Links effect: the infinite elegance of a bracelet watch
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After decades dominated by the robust functionality of steel bracelet sports watches, the watch industry is witnessing an elegant counter-revolution. “Until recently, metal bracelets were almost totally associated with sports,” says Pierre Rainero, director of image, style and heritage at Cartier. “But now that watches in small sizes are popular, there’s been a rediscovery of how you can be elegant with a piece that is entirely metallic.”
In 2023, Cartier relaunched the Tank Normale on a sinuous seven-link brick pattern platinum bracelet. It recalls the Normale on a 1943 bracelet that belonged to the Prince of Nepal, and such has been the success of the new version that Rainero says there will be more to come.
“More than just a functional component, the bracelet is an expression of artistry,” says Universal Genève’s MD Gregory Bruttin of the precious metal bracelets that were once an identifying trait of Universal, a brand that is currently being revived by Breitling. Ahead of the relaunch in 2026, interest in the name has been stoked by special historic commemorative pieces, including a unique bracelet developed with Laurent Jolliet, “one of the last chaînistes in Switzerland. Historically, the brand has created some truly distinctive bracelet designs and with this tribute piece we wanted to revive that spirit.” According to Bruttin, Jolliet worked for more than four months on it. “Every link was individually crafted, woven and assembled using techniques that are nearly extinct.” But it was worth the effort: in the Phillips Geneva auction this May it sold for SFr71,120 (about £66,698), against a pre-sale estimate of SFr25,000-50,000, with proceeds going to support the future of the art of the chaîniste through classes led by Jolliet.
Prima facie, Jaeger-LeCoultre’s Reverso Tribute is about as classic as a Reverso can get: hours, minutes and seconds on the dial and, when turned over, a plain caseback offering the opportunity for engraving. What transforms it is the Milanese bracelet, a fine gold mesh that embraces the wrist like a satin ribbon. “We were looking at giving the Reverso an enhanced elegance,” explains CEO Jérôme Lambert. “We went through our archive and saw that during the ’30s, ’40s and even the ’50s, our watches were getting metal bracelets to add that dressy touch.”
Weaving fine coils of gold together to create a supple metal ribbon, the Milanese technique has its origins in Italy. And it is to an Italian atelier that Jaeger-LeCoultre turned: “It would have sounded very strange to say it’s a Milanese bracelet made in Switzerland,” jokes Lambert. “It brings an additional dressy dimension that we had not explored for men’s Reversos.” He defines the appeal as “quite traditional in a different way.”
The goal is to create a bracelet that maintains the fluid elegance of the original Milanese technique while meeting modern standards. Old Milanese bracelets are notoriously fragile and prone to distortion if not fitted correctly. The other big problem with original midcentury bracelets of this type is that they need to be cut and soldered by a jeweller to fit the wrist of the wearer, meaning they could only be made shorter. For those collectors who find a vintage, uncut metal bracelet dress watch, the dilemma is whether to cut to fit, or leave it uncut and preserve its value. Happily, Jaeger-LeCoultre has devised a new clasp to permit the wearer to adjust the length of the bracelet.
Universal Genève special tribute edition white-gold Polerouter SAS, sold for SFr71,120 at Phillips Geneva in March
Patek Philippe’s answer to this problem has been particularly painstaking. Until the 1980s, the brand’s signature slim gold watch, the Golden Ellipse, was offered on several different metal bracelets as well as a leather strap. And then, last year, after a hiatus of almost four decades, the bracelet version made a triumphant return. Fifteen years of R&D, collaborating with German jeweller Wellendorf, has yielded a masterpiece of 363 meticulously crafted elements, among them hundreds of links, each individually mounted by hand – and a silky soft metal bracelet that can be easily adjusted.
But the most potent sign that the bracelet watch is back comes from an unusual quarter. In 2023, Rolex launched the 1908: the Rolex for people who don’t like Rolex. It was slim, dressy, discreet and designed for an alligator strap. This year, it released a gold bracelet version. Called Settimo, after its seven-link construction, it has faint echoes of the Rolex’s Jubilee bracelet (a five-link construction first launched in 1945) but is altogether thinner and more refined.
The 1908 has replaced Rolex’s Cellini range, named after the renaissance goldsmith, which had a watch called the Midas with a bracelet comprising what looked like articulated gold ingots. Until recently they were traded purely on the scrap value of the gold; now – if the watch is sold with its original packaging – vintage dealers are asking for up to £150,000 for a mint example. With the dress bracelet watch making such a comeback, surely the time is right to revive the Midas.
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