In Tune With the Times

"The smaller watches are indeed coming back, and I feel that this is a natural progression," says Elizabeth Doerr, editor of Wristwatch Annual. "It's sort of like flared pants in fashion: you have straight-leg pants, then flares, then straight legs again -- everything comes and goes in waves, and watch fashion is in no way exempt." True, there are watch trends, just like there are trends in any other creative field, and in addition to the smaller case size, there has been a reduction of ostentatious adornment. Both the new Dior and the Hermes watches have understated bands, black satin and a strip of leather respectively. Chanel, too, which introduced an updated version of its classic Premiere watch last year that incorporated the ceramic element of its J12 line, is debuting at Basel this year a new edition with a rubber wrist band. "We have chosen to use rubber as we consider it a modern material which we have improved in term of quality and durability," says Nicolas Beau, Chanel's international watch director. These contemporary band styles, paired with the judicious use of diamonds only on the bezel or the clasp, or just as an accent, have created a collection of watches that look both feminine and modern. And they are understated enough, with their small size and relatively small price (most starting at euro 2,000 to euro 3,000, or about $2,700 to $4,000), to make them almost guilt-free purchases that will not break the bank.