The newest addition to our line of women’s watches is the Optimist. With jewelry-inspired design and a discreet solar panel, Optimist is the perfect mix of fashion-forward and sustainable.

Our product team shares why they wanted to make Optimist and who the watch is meant for.

Behind the Design of Optimist

Solar that is sleek. A watch that people are stoked to wear that also leaves a minimal footprint on our planet is the best of all words. This was the goal.

When we knew that we were going to make a women’s watch inspired by modern jewelry, we wanted to elevate the engineering as well. We wanted to make it sustainable.

We reached out for feedback from a group of creative independents to make Optimist. Women told us that some of our watches were just too big for them—they wanted a watch that better fit their wrist. This feedback weighed heavily into our design process and brought us to the Optimist, a 33.5mm watch for women.

The new Nixon Optimist women's watch

The Features that Make Optimist Unique

The look of Optimist immediately catches the eye, but it’s in the details where Optimist really shines.

Take a close look at the rim of the dial. You’ll see what’s called a “stadium ring” solar panel. Typically, solar panels are put behind the watch dial, which limits what you can do with its style. You have to make the dial transparent enough to allow light to travel through and charge the battery.

With a stadium ring solar panel, we were able to really make the Optimist face pop.

With less surface area on this solar panel, it’s unlikely you’ll ever notice it.

What’s more, the Optimist can charge when exposed to artificial light, like you’ll find at home or in the office.

As long as you wear it regularly, you’ll only have to reset the time twice a year for Daylight Saving.

A girl wearing the Nixon Optimist women's watch


Who is Optimist For?

Many of our watches can be considered unisex, but Optimist is a watch built specifically for women.

The jewelry-inspired design makes Optimist a perfect accessory for special nights out. But it’s also subtle enough to wear on a casual Sunday. Optimist is limitless by design.

Features of the Nixon Optimist women's watch