches for couples. Watches are usually thought of as individual and personal items, geared to their own tastes. Although many watchmakers manufacture them, many men have either never heard of watches for couples or have never given them the slightest consideration. This is where ladies have to step in. Women are more likely to suggest and purchase matching couples watches than men.
Women are more emotionally confident when it comes to couple’s watches
Ok, so it’s a cliché but women find it much easier to make public declarations of love than most men. Whereas men may share the same sentiments, public displays of affection are usually toned down. Buying watches for couples is an excellent way to signal the love and care of a lasting relationship without feelings of self-consciousness.
Some of the more romantically-minded men may need no more urging than the mere mention of matching watches. In that case, occasions such as birthdays, anniversaries, St Valentine’s Day, or any other date that is important to the both of you may be an excellent reason to purchase a watch gift set. Paired watches make a wonderful wedding gift.
How to Hint the Idea of Couples Watches to a Male Partner
Most women will take to the idea of matching watches. They will see them as a visible display of togetherness that all couples should share. Men, on the other hand, are a harder sell. It’s another cliché but many men will think of the idea as soppy and unmanly. Point out the benefits of owning a top-quality watch from one of the world’s best watchmakers and then suggest that premiere watchmaker also makes luxury watches for couples.
Do your research and become persuasive.
All the best watches come with different functions and attributes. Most men are suckers for gadgets of one kind or another. Multifunction watches will grab their interest. On the whole, men wear less jewelry than women, but a good watch is a fashion accessory that is also masculine. The best watches are elegant without being fancy or frivolous. They can be worn with formal and casual attire.
Like jewelry, watches aren’t items that are worn and thrown away. You may buy several watches over your lifetime, but you keep them. Luxury watches are an investment. Also like jewelry, they are handed down, father to son or mother to daughter over generations. The best watches can be considered family heirlooms.
A branded set of couple watches will have the same, if not more, emotional and sentimental value than single watches. Matching couple watches are an outward show of affection, whichever partner buys them. They are a statement of love and affection without the need to state the obvious. Paired watches will show the world how much you love and care for each other.
A Major Selling Point of Couples Watches
There is a wonderful variety in pair watches. Most premier manufacturers of watches take their customer's wishes to heart and as well as producing unique sets of matching watches will also make matching pairs from their best-selling models. Watchmaking has evolved.
Today’s modern watches are a fusion of art, engineering, and technology. Women’s watches can be just as multi-functional as men’s. Because of this, it is quite simple to find matching couples’ watches that will please both genders. Within any relationship between two people tastes merge and diverge, each attaches different importance to different things. That may also be true when it comes to tastes in timepieces.
Most watches incorporate the functions and features that customers require so finding matching watches is not difficult. Style may come down to a compromise, but that’s what couples do, don’t they?
Getting Started
Buying any jewelry, including watches, is an emotive exercise. You have to really like the item and even more so if you are going to make the item an investment piece.
Accessibility is not an issue. You will find affordable his & her watch sets in most retail stores from many of the well-known high street brands including Casio, Seiko, Timex, and Sekonda among the best sellers. Top jewelry names like Tiffany & Co and Cartier will also produce couples watches.
You find analog and digital watches, ones with quartz or a Japanese quartz movement and automatic watches. You'll find those that come with a gold-tone bracelet, stainless steel band, or a black leather strap and you'll even find wooden watches and watches made from silicone.
For a gift that will pass the test of time, look to the classic collections, those world-renowned Swiss watch brands that are synonymous with style and elegance.
Many classic watches are quite simple or minimalist but have an enduring quality about them that doesn’t age. Names like Rolex, Cartier, Patek Philippe, Omega, and Audemars Piguet are immediately recognized for their craftsmanship and quality. This will allay the concerns that men have about the idea of couples watches being a bit sissy.
Let’s take a look at some of the top couples' watches on the market.
Rolex Datejust Collection
This matching set first came on the market back in 1945 and is still heralded as an icon. Rolex was the first to introduce a self-winding chronometer wristwatch to display a date in a bubble on the face. It appeared in the Datejust range. It may not sound significant by today’s technological leaps forward but it was ground-breaking at the time.
Instantly recognizable as a Rolex, it is customizable. Available in stainless steel or in combination with precious metals for that iconic two-tone look, it can be partially or fully set with brilliant-cut diamonds. Metal options are oyster steel, yellow gold, white gold, and rose gold. There is a choice of face colors, the bezel can be smooth, fluted, or diamond-set and all are self-winding and waterproof.
There’s a range of sizes on both the men’s and women’s watches making them ideal as a couple of watch sets.
TAG Heuer Aquaracer
Ideal for the couple who like to work hard and play hard, the Aquaracer has an undeniably sporty look. Water-resistant to 300m, they are constructed in classic two-tone steel and gold with a black, navy blue, or racing green face. Designed with the diver in mind, the 12-faceted, unidirectional bezel acts as a diving timer. There are special features to make it more attractive and easier to use for divers. These include a luminous dial and hands, an extension on the watch strap, and six studs on the case.
Despite its utilitarian appeal to sporty types and adventurers, the Aquaracer has maintained a feminine elegance. It is as equally appealing as a women’s watch as for men, truly a unisex watch.
Audemars Piquet Royal Oak
One of the greatest watches of the 20th century. The Royal Oak Chronograph was reportedly designed in one night by Gerald Genta, widely regarded as the most iconic watch designer of the last century.
A brilliant luxury timepiece, it was originally conceived to be a man’s sports watch. Over the years, design features have been added and changed to make them appealing to women.
The Royal Oak is a very elegant watch with a silver face patterned in the Grande Tapisserie style held by the signature hexagonal bezel with its visible eight screws and an integrated bracelet.
The watch is available in a large range of metals and faces colors with options for diamond settings and plenty of additional features.
Choosing Couple’s Watches
Choosing the right matching watches can be a fun exercise in itself. Remember, paired couple watches don’t have to be exactly the same. The best manufacturers offer different features to please each customer’s personal taste. Those mentioned above are probably the most renowned among luxury watchmakers in the world, but there are many others.
