Are Watches a Seasonal Accessory?

Autumn officially started today, September 22, and as the temperature begins to come down, the sleeves, pants, and jackets must come out in kind – unless you’re in middle school and ‘never get cold.’ Aside from that, a fall wardrobe often brings season-appropriate colors and fabrics that would be taken to the next level with accessories to match.

While seasonal attire is a fashion necessity, does that same rule of thumb apply to jewelry and accessories?

Some sources say yes.

And as versatile as your favorite silver- or gold-toned watch may be, it may not check all the right boxes to be a ‘fall’ watch.

But we aren't sure you need to go out and revamp your watch collection with a new piece for the season, no matter what fashion experts say.

Naturally, this statement begs the question:

What makes a watch an ‘autumnal’ timepiece?

(It also begs the question: Are seasonal watches really a thing?)

Several factors make a watch fit well with the fall season – colors and materials chief amongst them.

Fall fashion tends to have a “vibe” that matches the season. White, cream, brown, orange, red, yellow, gold, and gray are staple autumn hues.

An autumnal watch features at least one, if not more, of these colors. If you keep scrolling, you’ll see a pretty consistent color theme in each of this week’s timepieces, as well as a short explanation of how you can style your fall color palette to match.

The same logic applies to the hardware of the watch. Watches with non-metallic hardware may not pair as well with your fall fashion as watches with gold- or silver-toned features. This concern becomes particularly true if you wear accessories besides a watch, like a bracelet or necklace.

Watches worn during the spring and summer tend to consist of water-resistant materials that repel everything a day on the beach or lake may throw at it. Autumnal watches, on the other hand, typically face fewer risks of sweat or seawater compromising their integrity, so they are frequently constructed from materials like leather.

Does their construction make them entirely unusable? Certainly not.

However, it does mean that maintaining a fall watch requires a bit more attention and care than a stainless steel dive watch might.

Your fall watch should also consist of materials that naturally pair with fall fabrics like wool, flannel, suede, and leather. Many dressy watches with elegant materials (leather, gold, titanium, stainless steel, etc.) will work well with most fall fashion. More utilitarian watches (rubber, plastic, poly-, etc.) might be better off at the beach than the pumpkin patch.

Given all the criteria (and this, after extensive research on our part, was only the tip of the iceberg!) for determining what makes a watch ‘autumnal,’ you may feel like your fall fashion and watch collection may never find common ground.

However, there are a lot (like, a LOT) of multi-seasonal and versatile timepieces that will wear well with almost any kind of clothes.

One such example is the Rolex Oyster Perpetual Submariner with a black dial and black bezel. Simple, elegant, timeless, and visually appealing, the Submariner checks almost every box of being an “essential.” The stainless steel bracelet and black dial suit most sleeve colors extremely well, and you’ll have little difficulty pairing it with silver-toned accessories.

This Rolex is also versatile enough to be dressed up or down – you can just as easily rock it with shorts and a tee as you can with a three-piece suit.

More importantly, if a Rolex isn’t in your budget, there are countless watches with extremely similar design cues that you can buy for a fraction (of a fraction) of the price.

Watches like these render a seasonal watch somewhat useless.

With that in mind, maybe you don’t need a seasonal watch.

On the other hand, that may be the point of an autumnal timepiece – maybe it should be something you wear for the season because it shows your fashion sense and ability to style seasonal clothes.

At the end of the day (like most everything else), it’s a matter of personal preference. With watches, there aren’t many defined rules, so you should buy and wear the timepieces that most excite you and best fit your fashion sense.

However, if you do want an autumnal timepiece, you won’t be short of options. Keep scrolling to see some of our favorites!

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