Bangle watches are back, with versions from Cartier, Gucci, Chanel, Bulgari and more

Watchmaking and jewellery have long overlapped, but nowhere more so than in the bangle watch, a rigid bracelet that incorporates a timepiece, often concealed behind a jewelled clasp or hinged panel.

The chic design has existed in various forms since at least the early 20th century, and right now it’s having a major moment, with the likes of Cartier, Chanel and Van Cleef & Arpels all releasing new iterations.

One of the most storied examples is Cartier’s Baignoire, introduced by Louis Cartier in 1912 with a rounded oval silhouette, that was later refined in 1958. The Baignoire takes its name from the French word for “bathtub” – though some historians suggest it draws from the VIP seating bays of the opera, also called baignoires. Either way, it was a noticeable departure from the round cases dominating watchmaking at the time, and its defining details – Roman numerals, blued steel hands and sapphire cabochon crown – have remained largely constant across the decades.

In time, Cartier extended the line with the Baignoire Allongée, which stretched the oval into a more dramatic vertical profile, and the Crash, a deliberately distorted variant pinched at the sides and kinked in the middle that became one of the most singular silhouettes in horological history. The latest Baignoire releases show how much room the design still has to experiment – one model comes scattered with brilliant-cut diamonds in a polka dot arrangement, while a white gold version features a bezel set with aquamarines, sapphires and emeralds and a dial pavéd entirely with diamonds.

Not every bangle watch is built around precious stones, however. Gucci first introduced its U-Play in the mid-1980s, known for its playful interchangeable coloured plastic bezels. A reissue – now known simply as the Gucci Play – was launched late last year with an enlarged 28mm case and six ceramic bezels, including one in the Florentine house’s signature green-and-red colourway, that clip on and off just like the original.

Chanel’s Première Galon bangle watch is also rooted in the fashion archives. Debuting in 1987, the Première was the French maison’s first watch, designed with an octagonal case modelled after the stopper of the No 5 perfume bottle, a jet-black dial and a chain-link bracelet interlaced with leather inspired by the 2.55 bag. The Première Galon gives the design a bangle twist, taking its name from the French word for braid and the trim that founder and perennial muse Gabrielle “Coco” Chanel used to finish her tweed suits. Offered in solid yellow gold, semi-pavé and fully pavé versions, a sculptural bangle is used in place of the original chain bracelet, fitted with the model’s signature black lacquered dial.