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Joshua Hendren

Contributing writer for Style by SCMP, specialising in jewellery, watches and pop culture


Watchmaking and jewellery have long overlapped, but nowhere more so than in the bangle watch, a rigid bracelet that incorporates a timepiece, often concealed behind a jewelled clasp or hinged panel.
The chic design has existed in various forms since at least the early 20th century, and right now it’s having a major moment, with the likes of Cartier, Chanel and Van Cleef & Arpels all releasing new iterations.

One of the most storied examples is Cartier’s Baignoire, introduced by Louis Cartier in 1912 with a rounded oval silhouette, that was later refined in 1958. The Baignoire takes its name from the French word for “bathtub” – though some historians suggest it draws from the VIP seating bays of the opera, also called baignoires. Either way, it was a noticeable departure from the round cases dominating watchmaking at the time, and its defining details – Roman numerals, blued steel hands and sapphire cabochon crown – have remained largely constant across the decades.
In time, Cartier extended the line with the Baignoire Allongée, which stretched the oval into a more dramatic vertical profile, and the Crash, a deliberately distorted variant pinched at the sides and kinked in the middle that became one of the most singular silhouettes in horological history. The latest Baignoire releases show how much room the design still has to experiment – one model comes scattered with brilliant-cut diamonds in a polka dot arrangement, while a white gold version features a bezel set with aquamarines, sapphires and emeralds and a dial pavéd entirely with diamonds.

Not every bangle watch is built around precious stones, however. Gucci first introduced its U-Play in the mid-1980s, known for its playful interchangeable coloured plastic bezels. A reissue – now known simply as the Gucci Play – was launched late last year with an enlarged 28mm case and six ceramic bezels, including one in the Florentine house’s signature green-and-red colourway, that clip on and off just like the original.

Chanel’s Première Galon bangle watch is also rooted in the fashion archives. Debuting in 1987, the Première was the French maison’s first watch, designed with an octagonal case modelled after the stopper of the No 5 perfume bottle, a jet-black dial and a chain-link bracelet interlaced with leather inspired by the 2.55 bag. The Première Galon gives the design a bangle twist, taking its name from the French word for braid and the trim that founder and perennial muse Gabrielle “Coco” Chanel used to finish her tweed suits. Offered in solid yellow gold, semi-pavé and fully pavé versions, a sculptural bangle is used in place of the original chain bracelet, fitted with the model’s signature black lacquered dial.

At the highest end of the spectrum sits Graff. Founded in 1960 by English jeweller Laurence Graff, the house treats its timepieces more like jewellery than watches. Case in point: a new range of Tilda’s Bow pieces – inspired by Graff’s bond with his granddaughter – launched earlier this year with four bangle watches, each featuring two intertwined gold strands meeting in a knot at the watch face, traced by a single line of pavé gemstones that continues around the dial.

Bulgari occupies similar high jewellery territory but brings its own iconography to it. The Serpenti dates to 1948, when the Roman house designed its first bracelet-watch in gold with a square dial head and a body that wraps around the wrist in the form of a coiled snake, the dial concealed within the head and revealed when lifted. A new bangle version in rose gold incorporates malachite into the bracelet alongside diamonds and a green lacquered dial.
Other bangle watch designs are used to showcase age-old crafts. Italian goldsmith Buccellati distinguishes its Macri bangle and cuff watches through its unique surface, specifically the rigato finish, a technique in which a burin – the same hand-engraving tool that has been used since the Renaissance – is worked across pink, yellow or white gold to produce a silky, fabric-like texture that cannot be replicated mechanically.

Van Cleef & Arpels, meanwhile, has used clusters of gold beads as a decorative motif since the 1920s and with its Toi & Moi secret watches translates the technique into bangle watch form with a hinged bracelet of hand-assembled gold spheres, each one individually reworked by craftspeople for consistent roundness, and set with polished semi-precious gemstones like green jasper or blue quartz behind which a dial is concealed.
Elsewhere, at Tiffany & Co., the New York jeweller’s HardWear line has welcomed a range of bangle designs. Featuring a 10-link bracelet inspired by an archival design from 1962, the HardWear watches feature hidden clasps on either side of the case, allowing the watch portion to be removed entirely, leaving a stand-alone bracelet. The cushion-shaped case, meanwhile, is an echo of the Tiffany Diamond, a 128.54-carat fancy yellow stone the house acquired in 1878 and the most famous in its history.

Twinkling on the wrists of Kendall Jenner and Love Story star Sarah Pidgeon alike, the bangle watch’s return reflects a shift in how jewellery is being worn. After years dominated by steel sports watches – styles like the Rolex Submariner, Patek Philippe Nautilus and Audemars Piguet’s Royal Oak – the stacking trend has brought bracelets, bangles and cuffs back to the fore, and the bangle watch has certainly found its natural place within it.


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Timepieces

Bangle watches are back, with versions from Cartier, Gucci, Chanel, Bulgari and more

Chanel Première Galon. Photo: Handout

Cartier Baignoire. Photo: Handout

Gucci Play. Photo: Handout

Graff High Jewellery diamond and ruby watch. Photo: Handout

Bulgari Serpenti. Photo: Handout

Van Cleef & Arpels Perlée Toi & Moi secret watch. Photo: Handout

Tiffany HardWear. Photo: Handout

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The Universal Genève Polerouter was originally designed by Gérald Genta. Photo: Handout

Spike Lee attends the 2026 NBA Finals between the San Antonio Spurs and the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden, on June 10. Photo: Getty Images/AFP

Brad Pitt attends the Fifa World Cup 2026 match between Turkey and the US at Los Angeles Stadium on June 25, in Inglewood, California. Photo: Getty Images

Henry Cavill sports a vintage Longines Monopusher Chronograph at the Royal Ascot 2026. Photo: Handout

Delugs specialises in the right kind of strap. Photo: Handout

Delugs’ Hong Kong boutique in Central. Photo: Handout

The Piaget x Wristcheck Altiplano. Photo: Handout

Zenith partnered with Naoya Hida for the GFJ. Photo: Handout

Tag Heuer’s Monaco Speed 12 features pistons on the display. Photo: Handout

MB&F HM12’s 1,500-component companion robot stand. Photo: Handout

Patek Philippe announced the passing of its former president Philippe Stern, aged 88. Photo: Handout

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Biver Automatique Obsidian Mahogany. Photo: Handout

Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Mini in onyx. Photo: Handout

Graff Spiral in tiger’s eye. Photo: Handout

Buccellati Macri in tiger’s eye. Photo: Handout

Rolex GMT-Master II. The composite stone comprises tiger’s eye, red jasper and haematite. Photo: Handout

Piaget Andy Warhol in meteorite. Photo: Handout

Chopard L’Heure du Diamant in onyx. Photo: Handout

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Chanel’s J12 Bleu Diamond Tourbillon is a limited edition watch. Photo: Handout

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The Jacob & Co. Billionaire III has diamonds on its case, crown and integrated bracelet. Photo: Handout

The Jaeger-LeCoultre 101 Secrets’ bracelet is set with more than 1,000 white diamonds. Photo: Handout

The Chanel J12 Bleu Diamond Tourbillon has solitaire-cut diamond set at the centre of the flying tourbillon cage. Photo: Handout

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IWC Schaffhausen’s Big Pilot’s Watch Perpetual Calendar Ceralume. Photo: Handout

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Tudor’s Black Bay Ceramic. Photo: Handout

H. Moser & Cie’s Streamliner Pump Black. Photo: Handout

H. Moser & Cie’s Streamliner Pump. Photo: Handout

Zenith’s GFJ Bloodstone (left) and Tantalum. Photo: Handout

Bulgari’s Octo Finissimo 37mm. Photo: Handout

Patek Philippe’s 5610/1P-001. Photo: Handout

Grand Seiko’s Spring Drive UFA Ushio 300 Diver includes the brand’s quick-adjust clasp. Photo: Handout

Panerai Luminor Destro PAM01732. Photo: Handout

IWC Pilot’s Venturer Vertical Drive. Photo: Handout

Ulysse Nardin’s Super Freak. Photo: Handout

Tag Heuer’s Monaco Evergraph. Photo: Handout

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Piaget’s Sixtie watch is a prime example of this year’s smaller models, which make an impact with their elegance or else their ornate finishes. Photo: Handout

Piaget Sixtie. Photo: Handout

Chanel Premiere Coco Game. Photo: Handout

Jaeger-LeCoultre La Vallée des Merveilles Reverso One Hibiscus Rosa. Photo: Handout

Chopard L’Heure du Diamant. Photo: Handout

Rolex Oyster Perpetual 28. Photo: Handout

Bulgari Serpenti Aeterna. Photo: Handout

Audemars Piguet Établisseurs Galets. Photo: Handout

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Watches

Cartier’s Baignoire, Gucci’s Play, Chanel’s Première Galon and Bulgari’s Serpenti are joined by Van Cleef & Arpels’ Perlée Toi & Moi and Tiffany & Co.’s HardWear


Cartier’s Baignoire, Gucci’s Play, Chanel’s Première Galon and Bulgari’s Serpenti are joined by Van Cleef & Arpels’ Perlée Toi & Moi and Tiffany & Co.’s HardWear.
