Women's elastic watch books Ernest E64001-012

The strap gives as you slip your hand through, then draws back around your wrist. That is the whole mechanism: no clasp, no pin, nothing to align in front of a mirror. That is why stretch watches still have a following among people who take a watch on and off all day.

From the dial to the last inch of the strap

The print runs the length of the strap, from end to end, then reappears on the dial itself: brick red, dusty blue and cream spines, one volume lying open beneath the others. Worn, the watch reads as a single printed band rather than a case dropped onto a plain strap. The round case stays silver and unadorned, which is what lets the illustration carry the piece. Other stretch strap watches are built the same way, printed or plain.

Twelve numerals around a crowded centre

The pale ground carries the weight here: it holds the navy Arabic numerals clear of the busy centre. They are drawn with a deliberate wobble, closer to ink than to type, and they run the full circle from 1 to 12, so the time stays legible however crowded the middle gets.

Where a women's stretch strap watch earns its place

This is a watch for book clubs, staff rooms and libraries rather than for black tie. It sits happily under a cardigan sleeve and beside a thin bangle, and the powder pink keeps it on the informal side of smart. If you want something quieter, plain dials or metal, look at the wider women's watch range.