Guess: Denim to Dials

Four brothers from Marseille, the Marcianos, moved to California and launched Guess in 1981 with a stone-washed jean called the Marilyn.

The buyer at Bloomingdale's was unconvinced and agreed to take two dozen pairs on the condition that they could be returned. They sold out in hours.

What made Guess is what came next. The advertising campaigns of the 1980s, shot in black and white, were more cinematic than commercial and turned a denim label into a cultural fixture. Guess advertising launched several modelling careers and is still studied.

The watches arrived in the 1980s and follow the same instinct. Larger cases, crystal detailing, gold and rose-gold tones, dials that do not whisper.

Who it is for

If your style is quiet, this is not your brand. If you want a watch that finishes an outfit and gets noticed doing it, this is exactly your brand. The women's range in particular does something no minimalist brand attempts.

It works especially well for occasions, where the rest of the outfit is already saying something.

A caution: heavily counterfeited in Ghana, and the fakes are convincing at a glance.