With things looking up in 2021 in the U.S., you've probably noticed that one of the things people are talking about again is weddings, and how to plan one in this new

era. But something that didn't disappear during the pandemic is engagements, and there's some news to report pertaining to that. 

Lyst, the world's largest global search platform, just released its 2021 Wedding Report, and among the findings on trending dresses and shoe styles is news about the rise of engagement watches. Lyst reports that you should "expect to see more fine watches and the rise of the engagement watch" (in 2021). Upon further research, we found reports that engagement watches were becoming a thing dating back to 2017, and coverage really picked up last year. 

So what is an engagement watch, you ask? It serves a few purposes, one being that women who are choosing to propose to their boyfriends are doing so with a watch instead of a ring. Another is that women who receive an engagement ring are sometimes reciprocating by gifting their new fiancé with a watch. Mr. Porter put it this way: "In this time of increasing gender equality, shouldn’t we make this whole engagement deal more dialogue than monologue and encourage the women out there to express their commitment with a watch?" They add, "In the same way the ring a man selects for his wife reflects the way he perceives her in that he has ideally chosen the correct ring to match her personality, the watch she in turn selects says a lot about how she perceives the man she’s about to spend her life with." 

Engagement watches are still the exception rather than the norm, but if you're into it, here are a few stunning options for both men and women.