Is Your Wrist Ready for the 90s and Early 00s Fashion Revival?

If you pay any attention to the more stylish parts of social media, it should come as no surprise to learn that the wheel of fashion has turned once more, and our appetite for nostalgic bites of the 90s and early 2000s is once more on the rise. Given that we're now 24 years past the millennium, this makes perfect sense, as people who maybe missed the pre-iPhone era the first time around are only now discovering the joys of aggressively plucked eyebrows, aggressive collars and leopard print, and making the most of it. The 90s and early 00s are back in style, and that includes the watches.

One of the hottest watch fashion trends at the moment is the choker — a perennial favourite that emerged from the grunge and punk scenes and entered the world of mainstream classics with a bang. Of course, it never really went away, but in recent years, we're seeing the tight-fitting necklace of the 90s take on a timekeeping twist. Last year, Rihanna made headlines by strapping a fully-set Jacob & Co around her neck at Paris Fashion Week. This might have been a one-off, but when Taylor Swift wore a custom black diamond Lorraine Schwartz choker with a gem set Concord watch front and centre, it's safe to say this isn't the last we've seen of the watch choker trend. It's also a great example of a trend that is clearly inspired by the past, but is evolving to keep up with the times.

Moving down from the neck to the wrist, and to one of the most influential makers of the 90s, Franck Muller. Though Franck Muller debuted his first watch in 1984, and came up through the ranks of the ACHI, the talented independent is best remembered for his iconic, Deco-inspired Curvex watches that made his eponymous brand a household name. From the Master Banker to the Crazy Hours, Franck Muller's creations were the 'It' watches of the time, pairing horological credibility with a sense of fun that was, at the time, unprecedented in the often dour Swiss industry. In 2004, Franck Muller left his own brand, and in the subsequent years, the cool factor of Curvex was increasingly diminished. Until recently. There's something in the water at Watchland, as the Curvex case is making a return, notably in a series of smart collaborations with the likes of Daniel Arsham and Bamford Watch Department. An entire generation has passed since the heyday of Franck Muller, so it's well past due that Muller's particular brand of fun is back in the spotlight.

Of course, the revival of 1990s style when it comes to watches isn't limited to the big, bold designs of Franck Muller and friends. The decade was also responsible for some more pared-back inventions, like the Chopard L.U.C 1860, which debuted in 1997. This watch, which seems, on the face of things, to be a fairly demure gold dress watch is regarded as one of the most important watches of its era, and one that kicked off Chopard's manufacture status. The movement was the first to boast a bi-directional micro-rotor and finished to a very high level. The proportions, at just under 37mm are pretty much perfect and the dial is made by Metalem, a company that Philippe Dufour would use a few years later for the Simplicity. In 2023, a nearly 1:1 recreation of this seminal Chopard in Lucent Steel with a salmon dial was widely regarded as one of the belles of the ball. Of course, while the dressy design is timeless, it's also deeply rooted in its 1990s origins.