There’s no other accessory quite as powerful and eye-catching as a good timepiece, but a growing trend has emerged in time-keeping that is brilliant, decadent, and just a little bit mysterious – the watch that doesn’t immediately look like a watch. The conventional timepiece is strapped on the wrist with a dial in the middle, but the watches we’re talking about? They elevate and update the art of reading time with bold, beautiful, and innovative designs that look nothing like a conventional wristwatch.
Think dials encased in glowing pendants, sparkling rings with hidden hands, and high jewellery cuffs that can actually tell you the time.
Star Power
Celebrities like Tyla, Taylor Swift, and Rihanna are in on it—they are leading this trend today, donning diamond-encrusted necklaces that feature watch dials, blurring the line between horology and haute joaillerie. Swift was spotted wearing a custom Lorraine Schwartz and Concord watch choker to the 2024 Grammy Awards, suspended on a unique black diamond strap, with the watch hands frozen at 12AM. Tyla stunned in a Jacob & Co. 38-carat diamond choker worth $1 million at the MTV Europe Music Awards in the same year, featuring a watch head alone with 5.25 carats of diamonds. Rihanna took it a step further and showed up at the F1 Grand Prix in Las Vegas with a bespoke diamond anklet by the same house, set in emeralds and diamonds, reminiscent of the Breakfast at Tiffany’s scene where a young partygoer wears a watch on her ankle. She was also seen wearing a Jacob & Co. flying tourbillon on a choker that was adorned with 352 baguette-cut diamonds at a Paris fashion show – the dial was a 47mm with a white gold case, and a custom piece made for the RnB singer. Rewind a few decades, and the original style icon, Princess Diana, was seen sporting her famous Saudi sapphire choker-slash-headband, which she had fashioned from two pieces of jewellery—an oval sapphire fitted into the diamond frame of a watch in an unforgettable moment, proving the indelible relationship between jewellery and watches
Put a Ring on It
Perching delicately on this very fine line between timekeeping and jewellery, ring watches take timekeeping off the wrist and to the digits, encasing tiny watch faces within intricate gemstone settings in precious metal. These mini watches are not a new concept, with their origins dating back to the 18th century. A 2023 Christie’s Rare Watches auction included a breathtaking vintage Jaeger-LeCoultre ring, which not only stunned with its diamond and sapphire setting, but also featured the world’s smallest mechanical movement, the Jaeger-LeCoultre Calibre 101. Most recently, Chanel has created maximalist ring watches, featuring the lion motif in gold, that are masterpieces in themselves.
The Ring Watch ‘The Lion of Mademoiselle’ flips open to reveal a lacquered black dial inside, while the sculptural Chanel Toi & Moi Lion Ring features double lions on either side of the ring, with a diamond studded dial in the middle. Wearing a ring watch makes for a playful yet elegant statement, and these luxe pieces are certainly easier on the eye than a traditional timepiece. For even more subtle time-telling, the Hermès Maillon Libre Brooch takes the luxury house’s anchor chain motif, and conceals within it a minimal indicolite tourmaline quartz watch that can only be seen if looked at very closely.
All Eyes on You
High jewellery houses like Van Cleef & Arpels have jumped on the growing demand for pendant watches, creating minimal yet striking pieces like the Alhambra Secret Pendant Watch, which is fashioned from 18K rose gold. The house’s signature motif slides down to reveal a gleaming mother-of-pearl dial with pavé diamonds all around. With carnelian and yellow gold variants, this pendant begs to be styled with neutrals that will let the watch stand out. Even Chanel, generally known for its classic styles, revealed the Secret Watch ‘Kiss Me’ at Watches and Wonders 2025, which is a true outlier. A black lipstick tube hangs from a bejewelled chain, but when twisted, it reveals a tiny gold and beryl dial—the ultimate watch that doesn’t look like a watch. In fact, Chanel’s entire Artistic Craft range features a range of necklace and ring watches that are individual pieces of art, including the Amulet Watch ‘Protect Me’, the Necklace Watch ‘Double Lion Buttons’, and the Mademoiselle Prive Lion necklace, that hide a watch dial within fine gold artistry and gemstones. And then there’s Jacob & Co., which takes its lug-less Brilliant skeleton watch dial, and turns it into stunning pendants with coloured glass variants.
To celebrate its 150th Anniversary last year, Piaget reissued its jewellery watches — including a sautoir watch bedecked with turquoise, aquamarine and yellow sapphires; as well as cuff watches dating back to 1969 and 1989.
Stack It Up
Bejewelled cuffs are another feminine yet elegant way to wear a watch without wearing one, and the Bulgari Serpenti is the first watch bracelet that comes to mind. It has become a mainstay on red carpets worldwide, and even a must-have in wardrobes generally.
. The Roman maison has updated its iconic silhouette with the Serpenti Aeterna in 2025, a sleeker, fluid cuff made from precious gold and round-cut diamonds, that wraps around the wrist even more elegantly than the Tubogas. On the other hand, Piaget has specialised in high jewellery cuffs since the 70s, and it retains nostalgic details like Palace décor and sapphire gemstones on its bangles. Similarly, Cartier blends the dynamism of its Panthère silhouette in the La Panthère de Cartier, a bold bracelet that features a pouncing panther, and an 18mm black lacquer dial discreetly set opposite that, hidden from plain view. For a bolder option, their Reflection De Cartier range marries architecture with horology, playing with an open bracelet structure and reflections for the wearer to read the time. The rhodiumized 18K white gold version, laden with brilliant-cut diamonds, chrysoprase, obsidian, emeralds, and Paraiba tourmalines, is a stand-out. . And then there is Chanel’s Première Édition Originale, a reissue of the first watch from the French maison, but made to be worn like a piece of jewellery—its two limited-edition releases last year were designed like a cuff and belt, both centered around the brand’s interlaced leather chain, a signature of classic Chanel handbags. Let’s not forget the one-of-a-kind Van Cleef & Arpels’ Ruban Mystérieux Watch, that mimics a ribbon around the wrist, except this one is embedded with diamonds and mystery-set sapphires and emeralds all over, with a stunning 3.72 carat oval-cut diamond forming the centerpiece of the manual, mechanical wound watch face. Swiss watch house Jaeger-LeCoultre also enters the arena with the Art Deco-inspired Reverso One Precious Colours, which features a miniature-painted grand feu enamel back-of-the-dial, which flips when one wants to see the time.
Be it the elegance of a locket watch swinging from a dazzling chain, the subtle shimmer of a ring concealing a tiny dial, or the charm of a bracelet with a secret face, these unconventional designs reflect individuality, artistry, and innovation in horology. For some, they’re statement pieces for a special occasion, and for others, they’re simply a way to enjoy timekeeping in a less predictable manner. However, what is amply clear is that these timepieces are not just a passing trend, but a staple in the world of watches. These watches blend the fine art of time and jewellery, creating rare, one-of-a-kind masterpieces that refine the ritual of wearing time just a little further.
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