Best Woman-Led Watch Instagram Accounts You Need to Follow
As a female-identifying watch fan, it’s hard not to notice some of the discrepancies that come up between masculine and feminine-marketed watches.
For example, I am personally not a fan of watches with a ring of gems, authentic or faux, on the bezel of a watch, as are often the ones marketed towards women from brands like lux brands Rolex to more accessible ones such as Michael Kors. Additionally, as someone whose wrists are on the smaller side, I find myself constantly shortening a watch strap by a few links or adding in an extra hole in the leather strap for a more secure grip. Not to mention that as much as I love the oversized look, be it clothing or accessories, sometimes the watch dial is so big it’s almost larger than the diameter of your hand and just ends up looking clunky.
Like many other aspects of the fashion industry, society is letting these spoken and unspoken gender expectations out the window. On the red carpet, you will find more female celebrities, like Michelle Yeoh, rocking a blinged-out Richard Mille to male celebrities wearing more compact or brightly colored, think pink, timepieces out and about.
Contrary to what some may presume, wristwatches weren’t initially intended for a male consumer base. Let’s dig back through history a bit.
Who was the first wristwatch made for?
According to Guinness World Records, the first wristwatch was designed for a woman in 1868. Created by none other than Swiss watchmaker Patek Philippe, the piece was originally designed for Countess Koscowicz of Hungary as both a functional and ornamental piece of jewelry.
However, Swiss-French watchmaker Breguet claims that the very first wristwatch, for men and women, was made in 1810 for the Queen of Naples.
Some historians believe that one of the first accounts of a woman wearing a wristwatch can be traced back to 1571, when Robert Dudley, the Earls of Leicester, gifted Queen Elizabeth I a diamond-enlaced bracelet with a miniature clock embedded.
Until the 20th century, it was much more common for men to use pocket watches over wristwatches, an accessory few women could wear due to constraints in clothing design, i.e. no pockets.
So with Women being at the front of the wristwatch movement, we thought we’d take a look at some of our favorite Woman creators. While the industry is (currently) more male-dominated, there are some amazing woman-led watch accounts you need to follow.
@WatchGirlTokyo
There is no way to describe Kaori Wada’s account, dubbed @watchgirltoyko, as anything other than elegant. The Tokyo-based watch enthusiast features a mix of old-school classic and more modern timepieces from a number of luxury brands including Patek Phillipe, Rolex, and Timex in her feed. Whether it’s cheekily displayed wrapped around a cup of coffee or fashionably paired with a kimono, the account is well color-coordinated and extremely aesthetically pleasing to the eye. Not much can be found about the collector, aside from the fact that she is the wife of Masaharu Wada, @masaharu.me, the web product and editor of Hodinkee Japan’s site. Kaori is also often credited as the photographer in her husband’s articles’ photos. The two are often featured in each other’s feeds, be it Kaori modeling pieces from her husband’s collection or the two posing for wrist-by-wrist shots.
As Kaori wrote in her profile bio, “My life with watches. Watches are not only for men, right🥺?”
Exactly right Kaori.
@oldwatchlady
If for nothing else, I would follow this account for the name alone. Fortunately, there’s also an amazing feed behind the account for watch enthusiasts to drool over. Amazingly the watches showcased all belong to the influencer herself, and she shows off the awe-inspiring collection in a polar opposite way from the typical “bro”-flex. Versus a technical or arrogant flaunting of a watch, it’s more like a gentle display of well-loved and curated art pieces, which many of these timepieces are. Whether she’s styling a duo or trio pairing of watches in a row, like these stunning Cartier baignoire watches, curating cute cartoon pieces to show off, or pairing classic Rolex or Patek Phillipe watches with art deco-style bracelets, you’ll always have a new wrist check in your feed to look forward to. You can follow her here.
@dimepiece.co
Dimepiece is an old-school nickname for a woman whose personality and looks make her a ten out of ten.
The account’s title is a clever nod to the beautiful and successful people, primarily female celebrities and athletes like Naomi Campbell, Lori Harvey, and track star Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone, sporting impressive timepieces on their wrists, or in this case, fingers.
The account provides ample watch-spotting of celebrities on red carpets and movie premieres, both past and present, from trendsetters like Tyler, the Creator to Priyanka Chopra.
The account was created by New York-based writer and creative consultant Brynn Wallner, who first got into the world of watches after starting watch-focused editorial content at Sotheby’s. Wallner admitted before this gig she didn’t know much about the watch world or own a “grown-up” watch (relatable) until 2020. While Wallner provides a focus on style and watches from a female-forward and Gen Z/early Millenial perspective, people who don’t fit into these particular groups will easily enjoy her content as well.
@Kelly_Yoch
When it comes to absolute legends in the Industry, you'd be hardpressed to find someone more connected than Kelly Yoch. Kelly has been deeply engrained in the watch and jewelry communities since as long as I can remember. She's worked her way up through Saks Fifth Avenue, into a lead consultant role at Tiffany & Co, providing watches and services to quite a few (ahem...) Important people, including celebrities like Ed Sheeran. Currently, you can find her directing Customer Relations for Watches of Switzerland. She's an overall sweetheart and goofball in an industry that can be quite stuffy at time, and that's a breathe of fresh air. If there's anyone who can help you find the watch you want, it's Kelly.
@watch.gringa
Britt Pearce, a Canadian-born, UK-based watch enthusiast, is a breath of fresh air in an industry that can take itself a bit too seriously as time. Whether she’s doing a watch analysis with Oscar the Grouch or hyping up a G-Shock with a funky color palette, there’s a good mix of professionalism with playfulness that makes her content channels, from Instagram to YouTube, an enjoyable experience.
@dailygrailofficial
If it wasn’t already, Daily Grail, “Where Daily Wears Holy Grails”, needs to become a regular part of your feed, like, yesterday.
Run by Jessica “JJ” Owens, a marketing expert slash fabulous wrist enthusiast, Daily Grail is a website and Instagram page that connects a love for watch collecting with a passion for pop culture and fashion. From “watch spotting” celebs like Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen and David and Victoria Beckham to interviewing notable watch collectors like Rowing Blazers’ Jack Carlson to aforementioned Trang Trinh of Girls O’Clock, the Daily Grail provides a much-needed and entertaining pop of color in its curation of the need-to-know in the watch world.
@watchgirloffduty
To say that Zoë Abelson is an expert in the world of watch collecting, especially luxury pieces, is an understatement. Abelson has an impressive resume in the world world, with notable titles like senior client advisor for WatchBox and director of partnerships with Crown & Caliber. The luxury watch dealer has moved on to source and sell her own bounty of luxury watch models with her digital platform Graal and a well-curated Instagram feed filled with drool-worthy pieces and enviable travel locations. Not to mention that Abelson is truly “for the girls” in an industry that tends to forget that women are a strong luxury-buying demographic. The watch dealer has created an impressive WhatsApp group with over 160 watch-loving women scattered all over the world and has hosted meet-ups in metropolitan cities like New York City and Los Angeles.
@jenni_elle_
Last but certainly not least, Jennifer Leingang, otherwise known as @jenni_elle_.
When I first began my wrist enthusiast journey, Leingang was one of the first watch content creators, male or female, that I followed.
Cheerful and lowkey nerdy about watch history, Leingang talked about the ins-and-outs of the watch industry in a way that was entertaining, thoughtful, and non bro-y. From watch reviews to in-depth videos discussing the to busting ridiculous watch myths, like why women don’t like to watches (clearly false), Leingang is simply a delight to follow.
Special Mention:
@juliekraulis
While this account isn’t technically one for watches, there’s a reason to add this one to your feed.
Toronto-based visual artist Julie Kraulis draws eye-catching, photo-realistic images of high-end watches, from Patek Philippe to Rolex to Cartier. Whether she’s showcasing an enlarged image of a watch case or showcasing the minute details of a watch, like the crown, this account will make you appreciate watch design in a way you never have before.
