Hands-On Ralph Lauren Updated Its 867 Collection. Now It’s The Dress Watch It Should Be

Ralph Lauren doesn't have to make watches like this. Surely, it would be easier to do the "mall watch" thing. But an update to RL's square 867 collection re-establishes this model as the small, precious metal dress watch it should be. While it might not be for everyone, it certainly has its place in the world of watches. And it's way better than it needs to be.

The 867 is a square watch that's been around since 2009. It now comes in four variations: a sterling silver or 18-karat rose gold case measuring 28mm or 32mm. I was able to go hands-on with the 32mm rose gold version; after trying it out, the 28mm silver version might have been my pick of the bunch – and part of that preference is the huge cost difference, but it's mostly a statement on which design I like better. With square watches, you always have to go a little smaller than you might've thought by simply looking at the dimensions on a spec sheet. Or at least I do.

About that cost though, because it isn't cheap: the new 867 collection starts at $8,250 for the 28m sterling silver ($8,350 for the 32mm silver), and goes up to $17,000 for the 32mm rose gold seen here ($15,500 for the 28mm gold). It's a lot of money for any watch, but the Ralph Lauren 867 collection is not trying to be for everyone, which is actually part of what makes it so enjoyable.

Ralph Lauren Watches are still a relatively new thing. The partnership between Ralph Lauren and Richemont started only in 2009, so it's worth an explainer: This isn't a fashion brand licensing out its brand name for whatever it's worth to rake in a few easy bucks selling cheap quartz watches at a massive markup. Ralph makes serious watches – there are minute repeaters and tourbillons and hand-engraved cases. RL introduced the 867 collection when the partnership launched and it's been around pretty much ever since, serving more or less as a foundation for the brand.

The 867 collection looks vaguely like some of the European watches that surely inspired it (some of which sit in the personal watch collection of the designer himself; by all accounts Mr. Lauren himself remains involved in the design of RL watches, mostly because he just loves watches), but these are hardly homage pieces.

Compared to those European brands with the weight of a few hundred years of history weighing them down, RL's products take themselves a little less seriously. They're not so intent on making sure they hold up the mystique of a title as grandiose as la maison, but are more concerned with making Art Deco look cool and fresh.

An Art Deco-inspired analogy from my home of Chicago, if you'll indulge for just a moment: The 867 is less like the self-serious Chicago Board of Trade Building, with all its right angles and monotonous limestone exterior and trading floors, and more like the Carbide and Carbon Building, with its polished black granite, ornate gold leaf accents, and champagne-bottle of a roof.

The 867 collection is obviously Art Deco, but not religiously so. The dial is easily the best part of the watch. It's a warm, lacquered off-white featuring alternating Arabic and large Roman numerals. The Breguet-style hands are also a nice touch, working well with the font choices on the dial. The case is stepped from the bezel to the midcase, only 5.7mm thick in all and curving slightly to make for a nice fit on the wrist. It still manages 30m of water resistance; if I've ever gotten wetter than that on a day when I chose to wear this watch, something's gone terribly wrong.

I mentioned the size already, but that's because the 32mm square case was a bit too big on my small wrist (6.3 inches, give or take). There was no lug overhang, but the width of the watch felt a bit much for me, especially with the strap that's nearly as wide as the case (the lug width is 28mm). The alligator strap itself starts wide and then tapers dramatically to a buckle that measures 16mm. That's right, 12mm of taper. For me, this width wore a bit too much like a cuff to get comfortable; the 28mm case, with its 24mm lug width, would've fit me perfectly.

This is why I say I would've absolutely loved the silver in 28mm. In addition to the size, I've got a soft spot for silver watches. From the silver Black Bay 58 to an '80s Must de Tank Cartier, a silver case is just a taste of extravagance. It's looking at the dessert menu and saying "I could split something," without committing to a full slice of cheesecake.

Before this update, the 867 was only available in a 35mm steel case (The brand seems to have retired the earlier small versions). This update brings the 867 collection back to its previous, smaller sizing, which feels exactly like what this watch should be. It never made sense as a 35mm, wannabe steel watch on a bracelet, which is how RL had positioned it the past few years. We already have enough of those.

The movement inside is an ultra-thin Piaget caliber 430P. It's manual winding and beats at 3hz. Piaget is a subsidiary of Richemont, so this is a natural movement to find inside a dress watch like this.

Since Ralph Lauren is ostensibly a fashion brand, it's worth talking more about the 867 collection's design. Fashion brands, in general, haven't gotten the credit they deserve for pushing watchmaking and design forward over the past few decades. Like other watches from fashion brands (Chanel and Louis Vuitton and Gucci, for starters), the 867 collection has created its own path.

It'd be unfair to see this watch and say "oh, Ralph's take on the Tank, that's kind of cool," because it very much does not wear like a Cartier Tank on the wrist. It's more overtly Art Deco and also more fun.

Around non-watch normies, it'd get more questions and compliments than a Tank. Around those who really know watches, it'd get a knowing nod of respect.

The truth is, if you're wearing a Ralph Lauren 867, you've probably already got some stuff in the watch box at home. In fact, the 867 collection might be for the collector who's already got a few Cartiers (like Anna Wintour), and there's nothing wrong with that.

As someone who's spent most of his life in the American Midwest, to me Ralph Lauren has somehow always represented what's aspirational about everything happening to the left and to the right of me on the map. The namesake designer is the guy who brought Western-inspired clothing to the suburbs, and who made city kids dream of becoming cowboys, while simultaneously defining East Coast prep – and who did all of this in a way that made both worlds feel approachable.

The 867 collection manages this same trick, but uses Art Deco (and a dash of old-world European luxury) as its starting point.