Crunch time: mark a matrimonial moment with an engagement watch

As the big white wedding falls out of favour, so the marking of a matrimonial moment takes an untraditional turn. More and more couples are eschewing the symbolism of an engagement ring for something a little more functional. In a romantic riff on a lifetime of love, an engagement watch is both a practical and chic token, with the added bonus of making for a sensible investment in a shared future. The sentiment is encapsulated by a host of watch brands that have woven romantic references into their 2022 releases, bringing contemporary elegance to classic forms with dials in unexpected hues, off-centre markings and modern silhouettes.

Engagement watches for the apple of your eye

Cartier has brought a traditional design up to date in this year’s Tank Louis Cartier model, using new engraving technology to sketch a classic geometric pattern on the dial. The pattern, which first debuted in the 1980s, creates an optical illusion of depth and colour, adding a dash of deep red to a morning suit. Icier tones are the order of the day in the Bell & Ross BR X5, with its frosty new hue and arresting case architecture making it a sporty accessory for a winter wedding. There’s a bold freshness to Omega’s new Aqua Terra collection, which casts dials in a rainbow of colours. Crafted from brass, the sun-brushed terracotta dial is as dazzling as a diamond, an effect given a hypnotic twist in Patek Philippe’s 5905R-001, where the glossy brown of the sunburst dial fades, almost imperceptibly, to black.

If something blue is still calling, Tudor’s sporty Royal model is imbued with the traditional hue, while Gerald Charles colours the distinctively shaped dial of the Maestro GC 3.0 chronograph in an inkier tone. For nuptial novelty, look no further than Vacheron Constantin’s Malte Manual-Winding watch, which nods to a century of watchmaking heritage with its tonneau-shaped case. For those who want to switch it up between ceremony and reception, Jaeger-LeCoultre’s Reverso Classic Duoface flips between two options, its art deco aesthetic staying faithful to the characteristic design of the original 1931 piece. The classic clean face is also rethought by Breguet, which has imbued the Classique Calendrier 7337 with a poetic practicality, a moonphase symbolising the perfect marriage of function and form.

A version of this article appears in the December 2022 Entertaining Issue of Wallpaper*, available in print, on the Wallpaper* app on Apple iOS, and to subscribers of Apple News +. Subscribe to Wallpaper* today