Women’s Day Special: Laetitia Hirschy on normalising women as equal, knowledgeable participants in the watch industry

I first met Laetitia Hirschy at the Gerald Genta booth at Dubai Watch Week 2025, where she took me through the entire display and guided me through the product presentation. Founder of Kaaviar PR, a boutique luxury PR and communications agency based out of Geneva and New York, the way Hirschy, herself a collector, walked me through the timepieces spoke volumes about her enthusiasm for them. However, it was our second meeting at the women collector community Watch Femme’s Speed Dating activity with watches that I truly understood her passion for timepieces. And as someone who co-founded Watch Femme, Hirschy made compelling points about the spread of timepieces that lay in front of her. She highlighted how they were reflections of values and the technical ambition, and was eager to know what the gathering of women felt about them.

Frederique Constant Classic Tourbillon

In an industry where the male to female ratio is skewed towards the former, Hirschy is passionate about giving female voices a platform to express themselves. I knew immediately that I wanted to know more about her journey in the world of watches. In our conversation below, Hirschy talks about changing the narrative associated with, and the agency of women in the male-dominated world of horology…

WatchTime India: How did your journey into watch collecting begin?

Laetitia Hirschy: I was born in Geneva, so watches were always part of the landscape. Interestingly, I didn’t grow up thinking I would collect them — quite the opposite. My father was one of the only Swiss men I knew who didn’t wear a watch.

Vintage Cartier Santos Dumont

I wouldn’t necessarily call myself a traditional “collector” — I see myself more as an enthusiast guided by emotion and aesthetics. My journey has been driven by fascination with the intersection of engineering, design, heritage, and storytelling — something few objects capture as completely as a watch. What began as professional exposure gradually became personal curiosity.

Read more: Smitha Nair on building a space for women in watch collecting

WTI: Do you remember the first watch that truly meant something to you?

LH: Yes. It wasn’t the most complicated or the most prestigious — it was the first piece I chose for myself, which my parents gifted me for my 18th birthday. It was a two-tone TAG Heuer Link. It may not be the obvious collector’s choice, but I’ve always loved two-tone. At the time, I was also considering a Cartier Tank Française. In hindsight, the Tank would have been the more timeless decision — but that’s part of the beauty of early collecting: You learn through experience.

That watch taught me something important about myself — my taste evolves quickly, and I can grow tired of trends. Classics endure. Since then, I’ve gravitated toward pieces with lasting design language rather than momentary appeal.

WTI: Most recent watch in your collection and what’s on your wishlist?

LH: My most recent addition is incredibly special: An Audemars Piguet Square Royal Oak from the 1980s that belonged to my grandmother, gifted to me by my mother. Beyond its design, it carries generational meaning — which makes it irreplaceable.

Audemars Piguet Royal Oak from the 1980s that once belonged to her grandmother and was gifted to her by her mother.

As for my wishlist, I’m drawn to bold creativity and strong design identity. I would love to one day own an MB&F — perhaps the SP One — and I’ve long admired a vintage Bulgari Tubogas from the 1970s. I’m increasingly focused on pieces that feel deliberate and enduring rather than trend-driven. I want watches I’ll still admire decades from now.

Her vintage Bulgari Tubogas from the 1970s

WTI: What kind of a watch collector are you? Do you love vintage or modern watches?

LH: I appreciate both, but for different reasons. Vintage speaks to me emotionally — the patina, the restraint, the purity of proportions. Modern watchmaking, especially among independents like MB&F or MING, represents genuine innovation and creative risk-taking.

If I had to define myself, I would say I collect what I fall in love with. There’s no rigid strategy — only discernment. I prefer depth over quantity and pieces that feel personal rather than performative.

MING 37.02 Ghost

WTI: Watch collecting has traditionally been male-dominated. What has your experience been as a woman in this space?

LH: It’s undeniably been male-dominated, though it’s evolving. What I find most encouraging is that more women are engaging with watches intellectually — discussing calibres, finishing, architecture, complications — not just surface aesthetics. The narrative is shifting from “women’s watches” to women as serious collectors. I’ve witnessed this change both personally and within the broader community. There’s still work to be done, but the conversation is expanding in meaningful ways.

WTI: What made you co-found WatchFemme?

LH: Watch Femme was born from a simple observation: Women were present in the watch world, but not proportionally visible. We created it as a platform to amplify female collectors, professionals, and creatives across the industry. Not as a separate universe, but as an integrated one. The goal isn’t to create a ‘female corner’ of watchmaking — it’s to normalise women as equal, knowledgeable participants in the conversation. It’s about education, visibility, and community — without reducing women to a marketing demographic.

Wrist shot of WatchFemme community

WTI: How do you see the role of women evolving in the watch world as collectors?

LH: I believe we’re moving from representation to influence — though representation still has room to grow. Women are not only purchasing watches; they’re shaping demand. They’re asking for mechanical depth in refined sizes. They’re challenging outdated “his and hers” narratives. They’re collecting independently, without seeking validation. Influence follows discernment — and that shift is already underway.

MB&F SP One

WTI: A woman that inspires you in the watch world?

LH: I’m inspired by women who operate with quiet authority — collectors, executives, creators — who bring substance and knowledge to the table without feeling the need to over-justify their presence. Those are the true changemakers.

WTI: What message would you share with women who are passionate about watches?

LH: Don’t wait for permission. Learn. Ask questions. Visit manufactures. Understand movements. Try everything on. Develop your eye. And most importantly, buy what resonates with you — not what trends dictate or what others suggest you should like. Collecting isn’t about fitting into an existing culture. It’s about shaping it.

Images: Courtesy Laetitia Hirschy