Table of contents
- Apple and Hermes: Traditional Luxury in Technology
- Audemars Piguet: Creative Expansion of Haute Horology
- Casio, G-Shock, and Timex: Accessing Watch Collaborations
- TAG Heuer, Hublot, and the Fusion of Performance, Fashion, and Design
- Heritage Alignment and Authority
- Watches as Cultural Connectors
- What These Collaborations Reveal
Watches have changed from functional instruments into one of the prominent collaborative mediums in fashion, streetwear, art, luxury, and technology. Unlike clothing, watches include daily visibility, symbolic permanence, and technical credibility. They are being used as a marker of taste, identity, and cultural alignment.
According to Mordor Intelligence, the global wristwatch market is forecasted to reach from $127,52 billion in 2025 to $177,64 billion by 2031 at 5,68% CAGR, driven by both connected smartwatches and luxury mechanical watches. Collaborations play an important role by enabling labels to extend the cultural relevance without losing their core product architecture.
For luxury and fashion brands, watches give four distinct strategic advantages. Firstly, watches have longer product lifecycles, allowing collaborations to be a relevant and usable item for years instead of seasons. Second, watches have their core engineering preserved while showcasing aesthetic reinterpretation. Third, watches operate in all price segments - from accessible Casio to high-cost Patek Philippe pieces. Finally, watches carry symbolic permanence, reinforcing emotional and cultural attachment.
Internal collaborations have also emerged as one of the powerful strategies within watch conglomerates. In 2022, the Omega × Swatch MoonSwatch revised the iconic Speedmaster of Omega into an accessible bioceramic format of Swatch. It expanded the cultural reach to a new generation. Such collaborations reinforce brand equity, instead of diluting prestige, while creating accessible entry points for different consumer segments.
Collaborations have transformed watches into platforms for creative experimentation, storytelling, and technological integration.
Apple and Hermes: Traditional Luxury in Technology
The collaboration between Hermes and Apple, launched in 2015, marked one of the most significant structural changes in watch history. Instead of positioning the smartwatch as a technical object, Hermes launched its leather craftsmanship and heritage codes into the digital ecosystem of Apple.
This partnership has demonstrated that technology can be adopted to the luxury’s symbolic value without competing with Swiss watchmaking culture directly.
Hermes straps and exclusive watch faces changed the Apple watch into a hybrid object of technological infrastructure and luxury accessory.
Audemars Piguet: Creative Expansion of Haute Horology
Audemars Piguet represents how traditional watchmakers use collaborations to expand cultural relevance without abandoning their heritage. Its collaboration with jewellery designer Carolina Bucci (2016-2025) introduced Frosted Gold finishing coats to the Royal Oak. It repositioned the watch as both a technical instrument and a jewellery product.
Subsequent collaborations leveraged this strategy across different creative disciplines:
Audemars Piguet × Ralph & Russo (2020) and Audemars Piguet × Tamara Ralph (2024) balanced haute horology with couture craftsmanship
Audemars Piguet × 1017 Alyx 9SM (2023) displayed industrial and streetwear design codes.
Audemars Piguet × KAWS (2024) integrated contemporary art into watchmaking.
These collaborations did not dilute the global authority of Audemars Piguet. Instead, they repositioned the watch as a cultural artefact that can be participated in art, fashion, and design conversations.
Similarly, Patek Philippe’s collaboration with Tiffany & Co. in 2021 showcased how partnerships could amplify heritage instead of replacing it. The Tiffany-blue Nautilus became one of the most significant watch releases of the decade.
Casio, G-Shock, and Timex: Accessing Watch Collaborations
While haute horology was reinforcing exclusivity, labels like G-Shock, Casio, and Timex focused on accessible cultural objects. Casio was early to this, especially with its G-Shock line. Collaborations such as G-Shock × A Bathing Ape (BAPE) (2017), G-Shock × MISCHIEF (2020), and G-Shock × Marni (2024) showed how watches could function as extensions of streetwear identity.
Casio expanded this strategy further through partnerships including Casio × Rag & Bone (2022, 2025), Casio × A.P.C. (2024), Casio × KITH (2025), and Casio × Undefeated (2013, 2023, 2025).
These tie-ups showed a new way of collectability and scarcity into accessible watch segments, enabling watches to be more functional, similar to sneakers in streetwear culture.
Timex did a parallel strategy across both luxury and contemporary fashion:
Timex × Tarun Tahiliani (2011) connected watches with Indian couture
Timex × Noah (2020, 2024, 2025), combined with independent streetwear
Timex × Maison Martin Margiela (2024) showcased conceptual fashion design
Timex × Jacquie Aiche (2025) displayed jewellery aesthetics
Seiko followed a heritage-based contemporary approach through collaborations such as Seiko × Issey Miyake (2019), Seiko × Rowing Blazers (2021), and Seiko × Denham (2024), strengthening technical authority while engaging fashion audiences.
TAG Heuer, Hublot, and the Fusion of Performance, Fashion, and Design
Certain watchmakers have used collaborations to expand beyond traditional watchmaking into broader cultural ecosystems while maintaining their performance-driven identity.
TAG Heuer’s collaborations describe this shift clearly:
TAG Heuer × Fragment Design (2020, 2021, 2025) connected watches to streetwear credibility
TAG Heuer × KITH (2024) introduced the Formula 1 model for a new generation
TAG Heuer × Porsche (2024) revived motorsport heritage
TAG Heuer × New Balance (2025) showed watches in contemporary lifestyle culture
Hublot adopted an even more experimental approach by positioning the product as a platform for material and creative experimentation:
Hublot × Berluti (2016-2018, 2020) displayed leather watch dials
Hublot × Yohji Yamamoto (2020) merged avant-garde fashion with watchmaking
Hublot × Samuel Ross (2024) introduced architectural design influences
Hublot × Como 1907 (2025) connected watchmaking with sports culture
Heritage Alignment and Authority
For heritage watchmakers, collaborations function more as extensions of craftsmanship authority and less as trend-driven exercises.
Jaeger-LeCoultre × Christian Louboutin (2016), IWC × Orlebar Brown (2020), Oris × Momotaro (2020), and Chopard × Kiton (2020): these collaborations align watchmaking with established fashion and craftsmanship traditions. Independent and luxury crossovers like Louis Vuitton × Kari Voutilainen (2025) demonstrate how watches can bridge global luxury and independent craftsmanship.
Watches as Cultural Connectors
Unlike most fashion accessories, watches can integrate across industries naturally. Alliances such as Breitling × Triumph (2022) connect watches to motorcycle engineering culture, while fashion-led collaborations such as Cartier × Sacai (2022) reinterpret iconic watch designs with contemporary aesthetics.
This flexibility allows watches to function simultaneously across:
Technology: Apple × Hermes (2015-present)
Streetwear: G-Shock × A Bathing Ape (BAPE) (2017) and Casio × KITH (2025)
Haute couture: Audemars Piguet × Ralph & Russo (2020)
Automotive: TAG Heuer × Porsche (2024) and Breitling × Triumph (2022)
Independent watchmaking: Louis Vuitton × Kari Voutilainen (2025)
No other fashion accessory operates across such a broad cultural spectrum.
What These Collaborations Reveal
Watch collaborations show a fundamental shift in how watches function within culture and fashion. They have become one of the stable and effective collaborative platforms as they balance adaptability and permanence simultaneously. Unlike apparel, watches don’t need seasonal reinvention. Rather than that, collaborations reinterpret existing iconic products while preserving their symbolic and technical integrity. They enable brands to expand into new audiences and cultural relevance, experiment creatively, and integrate technology without compromising heritage. Crucially, watches exist outside the accelerated consumption cycle of fashion. Their durability transforms collaborations into lasting items. As technology, luxury, and fashion continue to converge, watches will remain as one among the powerful mediums in which brands express innovation, cultural alignment, and identity.
Cover Image: RRR.LV