Ralph Lauren’s Western watch collection will make cowboys of us all
The Western Cushion might hail from the American West, but its makers and wearers are truly international.
Ralph Lauren the man has always been good at uniting the most unlikely groups of people. Who else, when you think about it, could create not just clothes, but really good clothes for an English country-house owner, an East Coast WASP and a Texan billionaire — at the same time?
He did it again, in 2008, when he made a serious move into watchmaking, partnering with luxury goods conglomerate Richemont who own IWC Schaffhausen, Piaget and Vacheron Constantin — the world's oldest continuously operating watch manufacturer — among others.
On the surface of it, the American West, which has long been a part of Lauren’s design vocabulary, isn’t the natural companion to Switzerland’s centuries-old, strictly governed horological processes. However, come together they did with the launch of the original American Western Cushion collection, in 2018, to mark Ralph Lauren the brand’s 50th anniversary. The 42-millimetre case was available in antiqued sterling silver or 18-carat rose gold, inspired by the vintage concho and rodeo belts that Lauren collects, wears, makes and sells.
Image credit: Ralph Lauren
Image credit: Ralph Lauren
Image credit: Ralph Lauren
Now, the Western Cushion’s been rereleased with some important updates, including to the case, which has shrunk by four millimetres — enough to feel more refined without compromising the wearer’s ability to appreciate the delicate engraving. The most notable change is that the watch is available in three iterations: off-white lacquer, the closest to the original one’s vintage sensibility, a more-modern black lacquer and natural turquoise, a material which some Native American tribes regard as sacred, or a piece of the sky fallen to Earth.
But for all its cowboy credentials, this is an accessory with a decidedly international outlook. Its leather strap is hand-tooled in Texas, then burnished in Italy, while the silver case and buckle are hand-engraved and aged in New York City. The face is stamped with Roman and Arabic numerals, complemented by Breguet-style hands (Abraham-Louis Breguet was French). The movement, meanwhile, is made in Switzerland, by Piaget, exclusively for Ralph Lauren.
For Lauren, it has always been about bringing together the best of all worlds.
The Ralph Lauren American Western Cushion collection is available from $26,000. Visit the Ralph Lauren website for more information
