Design Icons: How Handbags and Watches Evolved Over Decades (Part 2)

An exploration of the socio-cultural influences that shaped these two diametrically opposite accessories for men and women between the Swinging Sixties and the Excessive Eighties

Following our initial exploration of how socio-cultural influences impacted the evolution of handbag and watch design from the 1920s until the 1950s, we are now diving into the post-war era and its impact on the world of design, specifically these two diametrically opposite accessories.

The Swinging Sixties

Perhaps one of the most emblematic decades of cultural upheaval– the 1960s or the Swinging Sixties – was filled with excitement as art, music and fashion all became bright, hopeful and full of promises. It won’t be wrong to look at this decade through the lens of handbag and watch design in a rather emphatic fashion.

Starting with handbags, the Swinging Sixties had a profound impact on the designs of handbags, with bright colors, psychedelic patterns and interesting materials all taking centre stage. Cultural freedom was becoming the norm, so designers leveraged the increasing freedom in women’s fashion to create handbags that broke away from the utilitarian design aesthetic of the 1950s.

As such, we have a long list of handbag designs that are unabashedly  experimental in their design and construction. Amongst some of the most emblematic handbags from the 1960s are Paco Rabanne’s chainmail purses and Emilio Pucci’s psychedelic prints which combine extravagant aesthetics with interesting materials. Pucci’s multicolored handbags were often made of silk, which was otherwise used in understated handbags, and Paco Rabanne’s bags featured metal chains.

In the same vein, watches were also influenced by the newfound freedom of the Swinging Sixties, with some timepieces completely breaking away from tradition. One such watch is the Cartier Crash. While its origin story might be the stuff of legend, its Dali-esque melting case and dial played on the 60s’ overarching surrealist culture. Even brands like Rolex were playing on this trend of injecting a new sense of personality into their watches, with the Rolex Daytona receiving “exotic” dials, made famous by Paul Newman.Offering unusual combinations in contrasting colors, these exotic dials were a de facto way for Rolex to be in tune with the trends then.

The 1970s and the “Me Decade”

Defined by a strong sense of individuality, rebellion and vibrance, the 70s were better known as the “Me Decade”. Built on the foundation of the civil rights movement of the 1960s, marginalized communities and mixed groups were increasingly fighting hard for equality. Some of these groups had women leading the feminist movement, which had a profound impact on the design of handbags but not so much on watches. 

In harmony with this sense of unwavering femininity, the vast majority of designer handbags played on their utilitarian role in a woman’s life. So satchels, fold-over shoulder bags and functional crossbody bags were all the rage like Emanuel Ungaro’s Fringe Bag. In terms of aesthetics, this decade was defined by colorful designs and patterns, patchwork and the use of suede and leather for materials. Again, the idea of practicality for the modern woman was the goal, not creating delicate bags out of silk, PVC or interlinked chainmail like the 1960s. Perhaps the most iconic handbag to rise from the 70s is the Hermès Kelly, with its fold-over top and celebrity endorsement sealing the deal. While it was around since the 1930s, the 70s are when the Kelly really became what it is today. 

In terms of watches, the 1970s were utilitarian, much like the handbags from the same period but for a totally different reason. Instead of creating functional watches on the back of the times’ cultural uprising towards greater personal freedom, watches became increasingly utilitarian off the back of the Quartz Crisis. With cheaper, more accurate and increasingly complex quartz movements, watch brands could create timepieces that were on another end of the spectrum as compared to the utility provided by mechanical watches.

As a result, the 1970s was filled with quartz timepieces that offered functions, which horologists and watchmakers could only dream of squeezing into a mechanical movement. Watches like the Omega Time Computer and Chron-Quartz, or Seiko LCD Solar Alarm Chronograph were all the rage as quartz-powered watches took over and redefined the horological landscape.

In terms of the watch design, one watch from the 1970s springs to mind as having the largest impact and I bet you already know what it is – the Audemars Piguet Royal Oak. While not quartz, the Royal Oak did define the aesthetic that would emerge from the 1970s. Championing the idea of what a sports watch could be, the Royal Oak was a stainless steel watch from a brand that was focused on luxury. As a result of the Royal Oak’s impact, stainless steel watches with integrated bracelets, angular designs and octagonal bezels began to pop up – the Girard Perregaux Laureto, the Patek Philippe Nautilus, the Vacheron Constantin 222 and the Rolex Oysterquartz all conform to the design aesthetic that the Royal Oak created.

The Excessive Eighties

While watch and handbag designs diverged slightly in the 70s, they were back on track and in tandem with one another by the 1980s. Famous for rampant excesses, unbridled consumerism, and flash and pizazz, the 1980s marks itself as a point of inflection for handbag and watch design. While handbags had always been used as a means of expressing one’s personal style, the 1980s brought about the birth of the handbag as a true luxury accessory that could be used to symbolize one’s social status.

On the back of this move towards consumerism, handbag designs began to feature large monogram patterns, like the Louis Vuitton monogram or Chanel’s diamond pattern on its Chanel Classic Flap, or other emblematic pieces of design, like the Gucci Bamboo, which witnessed a resurgence thanks to its distinctly ‘Gucci’ look. Besides this, dangling logo charms and new exclusive materials like Prada’s nylon (previously exclusive to the Italian army) were all the rage. Suddenly, the handbag had become an overt vehicle to demonstrate wealth, just as much as it was already established as a stylish and functional addition to one’s wardrobe. The 1980s was also when the Hermès Birkin was born, perhaps the most sought-after handbag even today. 

While luxury watches had always carried an air of exclusivity on account of their high prices, the 1980s were when brands doubled down on this. One such example of this trend was the proliferation of two-tone stainless steel and gold watches. Sure, the Rolex Datejust had already been around for two decades, it was in the 1980s when it actually went mainstream.

This blend of luxury and everyday casual was eventually adopted by brands like Audemars Piguet, which gradually started adding two-tone models to their repertoire in the late 1970s with the Royal Oak ref. 5402SA’s debut in 1977 – marking the birth of the first two-tone Royal Oak. Even Patek Philippe played into the growing trend for two-tone watches with the launch of their first two-tone Nautilus, the ref. 3900/1JA, in 1981. With its luxurious construction, relative cost-effectiveness compared to pure gold and trendy aesthetic, two-tone was the way forward. Even Omega launched their own two-tone variant of the Constellation Manhattan in 1982 with a quartz movement – the two most popular facets of watch design at the time.