[fjtorres]

Traditionally, womens watches were much smaller and more stylized than men's watches.
The theory being that men need functionality (timers, calendars, etc) and daytime durability but that women only needed the watch at night, for socializing. And since women were "smaller and daintier" the smaller watches couldn't carry the added functionality.
Of course, watch designers being male didn't exactly give women many choices.

That started to change with digital watches and the switch to plastic at the low end. Plus modern marketting finally paying attention to what people actually do rather than what it is presumed they do. (Something corporate publishing still doesn't get.) Women who were forced to buy men and boys watches can now buy sports watches, chronometers, and diving watches in appropriate sizes as well as the primarily decorative stuff. Some companies don't even bother to distinguish; they just market the watches by size. And even if they don't, active younger women have no problem wearing the heavy traditionally "male" designs.

With smartwatches, where watchface size is critical to usability, the trend towards gender neutral watches will very likely dominate. The Apple watches aren't really all that different other than in size and weight. Especially the ones that will sell in volume.