- Ralph Lauren’s latest watch range is the American Western collection featuring intricately engraved solid gold and sterling silver cases.
- With designs inspired by Ralph Lauren’s love of the American West, the hand-engraved and aged aesthetic have been crafted by master artisans in New York City.
- The Ralph Lauren American Western collection is available from select boutiques starting from US$24,600 (AU$37,600), and progressing all the way up to US$40,100 (AU$61,300).
Ralph Lauren isn’t a name you might expect to see on the dial of such exceptionally crafted watches (though his timepieces have admittedly caught our eye in the past). But the American Western collection aren’t your typical Ralph Lauren timepieces.
This is essentially an ode to the romance and nostalgia of the American West’s history, with vintage rodeo and concho belts long serving as a source of inspiration for the fashion designer. Such motifs first appeared in Lauren’s collections during the 80s with Western belts crafted in a a bold cushion-shaped silhouette.
The presence of those silhouettes make a reappearance in the American Western collection timepieces, which feature 42mm square-shaped cases with soft corners. These watches measure 10.6mm in thickness, offering a reassuring wrist presence without being too bulky, given they only weigh 56g in silver and 89g in gold.
Each has been painstakingly and expertly engraved by hand, before undergoing an aging treatment that enhances the definition of the surface’s patterns. The black lacquered dial flaunt a mix of Arabic and Roman numerals with classic Breguet hands and — mercifully — no date window to maintain visual symmetry.
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Beneath the dial is a movement worthy of such an impressively finished exterior: both the silver and gold references are powered by a movement produced by Piaget for Ralph Lauren. Though less visibly than the case finishing, the movements also feature Vertical Côtes de Genève and perlage, while enjoying automatic winding and 40 hours of power reserve.
If you needed any more evidence that no millimetre of the watch had gone unconsidered, each variant arrives on black leather straps been carefully hand-tooled in Texas and burnished in Italy; leaving them finished with further patterned motifs that nod to a Western-style influence.
Unlike the rest of Ralph Lauren’s watches, the American Western collection comes with a considerably heftier price tag to match their uncompromising level of craftsmanship. The reference in sterling silver sits at US$24,600 (AU$37,600), while the solid gold reference will set you back US$40,100 (AU$61,300).
