One of Italian fashion house Ferragamo’s latest new women’s watches is this simply named “Secret” watch that follows a long history of similar concepts for women’s timekeeping, though “secret” watches are relatively uncommon today. The Ferragamo Secret watch family currently consists of three cosmetic versions, with this yellow gold-toned with green dial model being the Ferragamo Secret reference 772581. The other two versions include a polished steel model with a red dial and a two-tone model with a silver dial.
Ferragamo watches are produced for the famed Italian fashion brand by the high-quality designers and engineers at Timex Luxury (whose designers are based in Milan – which is why it works so well with Italian brands). According to Ferragamo, the Secret watch was designed by its creative director Maximilian Davis, but of course, adapted/industrialized by the minds at Timex Luxury. The core appeal is a timepiece that does not look like a timepiece but rather a jewelry bracelet. When you press in the crown, a cover over the dial opens on a hinge to reveal the small but attractive dial on the inside. The wearer can then latch the “secret window” shut to turn the wristwatch back into a bracelet.
Secret watches have a history going back more than 100 years. Wristwatches for women, in general, have an interesting history, as they preceded wristwatches for men. Only after World War I, when men returned home from trench warfare with newly created men’s wristwatches, did the trend pick up. Wristwatches were intended to be a discreet way of having the time readily available. Originally, it was seen as “unladylike” to care what time it was. Society women were supposed to be unconcerned with things like the time, as men were supposed to be in charge of information like that. But, of course, knowing the time was a very practical need for everyone. To address this issue, secret watches were invented. The goal was to allow the wearer to know the time, but without having to overtly do something masculine, such as pulling out a pocketwatch and examining it. Thus, for a number of years it was seen as chic and practical for women to have less obvious ways of knowing the time, and products like “secret dial” timepieces were in high demand. The smallest mechanical movement ever made (the Jaeger-LeCoultre caliber 101) was from this era, and it specifically was intended for such discreet wearing purposes.
Today, as the timepiece industry both invents the future and explores the past, modern secret watches are an interesting way of wearing a different type of watch. The goal today is less about discreetly knowing the time and more about having a “what is that?” object on your wrist or body. Practicality is tempered by the emotional and fashionable appeal of a retro-revival concept. The Ferragamo Secret watch is in steel, and this version is coated with an ion-plated yellow-gold tone. The case is 18.5mm wide (same for the bracelet), and 30mm long (lug-to-lug distance). It is water resistant to 30 meters and over the dial is a sapphire crystal.
As you can see, the case is a bit thicker than the bracelet, which is, of course, necessary since it contains a quartz watch movement inside. That said, I think Ferragamo did a nice job of keeping the overall bracelet relatively flush on the wrist, as the case is only modestly thicker than the bracelet. There is a vertical bar here that bears the Ferragamo brand name. As I mentioned above, to reveal the watch dial, one merely needs to press in the crown (with its ruby-colored cabochon) and the latched lid over the dial. The system works well, but one thing I would have personally added was a small tension latch to hold the lid in the open position. The lid can stay open on its own when fully opened but will shut by itself with gravity if moved around on the wrist.
Inside the watch is a Swiss Made Ronda caliber 1032 two-hand quartz movement with about two years of battery life. The attractive metallic sunray-finished green dial uses four stud-style hour markers to help tell the time, but this is not what you would consider a watch for time reading precision. I don’t really know of any “secret watches” that are designed for prevision since their entire point is blending an elegant jewelry aesthetic with a timepiece.
The bracelet closes securely with a push-button butterfly-style clasp. I think the overall package looks attractive, and the fun of opening and closing the dial lid is probably an appealing feature in itself. Today, given that the secret watch concept is a bit outdated, watches like the Ferragamo Secret are going to have a niche appeal. But Ferragamo knows this, and part of being a fashion brand (versus a wristwatch company) is about playing with form and consumer expectations. The novelty value of a secret watch might be enough for many buyers. The price of the Ferragamo Secret watch varies depending on whether the steel is coated, meaning that the all-steel tone model is a bit less expensive (in the U.S., by less than $50). Price for the Ferragamo Secret watch (Ref. 772581) is $1,495 USD. Learn more at the Ferragamo website.
