It can be easy to oversell the idea that a certain era is ‘back’; a more clear-headed perspective might be that we find ourselves living in an age where everyone, regardless of age, is on the receiving end of relentless nostalgia marketing. But look: teenagers are wearing baggy jeans again, my primary-school age daughter comes home from parties with slap bands and yo-yos, and Pulp just announced a new album, so forgive me for finding a certain 1990s flavour in the air.
In watchmaking, the return of the 1990s — not, it must be said, horology’s most glittering decade — has been heralded a few times already in the last five years. First, vintage connoisseurs started telling anyone who’ll listen that it was all about 1990s dress watches from the likes of Breguet, Blancpain and Audemars Piguet. Then, brands that like to dabble in pop culture references — like TAG Heuer — leaned into the idea of the 30-year nostalgia cycle. If you’re a wealthy, successful Millennial, there’s a chance a Mario Kart watch does more for you than one with Popeye on it, or a melancholy watercolour painting of Lake Geneva.
This summer, however, the 90s wristwatch revival is hitting more mainstream notes. On May 8, Swatch launched the ScubAqua collection (left), a successor to its 1990 dive watch, the Scuba 200. Despite the mouthful of a name — ‘Skoo-backwa’ just doesn’t roll off the tongue — it’s a five-piece collection that’s achingly 90s, all see-through plastics and E-number colour palettes; a Woolworths pick-and-mix counter for your wrist. It’s brought up to date by the bioceramic case (as seen on the now-ubiquitous MoonSwatch), but the chunky bezel, two-tone rubber strap and visible movement are pleasingly retro.
For slightly more grown-up budgets — but equally youthful and poppy in style — there’s the TAG Heuer Formula 1 collection. The original did make its debut in 1986, but it was enduringly popular right through the 1990s, when TAG Heuer last served as F1’s timekeeper of choice. Rather than plastic, the cases are now a proprietary composite material the brand calls ‘Polylight’, and they’ve all got brand new solar-powered quartz movements inside, but look at them: they’re so 90s they should come with a tub of wet-look, firm-hold hair gel.
Last but not least, it would be rude to have an affordable 90s watch revival without Timex. The American brand has been on a bit of a tear lately, turning out pitch–perfect heritage-inspired redesigns while also getting quietly creative in the present-day. It’s no surprise that its creative director Giorgio Galli ran Swatch’s studio in the 1990s. This year, Timex has released a 30-year commemorative edition of the 1995 Intrepid ‘Indiglo’, a 46mm quartz-powered tool watch that screams ‘family-blockbuster-movie-dad’. Of course, it retains the push-button illuminated screen that, back then, was big news. Now, all I need are some shoulder pads and a briefcase…
-
Canine muses: The English bull terrier who helped transform her owner from 'a photographer into an artist'In the first edition of our new, limited series, we meet the dogs who've inspired some of our greatest artists.
-
Five of the most majestic properties for sale in Britain today, from a 1,700-acre estate to a private island, as seen in Country LifeOur look at the best homes to come to the market via Country Life this week includes some genuinely breathtaking places.
-
Canine muses: The English bull terrier who helped transform her owner from 'a photographer into an artist'
In the first edition of our new, limited series, we meet the dogs who've inspired some of our greatest artists.
-
The successor to the 'most beautiful car of the 20th century' is smooth, comfortable... and ends up highlighting everything that's wrong in car design todayThe DS No. 4 traces its lineage back to the Citroën DS, a car so extraordinary that people described it as looking 'as if it had dropped from the sky'. And while the modern version is more friendly to the earth, says Toby Keel, it's also worryingly earthbound.
-
‘The perfect hostess, he called her’: A five minute guide to Virgina Woolf’s ‘Mrs Dalloway’To mark its centenary, Lotte Brundle delves into the lauded writer’s strange and poignant classic, set across a single summer’s day in 1920’s London.
-
For every new stone mason, seven retire: St Paul's plan to save heritage crafts — and itself in the processAs St Paul’s Cathedral launches the Wren Centre of Excellence to train young people to repair Britain’s historic buildings, Lotte Brundle talks to restoration workers about why their industry is on a cliffs edge.
-
'I take a box of watercolours and a sketchpad with me everywhere': Tess Newall's consuming passionsDecorative artist Tess Newall, best known for her bespoke murals and furniture, talks to Country Life about her prized collection of painted plates, her love of Thin Lizzy and her eclectic podcast taste.
-
300 laps, thousands of tires, 24 hours of non-stop racing: Up close and personal at Le Mans 2025At this year's iconic 24 Hour of Le Mans, British car manufacturer Aston Martin returned to the race's top category — and they invited writer Charlie Thomas along for the ride.
-
Richard Mille: The man who went from carving watches out of soap to making timepieces for Rafael Nadal and Lando Norris — and built a £1bn business in the processA new coffee table book by Assouline celebrates one of today’s most daring and innovative watch brands.
-
How to stand out from the crowd in the most British of outfits — morning dressMorning dress has remained largely unchanged since the 19th century, but breaking with convention can be chic.
