Hidden History: The Wonderful World of Women’s Watches by Rhonda Riche

Published by European art book house TeNeues and featuring 256 exquisite, over-sized 9.63- by 12.38-inch pages chock full of illustrations and photography, The Wonderful World of Women’s Watches: Beauty Beyond Time by Watchonista Editor-at-Large Rhonda Riche takes a compelling look at significant women’s watches historically, weaves an intriguing tales of the iconic women who wore those timepieces, and shares profiles of key female innovators in the watch industry.

So, with the book hitting shelves and e-tailers this week, we caught up with the author to get the inside scoop on her book; we knew she would take our call ;)
 

Watchonsita: How do you view the historic significance of women’s watches, especially vis-à-vis the current industry environment that is moving more and more towards gender-neutral watch design?

Rhonda Riche: Well, I’ll make a few points. First, even with the watch industry’s current (and welcome) trend toward more genderless design, we cannot lose sight of the impact of iconic women’s watches because they have played such a pivotal role in timepiece history. They have been simply under-represented in the body of available reference work. In fact, there hasn't been a book on this theme and of this scope published in about a decade.

Second, in addition to exploring these important timepieces (and their owners), my book also weaves in stories of key women in the industry, most of which, again, have been woefully underpraised in the existing literature.
 

For example, many think Gérald Genta created the so-called “Manhattan” version of the Omega Constellation in 1982. However, a woman Omega hired right out of design school, Carol Didisheim, came up with the design that opened up the appeal of the Constellation, which was not necessarily considered a women’s watch at the time.

And lastly, third, while we are discussing blurring gender lines today, that kind of cross-gender story has been happening for quite a while in some “women’s watches.” Cartier’s debut of the Tank in 1917 was loaded with a masculine message as its name honors the French Renault FT-17 combat tank from WWI.
 

However, as iconic women like Jacqueline Kennedy began wearing the Tank, it took on a more feminine definition, with male wearers like Andy Warhol and Warren Beatty coming along later.
 

W: What role has the collectors’ market played in women’s watches?

RR: We’ve seen increased interest and values in vintage ladies’ watches recently, and notably from both sexes, which is a significant change in the way these timepieces are viewed.

W: Lacking a better term, I will go hyperbolic and ask you which vintage “girlie watch” is the favorite in your personal collection?

RR: “‘Girlie watch?’ I like it. My current favorite is a 1950s-era Jaeger-LeCoultre Etrier with a very simple and small movement. And again, this was a model that wasn’t necessarily considered purely a women’s watch.
 

W: And for a contemporary “girlie watch” glamour moment?

RR: If money were no object, certainly, a full-on Liz Taylor/Cleopatra-worthy version of a Bulgari Sepenti would earn a lot of points for me. While I appreciate the new, artful take on the Serpenti Aeterna, there is just something about a twisting, loaded-up old-school Serpenti that will always work for me.
 

W: So, who should be interested in your new book?

RR: It should appeal to anyone interested in creating a more complete watch book library. In reviewing pre-sales requests, I saw many men’s names on the list. As I said when we started, this book represents a key part of timepiece history that has not had a lot of coverage and exposure.

To see for yourself, you can find copies of The Wonderful World of Women’s Watches by Rhonda Riche at select book-sellers (you can also request your favorite book-seller to obtain a copy for you) or you can purchase the book directly from the publisher’s website for $110 or via Amazon for $68.66