Watch stacking is the hottest accessory trend that all our favourite style influencers love. Here's everything to know...
If there’s a time to wear your watches unconventionally, it’s now. Wearing watches in unusual ways is not a fad that will see a sudden rise in popularity and will die in a few months. It’s a concept that has seen a very gradual rise in popularity and is definitely here to stay.
Last year, we saw Rihanna wearing a bejewelled Jacob & Co. watch as an anklet, and we also saw a rise in ring watches, with the likes of Billie Eilish and Megan Thee Stallion wearing them.
That’s not all. Rihanna also wore a watch choker at the Paris Fashion Week last year, and Taylor Swift wore a watch choker at the Grammys earlier this year.
Emma Chamberlain wore a Cartier Baignoire watch as a choker at the Miu Miu SS24 show at Paris Fashion Week.
We also saw the emergence of double-wristing in recent years, where you wear one watch on each wrist, with celebrities like Chris Pratt, Richard E Grant, Prince William, and Bill Murray embracing the trend.
Although not everyone wears it as a fashion statement—Like when Prince William double-wristed, his reason was very practical. On one wrist, he wore an heirloom watch that holds a lot of sentimental value, and on the other wrist, he wore a fitness tracker watch, to track his fitness goals—one was his Omega Seamaster 300mm watch, which was a gift from his late mother Princess Diana, a watch that he is rarely seen without, and the other was a Garmin Forerunner 245 smartwatch.
It’s clear that people have started experimenting a lot with how they wear their watches, and you should too. Our favourite way to do it? Watch stacking, of course!
For those who don’t know, watch stacking is when you stack your watch with—wait for it—another watch! (wearing two watches, but on one wrist as opposed to double-wristing) A lot of celebrities have given their stamp of approval to watch stacking and here’s everything we know about this wonderfully absurd trend.
Earlier this year, Nicola Peltz Beckham posted pictures on her Instagram where she was seen vacationing with her friend Selena Gomez. In one of the pictures, you can see her big, beautiful wedding ring in all its glory, but what really caught our eye was that she was wearing two gold Cartier watches together.
She paired the two watches with a couple of dainty bracelets, and what looks like a scrunchie. So pair two or even three watches together, and if you’re feeling extra ‘extra’, take a cue from Nicola, and add a couple of really cool bracelets to your watch stack, because more is more!
More recently, Kylie Jenner posted some pictures on her Instagram from her vacation in Spain, where she was also seen stacking two gold Cartier watches—a Cartier Baignoire watch, and a Panthère de Cartier watch.
Although these girls can be attributed to restarting conversation around watch stacking, the trend isn’t new. Not by a long shot! The trend dates back to the 1980s. As history would have it, Princess Diana did it first. All the more reason to embrace this trend, because when the OG It Girl approves a trend, best believe we are going to follow suit. Although not as a fashion statement, Princess Diana would often be seen wearing two watches.
In 1981, she was spotted wearing two watches at her then-fiancé Prince Charles’ polo match. In 1983, she was again spotted wearing two watches for Charles’ Windsor polo match—one was a watch from her collection, a Patek Philippe Calatrava 3618, which was gifted to her by Prince Charles for her 20th birthday, and the other one belonged to Prince Charles, which was a Patek Philippe Disco Volante Ref. 3445. Her reason for watch stacking was very wholesome. She would often pair her watch with Prince Charles’ watch for his polo matches to bring him luck.
Is the trend a little weird? Yes. Are we going to do it anyway because Lady Di gave it her stamp of approval? Also yes!
Speaking of icons who embraced this trend a long time ago, Bollywood legend Amitabh Bachchan would often be seen stacking watches in the 2010s. His reason for doing it was far from making a style statement but rather practicality. He would wear two watches to keep track of different time zones when his son was staying in Europe. What he started doing purely for utilitarian purposes, he continued doing later just for the heck of it!
Stacking watches together may seem a little absurd, but that’s no reason not to do it. Horologist Nirja Dutt tells us, “It’s a bit extra, but honestly, why not? I loved how Kylie Jenner stacked two watches together thus far—the Cartier Baignoire and Panthère, it was an interesting take on various bracelet treatments blending well.”
On whether the trend will remain esoteric or get embraced by the masses, Nirja tells us, “I would imagine the trend being a bit esoteric but I would imagine Gen Z onwards, it won’t be, it’s interesting how they love excess and this is the perfect example of it.”
The expert also has suggestions on what kind of watches she would suggest pairing together. Her top tip? Don’t hesitate to go all out! “While complimenting watches seem to be the current flavour, I would love to see some extreme pairings like ceramic watches with high jewellery creations or rubber watches with platinum watches for a truly provoking impact.”
So go ahead and jump on the bandwagon of stacking your watches, because it’s the cool new thing to do right now.
DISCLAIMER: There is a chance wearing two watches may not result in you finally being punctual, but what do we know?
With an experience of 4 years as an editorial fashion stylist, Palak Valecha is the Senior Stylist and Fashion Writer for Manifest. Apart from having an immense penchant for Alexander McQueen, she derives her sanity from buying more books than she can read. View Profile
