How I overcame my phobia of steel to fall in love with the metallic look of the summer
Despite once falling in love with Audemars Piguet’s Royal Oak Frosted, I’ve never felt bracelet watches, particularly those in steel, were for me. The Frosted, an incredibly successful collaboration with jewellery designer Carolina Bucci, was simply the exception that proved the rule, the sole outlier in my disdain for a style that I believe stemmed from my mother’s habit of wearing a Cartier Santos throughout the 1980s.
Not that there’s anything wrong with the Santos – it’s a design classic and this year’s iteration is seriously desirable – but its association with the older generation has made me suspicious of the entire style; despite a wedding ring and a child, I still cling to the feeling that I’m too young for it. That’s until I found myself wearing Montblanc’s new women’s Star Legacy. Maybe it was the clean, almost gender-neutral design of the dial, the welcome cool of the steel or the acid-floral print dress I had on brushing up against it, but it didn’t seem too grown up anymore.
As is often the case, once my perception had shifted, it was as though every watch I saw had a steel bracelet option I would have happily taken off their hands. For those occasions when you want something with a little pizzazz, there’s Jaeger-LeCoultre’s Rendez-Vous, with its opulent take on steel. The blued Arabic numeral and moonphase indicator give a feminine feel, and there’s the small matter of a diamond-set bezel, both of which are emphasised by an almost Milanese-style bracelet, which contributes to its “make mine a Martini” feel.
Aside from their uncomplicated allure, steel watches are also great for summer. You don’t get clammy as you can with leather or rubber straps and its pristine silvery sheen looks great with a tan.
Then there’s the perennial classic Zenith Elite Moonphase. I will always have a soft spot for this watch – the blue-dial version is my engagement ring – but this full-steel iteration exudes ice-queen levels of cool. It’s a sleek expanse of silvery perfection, with only the blued hand of the seconds and the night sky of the moonphase offering flashes of colour. A diamond-set bezel, coming in at just under a carat, adds to its glittering brilliance. It’s all so shiny and polished you almost don’t want to wear it for fear of marring its flawlessness with fingerprints or scratches.
Aside from their uncomplicated allure, steel watches are also great for summer. You don’t get clammy as you can with leather or rubber straps and its pristine silvery sheen looks great with a tan. A lot has been made of the return of steel for men, but brands are increasingly reworking their pieces to suit more feminine wrists. Whether you accessorise it with acid florals or crisp white linen, of course, is entirely up to you.