How To Wear Your Watch Like A Fashion Editor: The Boucheron Reflet
Boucheron’s Reflet watch has been at the helm of the maison’s horological identity since 1947, beloved for its dignified design codes and bringing understated luxury to everyday
April. The month when spring has truly sprung. In the Gulf, the mercury is rising, the sun is reaching its unapologetic shine, and we are usually in the throes of planning summer jetaways. At the time of writing, however, many of us are still working from our kitchen tables, swathed in sweatpants or not quite having made it out of pyjamas, battling the gruelling home schooling schedule from an aggressively pinging iPad or two, with Slack constantly a-Slacking.
As editors, each month it is our job to palpate the cultural pulse and absorb the subtleties of the regional and global zeitgeist, ready to translate the Middle East’s ephemeral mood into a visual oeuvre that speaks to a particular woman. Our woman. The Bazaar Arabia woman. But this month, while that woman is still sporadically turning her head to the heavens and the latest headlines, how do we speak to her – in all seriousness – about fine timepieces and fripperie? What comfort can cold, hard gold and diamonds bring to our woman under the current circumstances?
Ever since man-made destruction became ‘a thing’, creating something beautiful in the face of devastation has thrived as a form of resistance. Aesthetic defiance and art as refuge are a dialect of survival. They prove the collective spirit has not been shattered. Continuing to appreciate the beauty of little, precious things demonstrates cultural resilience, whether that’s the sparkling eyes of our children, or the glittering treasures in our jewellery box.
That’s why for this month’s column I have chosen to highlight Boucheron’s Reflet timepiece. The poster girl of post-WWII design codes, the Reflet was first conceived by Gérard Boucheron in 1947, relying on a subtly utilitarian, rectangular silhouette and sleek gadroons to bring gleam without garish glamour.
The Reflect revolutionised mid-century watchmaking thanks to its ribbon-like, sliding clasp system that allows you to change the strap with a quick sleight of hand. French singer Édith Piaf was a pro – she famously owned no fewer than 21 Reflet timepieces believing they bore talismanic properties – and so she even gifted one to her boxer boyfriend Marcel Cerdan.
In 2026, the watch still remains true to its core codes – tactile grooved case, ultra-luxe sapphire cabochon and a stylish leather strap that makes it a remarkably practical everyday timepiece. It is the kind of watch that will look proper when worn with a tailored shirt, but morphs into its cooler alter ego when paired with cult statement pieces from the S/S26 collections. When dressing to spark joy – another quiet resistance during turbulent times – few pieces surpass Loewe’s velvety pink Turn-up jacket, especially when worn with Dries Van Noten’s patterned pyjama pants (infinitely chicer than the ones you forgot to take off). Joy tends to bloom in the most unlikely of places, and the same is true of accessories – eccentric, kooky pieces such as Eugenia Kim’s silk headscarf and House Janolo’s citrine Lily pendant – designed by the Abu Dhabi based Jarrar sisters – instantly spark a smile.
If you needed any further convincing that the Reflet is the chicest stalwart to see you through hard times, then be inspired by the inscription that has been engraved on the reverse since 2013: ‘Je ne sonne que les heures heureuses.’ Translation? ‘I only count the happy hours.’ Right now, that’s an ethos we can buy into, big time.
Images Supplied
Fashion Edit by Charlotte Marsh-Williams
From Harper’s Bazaar Arabia April 2026 Issue
