The Top Five Watches To Wear With This Fall’s Fashion Trends

Everyone is agonizing over what to wear as we reintegrate into polite society. But one thing’s for sure — after what feels like an eternity of working from home in comfy clothes, nobody really wants to return to the days of stuffy office ensembles. And the folks who never got to work from home long for garments that are bolder, brighter, and a bit more expressive.

The world’s top fashion houses feel you. At the Fall-Winter 2021 runway presentations, designers were also faced with a new way of working. Most shows were presented virtually. Many catwalks were replaced with short films or other multimedia performances. More and more men’s and women’s collections were presented together. Other designers skipped the runways altogether.
 

We propose a new approach to trying to figure out how to dress these days: Instead of treating your timepiece like an accessory, added as a final touch, why not build your look from the watch out? The future of our social interactions and the way we will dress to impress is being written, but using your watch as the foundation of your sartorial style takes some uncertainty out of the equation.

Here we match our favorite designers with equally adventurous timepieces.

For the majority of maisons, the Fall collections were the first created under lockdown. The inability to travel, combined with social distancing from their teams, resulted in designers making some of the boldest fashion choices we’ve seen in years.

Many workplaces will continue to work on a hybrid model, which makes the timing of the Hermès Slim d’Hermès Quantième Perpétuel perfect for this shifting mood. Its striking design, with numerals specially created for Hermès by French graphic designer and typographer Philippe Apeloig, make the watch reach through the screen during Zoom calls. At the same time, its use of precious materials on the rose gold and titanium, or titanium and platinum case, and a mother-of-pearl moon phase with an aventurine sky backdrop at 3 o’clock, lend this perpetual calendar an air of understated elegance.
 

One of the top fashion trends for Fall is the use of ultra-luxe fabrics to create laid back clothing. The Slim d’Hermès Quantième Perpètuel also balances technical complexity with a casual classicism. Its H1950 perpetual calendar movement is one of the most demanding horological complications. The calibre comes with a ‘mechanical memory’ that ensures that the date for months with 30 and 31 days is automatically adjusted, while also accounting for February and leap years. This movement also powers day/night, dual-time, and moon-phase indications. And it does it while measuring in at a well-tailored thickness of just 4mm back.
 

Of course, the threads that best complement this timeless look come from Hermès’ men’s creative director Véronique Nichanian’s nostalgic collection of sporty zip-front plaid jackets, slouchy sweaters, lounge pants, and sneakers. A color palette of muted purple, ochres, tan, teal, mustard, and grey completes this fresh take.
 

As the New York Times recently reported, when Wall Street workers began to return to their banks and brokerages this summer, they did so in jeans and sneakers. It’s safe to say that while we’re all hopeful for better days, at the same time, we’re all feeling a little weary. Across all industries, companies are relaxing dress codes to acknowledge their exhausted employees.

Meanwhile in Milan, Prada’s co-creative directors, Miuccia Prada and Raf Simons, riffed on the questions of when life will return to normal, and what that new normal will look like. Prada and Simons seemed to take comfort with a collection of structured layers and intense hues mainly built around foundational garments, such as a knit patterned long john.
 

Longines is also exploring these questions with its new take on the Longines Avigation BigEye. This classic pilot watch is characterized by the very visible dial and its oversized 30-minute counter. But the foundation of this 2021 model is an intense petrol blue grained dial housed in a lightweight titanium 41mm case. For added interest, it is presented on a brown leather strap with buckle in titanium.
 

The key to the new business casual is that you still want to make a good first impression. Like Prada’s cozy but architectural designs, this chronograph may feel casual, but keeps it professional with first-class functionality. At its heart is the self-winding calibre L688 mechanical movement with silicon balance-spring and 66 hours of power reserve.
 

It must be noted that casual does not, and should not, automatically equal sweatpants and golf shirts in the office. Luxe material and expert cuts still make a difference. And they also help express your individuality.

Ulysse Nardin’s latest introduction, the Sparkling Free Wheel — part of its Executive collection — is a showcase for the maison’s gem setting atelier in Geneva. Adorned with almost 6 carats of diamonds, using a technique known as “snow setting”, and a black alligator band featuring a diamond clasp,  it’s a showstopper.
 

The brand is aware of the global impact of the diamond industry and along with its parent company, Kering, are dedicated to sustainability, and leaving the earth a better place for future generations. “At Ulysse Nardin, we adhere to the Kimberly Process to ensure that all of our diamonds are ethically sourced,” said Patrick Pruniaux, CEO of Ulysse Nardin.

The Sparkling Free Wheel is also a marvel of technological innovation. The in-house UN-176 calibre powers the “Ulysse Anchor Escapement” flying tourbillon — a pioneering technology that replaces the traditional Swiss lever escapement system with low friction silicium instead of metal or synthetic rubies.
 

We can’t think of a house that best complements this work of art other than Valentino. Creative director Pierpaolo Piccioli presented a coed collection of classic silhouettes in a subdued monochromatic palette that recalls the icy finish of the Sparkling Free Wheel. These amazing ensembles also match this watch’s complexity in their construction.