A Timely Accessory

A Timely Accessory 

By Brooklyn Hoffmann

At the 66th Annual Grammy Awards, singer-songwriter Taylor Swift wore a timepiece choker around her neck as she accepted the Best Pop Vocal Album award for Midnights. Like almost everything Swift does, it sparked media attention instantaneously. The choker necklace was made by jeweler Lorraine Schwartz using a Concord watch, a defunct brand that once supplied pieces to Cartier and Tiffany. It was then put on a band of mixed-cut black stones that Swift paired with a white custom Schiaparelli gown. If wearing a watch as a necklace was not a trend already, it sure is now. 

Prior to the 19th century, almost all men kept pocket watches. Women in high society wore elaborate dresses that did not contain pockets, which prompted the birth of small timepieces attached to items of jewelry. According to some sources, the first watch for the wrist was worn by Queen Elizabeth I as early as 1571, but the style did not come into fashion until after 1810. Necklaces with attached timepieces became known as sautoirs, which have the watch face upside down so that the wearer can lift it and read the time. At last year’s Watches & Wonders trade fair in Geneva, Piaget, Jaeger-LeCoultre, Van Cleef & Arpels, and Chanel all showcased different styles of sautoirs. 

Before Swift, Rihanna donned a diamond-encrusted Jacob & Co timepiece choker, worth $670,000, to Pharrell William’s inaugural fashion show as Creative Director for Louis Vuitton Menswear last summer. Unlike sautoirs, the timepiece choker is worn so close to the neck that it is useless for the person who actually has it on. This means the accessory is purely for show as a fashion statement. The trend is picking up, with many other well-known names following in the footsteps of Swift and Rihanna. Fashion influencer Brigette Pheloung – better known by her Instagram handle “Acquired Style” – posted a selfie wearing the Eleanor Watch by Tory Burch as a choker just last week. 

The timepiece choker is a fun way to take something utilitarian and turn it into a stunning statement piece. 

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