FeatureAn Offer You Can’t Refuse—Ace The Mob Wife Aesthetic With These Watches
A trend that is going viral on social media for its unapologetic and maximalist appeal is the ‘mob wife’ aesthetic. It’s a combination of faux fur coats, leopard prints, bold makeup, gold jewellery, and dazzling watches. Here’s a complete guide to the resurgence of the mob wife era in 2024, and the essential watch elements one should keep in mind to nail the look
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Remember the character, Carmela Soprano, played by actress Edie Falco in The Sopranos (1999), a popular Italian-American crime drama series? Dripping in gold and diamond jewellery, with big blown out hair and long manicured French tips, Soprano is the perfect example of the ‘OG’ mob wife. Married to the mafia boss, Tony Soprano, she is the quintessential boss lady who commands attention whenever she’s on screen. In the series, she wears the iconic Rolex Lady-Datejust in two-tone 18-karat gold and Oystersteel on a Jubilee bracelet (first in-house bracelet for the brand, featuring a five-piece link design), matching her jewellery superbly. The series also shows the 18-karat gold Cartier Tank Française with a diamond inlaid case on Adriana La Cerva, a younger mob wife in the show, portrayed by actress Drea de Matteo. These characters’ sartorial picks, along with their choice of accessories, are an inspiration to recreate the 1960s and 1970s mob wife aesthetic today. Some of the other female characters who exemplify this style are Connie Carleone played by actor Talia Shire in The Godfather (1972), and Griselda Blanco in the recently released Netflix series, Griselda (2024), starring actress Sofia Vergara.
While the watches mentioned above, in their original and renewed versions, can still be worn today to rock the mob wife aesthetic, here are some of the newer timepieces, with a contemporary spin, that fit the bill perfectly. Earlier this year, Swiss luxury watchmakers, Breitling, collaborated with the British style icon and designer, Victoria Beckham to roll out a limited edition (1,500 pieces) of watches—The Breitling Chronomat Automatic 36 Victoria Beckham. Available in six variations and two metals, stainless steel and yellow gold, the Breitling X Beckham collection oozes opulence, and is an ideal addition for anyone who is trying to rock the mob wife look. Inspired by Beckham’s spring/summer 2024 colour palette, the mid-size Chronomat 36mm watches feature dials in hues of peppermint, midnight blue, dove grey, and sand, offering choices aplenty. The self-winding watches are equipped with Breitling’s calibre 10, which keep them running smoothly for at least 42 hours.
Another model that serves the trend right is the big and beautiful 37mm yellow gold Vacheron Constantin Historiques 222, launched in 2022. First introduced in 1977 as ‘Jumbo’ 222, it was also one of three integrated-bracelet luxury sport watches from the then Holy Trinity of watchmakers—Audemars Piguet, Patek Phillipe, and Vacheron Constantin. Its latest version combines the old-world charm with modern finishing effortlessly, making it one of the best choices for the mob wife look. Now, before we dig deep into the different elements of a watch in sync with the trend, let’s first understand the sudden rise of the aesthetic in 2024.
The Mob Wife Aesthetic And Its Revival Journey
While the mob wife aesthetic itself isn’t new with references (films, series, fashion shows, social media) available from before, there are a few reasons for its rise in popularity in 2024. Quiet luxury—along with soft ‘feminine’ trends, such as the ‘Barbiecore’ and the coquette style—was big in 2023. So much so that after permeating the clothing industry, it took over the jewellery and accessory world by storm. Additionally, in beauty, it paved the way for the ‘clean girl’ aesthetic. While ‘Barbiecore’ is still maximalist at its core, it radiates soft, feminine girl energy. On the other hand, the mob wife aesthetic is for women who exude power, abundance, and luxe, with a dash of attitude. The rise of such a style, after experiencing a year of soft feminine trends was inevitable, indeed!
Like many other fashion trends, the mob wife aesthetic became viral on the social media platform, TikTok (currently banned in India). Earlier this year, Kayla Trivieri, a Canadian blockchain product developer shared a video on it, saying, “Clean girl is out; mob wife era is in, okay?” gaining millions of views. This in turn, sprouted a slew of other videos, speaking for and against the trend, garnering more views. Till date, the hashtags #mobwife and #mobwifeaesthetic have received over 50 million mentions (on TikTok), as reported by the digital edition of the British newspaper, The Sun. Before this viral video, the influencer and self-proclaimed ‘mob wife aesthetic CEO’, Sarah Jordan Arcuri, had also shared a video on the same platform, explaining the elements of the aesthetic. With time, this trend became so prominent that it even caught the eye of the legendary Francis Ford Coppola, director of the cult classic, The Godfather. While talking about the characters of his film playing the roles of mob wives, he wrote on Instagram, “I hear the ‘mob wife aesthetic’ is making a come back… The inspiration for the style of Diane Keaton’s character, Kay was my wife Eleanor and I knew that Diane had taken Ellie as an example.” Adding, he mentioned that the character Connie Corleone, played by his sister and actor Talia Shire, was a sultry and delightful Italian princess.
While highlighting the trend’s impact on the business, Clearpay, the buy-now-pay-later service, reported that there has been a 421 percent surge in oversized faux fur coat purchases recently, and an 84 percent quarter-on-quarter increase on leopard print pants. Also, tiger print trousers are witnessing a 115 percent quarter-on-quarter surge. Whereas, among watches, precious models in gold, jewellery watches, and timepieces with complications are getting more interest among consumers, as seen during the recently concluded Watches and Wonders in Geneva. While gold is certainly an important component of the watches that fit the mob wife aesthetic, here are some other elements to be noted.
The Elements To Remember To Ace The Mob Wife Aesthetic
Since the mob wife aesthetic is more visual than technical, the watches needn’t be confined to a rule book to be considered suitable for the look. In fact, if one looks at a watch and describes it as grand, opulent, and dazzling, it might just work well for the desired aesthetic too. Having said that, there are certain features that are most commonly found in this trend. For instance, gold watches are most common, followed by two-tone watches in gold and stainless steel. Also, the timepieces come in various shapes and sizes—round, rectangular, and tonneau, among others—and are mostly embellished with diamonds and other precious stones. When it comes to dial materials, other than fine silver and gold, one can also find one’s wrist candy with a dial in mother-of-pearl, malachite, or aventurine stone, with a clean and clutter-free face. Guilloche, full pavé, and clous de Paris are some of the most-used dial decorations. Moreover, they are enjoyed by women and men alike. Here’s a closer look at these features.
The Evergreen Charm Of Classic Precious Materials For The Mob Wife Aesthetic
A yellow-gold watch is undoubtedly the first choice for the mob wife aesthetic, followed by rose-gold and bronze-gold options. Also, a two-tone watch, in gold and stainless steel, passes the vibe check brilliantly. A contemporary timepiece, from the Omega De Ville Trésor line, aligns wonderfully with the trending aesthetic. Crafted with 18-karat moonshine gold, this 36mm, mesh bracelet timepiece, launched in 2019, boasts 38 full-cut diamonds along the sides of the case, and is topped with an additional diamond set on the crown. It is driven by the Omega 4061 quartz movement, with a battery life of 48 months.
Inclusivity: Fit For All Shapes And Sizes
From round and rectangular to tonneau and square, the watches befitting the mob wife aesthetic are found in all shapes. In terms of sizes too, they can range anywhere from a compact 26.5mm to a big size of 43.5mm. One of the most legendary collections that is celebrated for its unique design is the Serpenti (an Italian word for snakes) by the Italian casa, Bulgari. Its groundbreaking tubular shape, reminiscent of snakes, is equal parts glamorous and utilitarian—perfect for the mob wife aesthetic with its glorious heritage.
The first model of the Serpenti collection was launched in 1948 by the founder, Sotirio Georgis Bulgari. He designed the gold jewellery watch—featuring a square head with the body coiling around the wrist of the wearer like an elegant snake—by incorporating the complex tubogas technique. In the 1950s, the design began to resemble a realistic snake, with a slightly curved head adorned with precious stones, and the mouth covering the dial inside, called the ‘secret’ watch. The following year, actress Elizabeth Taylor wore it on the sets of the film, Cleopatra (1963) at Cinecittà Studios, Rome, making the line popular. And as they say, the rest is history.
Bling On!
The precious stones that come to mind when you think of the mob wife aesthetic are definitely diamonds, and a lot of them. The characters playing the role of mob wives often wore ostentatious jewellery and accessories comprising gold, diamonds, and other precious stones, with watches being no exception. From a few diamonds embedded on the dial as hour markers to adorned bezel and the full paved dial, watches with diamonds and other precious stones such as sapphires and rubies, form an essential part of the mob wife ensemble. However, it’s not an easy feat. Let’s know more about it.
Based on the stone, the cut of the stone, and the place of affixing it on the watch, there are a few different and complicated types of gem setting techniques used in watchmaking—bezel setting, claw setting, pave setting, snow setting, and invisible setting. In a bezel setting, the stone is wrapped around the metal, thus securing it tightly in place, like seen on gem-set bezels or gem-set crowns. Similar to it is the claw setting where the stone is held in place, but by little claws. Pavé (French word for paved) setting is a more advanced technique of claw setting covering the dial, case, or bracelet of a watch, like seen in the 30mm rose gold Divas’ Dream model by Bulgari. In this setting, the holes on the watch made to fix the stones are made to be uniform in size, depth and are aligned perfectly to each other, whereas in snow setting, different sized stones are placed randomly, while also maintaining the design code. Lastly, in an invisible setting, the metal used in securing the stone is not visible to the wearer hence the name.
Clear The Clutter
The watches in sync with the mob wife aesthetic mostly come in clean dials featuring a three-hand timekeeping function, with or without a date window. They bring more aesthetic value to the wearer and as a result, these timepieces are mostly devoid of complications, with a few exceptions. The Classic Night & Day timepiece from Jaeger-LeCoultre’s Rendez-Vous collection is a good example. Launched in 2012 as an alternative to the Swiss brand’s rectangular Reverso, it’s an elegant 29mm pink gold watch with a night-and-day indicator, displayed through the semi-circular opening on the dial. It features prominent black transferred numerals on the dial, placed over the decorated hand-guilloche pattern that truly draws one in; it is powered by the automatic mechanical calibre 967A, with a power reserve of at least 42 hours.
A Beautiful Face: Dial Materials And Decorations
A watch matching the mob wife aesthetic can come in a variety of dial materials, ranging from fine silver and gold, to more exclusive mother-of-pearl, green malachite, and blue aventurine. For instance, this 32.7mm yellow-gold Prestige Co-Axial Chronometer watch from Omega’s De Ville collection launched in 1967, features a delicate mother-of-pearl dial with dainty butterfly motifs on it, along with diamond hour markers. Some of the other examples featuring unique dial materials are the Piaget Limelight Gala Automatic Rose Gold Malachite Diamond watch measuring 32mm, and the Cat’s Eye Arabian Jasmine watch featuring an aventurine dial by Girard-Perregaux.
Along with the material, dial decorations help immensely in enhancing the aesthetics of a watch. Guilloche, clous de Paris, enamelling, and gem setting are some of the most common decorations seen on watches complementing the trending aesthetic. The 34mm rose gold Girard-Perregaux Laureato watch featured here is a good example of the notable clous de Paris pattern on the dial.
Everyone Is Welcome!
While the mob wife aesthetic is for celebrating the bold and beautiful in women, there’s no rule that the watches that personify these very qualities can’t be embraced by men too. Some of these timepieces come in big sizes of 40mm and above, working perfectly well for their male admirers, thus blurring the lines between gendered accessories. The 39mm Carl F. Bucherer’s Heritage Chronometer rose gold models launched in 2023, and the 43.5mm Bovet Virtuoso V Salmon are some of the watches, among others that deserve to be flaunted by everyone. At the end of the day, you don’t have to be a mob wife, or even a wife to enjoy the mob wife aesthetic, do you!
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Tissot T-Classic
T137.210.33.021.00
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Carl F. Bucherer Pathos
00.10550.07.25.21
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Parmigiani Tonda PF
PFC804-1020003-100182
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BVLGARI Serpenti
103791
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Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso
Q2662430
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Corum Golden Bridge
113.160.55/0F02 0000
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Titoni Cosmo
729 G-541
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BVLGARI Divas' Dream
102432
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Jaeger-LeCoultre Rendez-Vous
Q3462130
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Girard-Perregaux Cat's Eye
80488D52A401-CK4A
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Omega De Ville
424.55.33.20.55.005
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Girard-Perregaux Laureato
80189D52A132-52A
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Bovet Fleurier
ACHS048
