The late Queen Elizabeth II may represent a memory of an era in our minds, but for the Queen herself, what era does she never tire of looking at in her heart?
As a member of the royal family, tradition and unwritten rules often override personal thoughts, making it difficult for us to see through Elizabeth II. However, even within this framework, her consistently bold fashion choices express a life philosophy of “I have to be seen to be believed,” refusing to go unnoticed without wearing nude colors. As for the Queen’s watch-wearing habits, at first glance, she appears to be a loyal fan of small dials, always sticking to an elegant route. However, upon closer inspection, it seems to reflect the Queen’s particular fondness for this era’s masterpieces…
Leading Art Deco-inspired watch design
In 1953, Queen Elizabeth wore the Jaeger-LeCoultre Calibre 101 to attend the coronation ceremony, a gift given to her by the former French President Vincent Auriol before the coronation. Elizabeth II chose this watch, which was born in the 1920s like herself, as a symbol of her reign.
This watch is equipped with the smallest movement in the world to date, developed to cater to the early Art Deco trend in watchmaking. Women wore delicate jewelry watches to complement the elegant trend, with dials featuring extremely small designs to make room for jewels and decorations. This world record symbolized being at the forefront of fashion at that time.
Art Deco style round geometric matching
In 1947, during the wedding of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, they received over 2,500 wedding gifts, including a platinum and diamond watch from the Swiss Federal Council. It wasn’t until 1981, after Prince Charles married Princess Diana, that the Queen passed it on to Princess Diana. The watch features a row of connected diamonds on the chain and a geometric pairing with the slim round dial, showcasing an Art Deco design style.
The pinnacle of Art Deco era automatic movements
Another iconic queen’s collection is the 20mm 14k yellow gold Omega Ladymatic that appears in this 92-year-old photo. This is one of the earliest self-winding wristwatches designed for women. The Ladymatic, first introduced in 1955, is equipped with the world’s thinnest automatic movement to have received official certification, making it a world leader during the Art Deco era of wristwatch decoration.
The Art Deco Trend of Pearl Fringe
Until 2006, when Queen Elizabeth II attended the opening ceremony of Parliament, she wore a Patek Philippe ref. 4975/1G watch with rectangular cut diamonds on the dial, paired with a pearl bracelet. In addition to the elegant and luxurious craftsmanship of the fine dial, a large number of pearls and tassel designs are used on the jewelry watch, showcasing another key feature of the Art Deco trend.
The Art Deco trend filled Europe and America from 1925 to 1939. Before the outbreak of World War II, this art movement was in decline, but wristwatch designs after the end of the war still focused on the Art Deco style. Even until the 1960s, the luxurious decorative art design gradually faded from the popular watch catalog. However, even in the 90s, Queen Elizabeth II still stuck to her consistent choice, showing her “queen style” for all to see. After color coordination, she achieved the goal of making people recognize her. While times are changing, the era of that time seems to have stopped, as if it were a tiny gap that penetrates her inner world.
