How To Style Your Watch Like A Fashion Editor

Shades of khaki, olive and moss green will make you look and feel expensive this season, and Vacheron Constantin’s Patrimony timepiece is already dressed in the perfect hue

Monotone dressing is a secret weapon of a fashion stylist – it’s a surefire way to immediately make an outfit feel cohesive, thought out, and polished; nothing says ‘I have my life together’ more than a woman who has had time to perfectly Pantone colour match her clothing, bag and shoes.

Tonal dressing has another more covert connotation too – it riffs on the quiet luxury trend we’ve witnessed for several seasons now, casually referred to as the ‘old money aesthetic.’

When someone dresses head-to-toe in ivory, camel or another chic neutral, there is an unavoidable suggestion of affluence – after all, you can only wear all-cream silk, leather, and cashmere if you can afford the dry cleaning.

Thankfully, a slightly more forgiving colour has captured designers’ attention for the AW24 season, with many collections riffing on rich shades of khaki. At Burberry, Daniel Lee picked the colour as the base tone for his entire collection, offering signature trench coats and cosy separates in earthy green suede, wool and plaid, while at Saint Laurent, Anthony Vacarello presented no fewer than 48 looks that were almost exclusively made of sheer, stocking material, for the most part in sensual shades of sage, forest, and moss green.

Texture is crucial for successful monotone dressing, making it especially well suited to the autumn/winter season with plenty of layers offering the opportunity to combine fabrics and finishes. Maximilian Davis proved this at Ferragamo, where a feldgrau green dress hovered above the thigh-high finish of a glossy pair of boots.

Never has the world of high fashion been so ready to assimilate this year’s on-trend timepieces. In watch-nerd circles, when the major maisons announce their new releases at the annual Watches & Wonders trade fair, there is a palpable race among journalists to declare the colour of the year, before the week is out. There are blue years, there are salmon years, there are brown years, but more often than not, especially recently, there are green years.

And this year? Green was the standout colour once more, with Vacheron Constantin leading the charge. The Swiss maison stepped up to the plate with a stylish new model of its elegant Patrimony timepiece, complete with a fresh new olive-green strap.

Inspired by the classic, minimalist design codes of midcentury watches from the 1950s, the Patrimony is one of the maison’s most understatedly elegant designs. Its 39mm white gold case is complemented by an old-silver-toned dial that adds a dash of retro flair, while glinting rose gold accents emphasise the preciousness of the watch’s pedigree.

Founded in 1755, Vacheron Constantin is understood to be the oldest Swiss watchmaking maison, yet its innovations are endless, including the Patrimony’s Calibre 1440 – an ultraslim movement that measures just 2.6mm thick.

What should you wear it with? The beauty of the Patrimony is its chameleon-esque power to suit both casual attire and after-dark ensembles – it will peep from the cuff of a crisp white shirt paired with jeans as effortlessly as it will complement the sequinned sleeves of Gucci’s fitted dress for evening engagements.

Echo its chic alligator strap with Saint Laurent’s sleek leather pumps, and don’t be afraid to play up its gleam factor even further with a glitzy vintage Chanel bag. Prepare to be envied by all.

Images Supplied.

Compiled by: Charlotte Marsh-Williams.

From Harper’s Bazaar Arabia’s November 2024 issue.