Royal Watch - What Will Kate Wear?

Within nano-seconds, the royal blue Issa dress that Kate Middleton was wearing at the announcement (finally) of her pending marriage to Prince William sold out nationwide. Shortly thereafter, copies of the engagement ring, originally Diana’s of sainted memory, were to be found for sale on the internet, along with a collection of the inevitable and reliably ghastly coffee mugs.

This week, it was also reported that Savile Row tailors Gieves & Hawkes have been chosen to make Prince William’s outfit. We’d almost forgotton about him with all the hype about what Kate will wear!

The recent appearance of Kate’s mother and sister at Bruce Oldfield’s little shop of wedding dresses in Knightsbridge was enough to touch off a frenzy of expectation among press and public alike.

It was almost like a royal birth, the multitudes eager for confirmation that this would be where ‘the dress’ would be delivered. A canny Oldfield was meanwhile no-commenting furiously, while doubtless pondering where to put the gazebo at his new beachfront villa.

Wills and Kate – and who really refers to them now by any other monicker – are marketing gold, their every style choice, however innocent, capable of bestowing riches on the subject of their favour. And this is not just about having the ‘by appointment’ stamp, a gift bestowed on everything from PG Tips to Lyle’s Golden Syrup. This is about celebrity shimmer, Princess Di’s gift to an otherwise impossibly stodgy royal family.

Di knew all about style, witness her choice of watch, which ranged from the Cartier Tank to the Patek Philippe Ellipse to the Jaeger LeCoultre Caliber 101 she was wearing when she died (though Jaeger goes back a ways with the royals, the present Queen wore a model at her coronation). Jaeger LeCoultre is available at TIME²’s concession in Selfridges.

Wills may have inherited his mother’s instinct for the right style move. He sports an Omega Seamaster Professional , a line and a brand that exudes a kind of all-action seriousness, spot-on for the image he seems to be after. It may be no coincidence that Daniel’s Craig’s Bond is also a fan.

As for Kate, there have been rumours of TAG Heuer, and that would certainly suit her appeal the classy but casual commoner. As she joins perhaps the world’s most dysfunctional family, and prepares to cope with its most dysfunctional tabloid press, we’d also suggest she tool up with a G-Shock.

See TIME²’s blog post ‘Engagement Watches-What to Buy For Him/Her’ for tips on what to purchase as an engagement present.

For more luxury watches, see TIME2.co.uk.