Is There Room for Women in the World of Watches?

Garbiñe Muguruza (photo: Rolex)

The New York Times interviewed Hodinkee staff writer Cara Barrett recently to discuss what its like to be a woman working in an industry that's dominated by men. In it, she comments on instances when she was confronted by readers about gendering watches as female. She also touches upon the fact that most executives in the watchmaking industry are older males, making it even more difficult for women to break into the world of watches.

Hodinkee has a most male readership, but they ostensibly cater their content to a younger demographic than Baby Boomers. One would think that this would make room for a more nuanced approach to gender. However, the anonymity of commenting on the Internet allows for trolls to take on antiquated positions without accountability. This presents a challenge for writers like Barrett, but it is nice to see that there are women willing to put up with discrimination in order to advance the cause of gender equality in horology.

UPDATE:
Rolex has recently added more women to their Every Rolex Tells a Story section. Click here to check out Sylvia Earle's story or visit the watchmaker's official website at rolex.com to browse the entire section.

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