Vintage Watches Are the New It Bags—Our Guide to Finding Your Next Heirloom-Worthy Piece
Vintage watches have quietly transitioned from niche collector’s pieces into must-have items for fashion insiders craving something more personal than the latest It bag. As with so many trends, women are leading the charge. Instead of opting for contemporary designs that dominate the market, women are scouring auctions, vintage dealers, and even their grandparents’ jewelry boxes for unique timepieces that tell a story. The appeal lies in the details: the patina on an old dial, the weight of a solid-gold case, and the sense of owning a piece of history. It’s not just about telling time anymore; it’s about signaling taste, sophistication, and a willingness to embrace the kind of craftsmanship that never goes out of style.
Driving this trend is a larger movement toward timeless fashion (pun intended). Just as we’ve seen with quiet luxury bags and minimalist jewelry, the focus is on investment pieces that outlast seasonal trends. Celebrities have only accelerated the craze, flaunting everything from delicate Art Deco pieces to '70s watches with bold colors. For many women, buying vintage also taps into sustainability, offering an eco-friendly alternative to mass-produced modern options. And let’s be honest: there’s something undeniably chic about slipping on a watch that feels one-of-a-kind, especially when it pairs as effortlessly with a tailored blazer as it does with a silk slip dress.
If you’re still wearing only your smartwatch, consider this your cue to explore the world of vintage—it’s the ultimate finishing touch that everyone’s talking about. Ahead, read about some of the trend's famous fans, learn experts' best tips and tricks for sourcing pieces, and shop my favorite vintage women's watches on the market right now.
Who's Wearing What
As the first big event of the year, the 2025 Golden Globes red carpet set a high fashion bar. The colorful gowns and dramatic capes were undoubtedly stunning, but my favorite element was decidedly smaller in scope: Nicole Kidman's dainty vintage watch by Omega. The rare Art Nouveau piece from 1920 was "crafted with the curves and arabesque decoration of the period," Omega explained in a press release. "The fantasy platinum case is set with 24 brilliant-cut diamonds and is worn on a black fabric bracelet." The 105-year-old watch is proof that elegance knows no expiration date.
Vintage watches also stole the show at this year's Met Gala, both on the red carpet and at the after-parties. Hailey Bieber, for instance, eschewed new jewels in favor of an Audemars Piguet 1975 archival timepiece in white gold with an opal dial. As unique as fingerprints, precious opals "exhibit a brilliant play of colors that change with the viewing angle—a property known as iridescence," according to the Oxford Museum of Natural History. " internal three-dimensional structure arising from the regular packing of sub-microscopic spheres of silica. This structure diffracts light, causing the spectacular iridescence."
For the 2025 Met Gala after-parties, Jenna Ortega went pantsless in a Balmain bodysuit adorned with a curious accessory: a vintage Heuer pocket watch circa 1914. To get the scoop on this ingenious look, I went straight to the source and spoke with Taylor Stoddard, who connected Ortega with the timepiece. "For Jenna Ortega’s Met Gala look, I had the privilege of collaborating with Alessandra de Tomaso to define the perfect pocket watch through a mood board and sketch, considering style, dimension, weight, and chain," Stoddard told me. "When it came time to source, I turned to my friend and brilliant collector Jeff Stein, who has always entertained my most ambitious requests even with limited lead time. From his personal archive, he generously offered three museum-worthy options, including the gold rattrapante chronograph that ultimately became the actress’s final choice."
"For [Ortega's] tuxedo-inspired bodysuit," Stoddard continued, "the chain was artfully looped around one of the buttons with the watch fastened at her right hip, which was an epic expression of the evening’s tailored theme. And I have to emphasize this wasn’t a mere prop! It was a fully functioning timepiece freshly serviced just weeks prior. Plus, it had never been worn before in this capacity, so it was an exciting, first-of-its-kind moment for Jenna and the brand. Bringing this to life meant leading nonstop communication with global teams, overseeing intricate shipments, and mobilizing an extraordinary number of resources, but once that first photo came through, it felt like pure magic and worth every ounce of chaos."
