Quality Time
with Brynn Wallner, founder of Dimepiece
From launching her Instagram for celebrity “wrist spotting” in 2020 to sitting on a panel at the world’s largest watch fair in Geneva this year, Brynn has a knack for making the watch world feel more accessible and more fun—even if you can’t call yourself a collector. See how she’s investing more in everyday luxuries and putting her own spin on the classics at some of her favorite spots in NYC’s West Village.
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THE ICON TRENCH
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“The watch I’m wearing is my dad’s Rolex DateJust that he got after graduating law school in the ’80s. It could have easily gone to my brother because that’s more customary. So in a way, my dad giving me the watch is very symbolic of the entire Dimepiece mission, which is to get more women into watches.”
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J.Crew has been part of my fashion portfolio since I was in high school. On my way to the PATH station, I would pass by the store on Fifth Avenue and try on all the Italian leather shoes.
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THE THOMAS MASON® SHIRT
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You don’t need a ton of cheap shirts—you can just buy one really good one that lasts for years. Whether I’m being photographed for a magazine or on a discussion panel in Switzerland, I always need good things to wear, and it makes a difference when the fabric is great.
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“A lot of people ask me if I wear a watch inside all day. And I don’t. I’ll finish my work, do some yoga, take a shower and dress in a cute outfit for dinner, so when I put a watch on, it feels like a treat—the cherry on top.”
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THE HELENA BLAZER
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“As my wardrobe becomes more elevated, I can start getting crazy with my forever pieces—like what if I got the buttons swapped on this vest for cool vintage buttons? The basics invite that kind of personalization.”
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A lot of people talk smack on the new Gossip Girl, but it has influenced my style—especially when it comes to accessorizing. Maybe I’ll take a ribbon and use it as a tie. Just that extra spice.
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Q&A with Brynn
How did you decide to start Dimepiece?
BW: When I was on the editorial team at Sotheby’s in 2019, the watches department tapped me to create content for them. As I was commissioning and editing those stories, I was like, “Oh, watches are actually really interesting. I’m shocked I’ve never cared before.” But actually, I wasn’t that shocked, because women weren’t mentioned in those stories once. So when I chose photos for the articles, I would find photos of women wearing watches and scooch them into the story visually. That’s where the seed was first planted, and then during the pandemic, after I was let go from Sotheby’s, I started Dimepiece, got a following from the watch industry and was asked to be the watch columnist for Harper’s Bazaar.
How did you educate yourself on watches so quickly?
BW: When I started Dimepiece and people were like, “Let’s see your collection,” I was like, “I literally don’t even have one watch.” I started going on YouTube, searching videos like “What’s the difference between an automatic and a manually wound watch?” and “What does it mean for a watch to be quartz powered?” I’d go out to dinner with my friends or my mom’s friends and ask to try on their watches and we’d talk about them. I bought my first luxury watch in 2021 for my 31st birthday—a Cartier Tank Française—and since then my collection has grown.
Who would you love to interview next for your First Dimers series?
BW: I met Olympia [Gayot] recently, and was like, “Do you wear a watch? You need a watch.” Of course, I would love to talk to a massive star like Tyler the Creator or Bella Hadid, but I think it would be cool to highlight someone who’s doing really well in her career who doesn’t have a watch yet. It’s about the story and capturing how people save money, or achieve something or turn 40…anything to mark the occasion of buying a watch. It feels like a very masculine tradition, but it’s changing. It’s crossing into the female world.
What’s next for Dimepiece?
BW: I’ve started selling watches with my friend Alan Bedwell who has an antiques business called Foundwell. Early on in Dimepiece-land, my friend at Sotheby’s suggested we meet, and he showed up with a little black pouch full of ladies’ watches like the Cartier Baignoire, which Catherine Deneuve wore in the French New Wave. He was like, “None of my clients want these watches. They’re not cool and they’re all undervalued.” And I was like, “Let’s make them cool!” So we started selling a really small curated edit of ladies’ watches, and now I feel like they’re getting more popular. It’s exciting to see more women’s archival watches being rereleased and given a new life with better mechanics and cosmetic adjustments for the modern world.
