Effortlessly cool and sophisticated,
these timepieces prove that blue dials
are here to stay
Scroll through the internet for the year’s major timepiece trends, and you’ll inevitably find
more than a fair share dedicated to the most prominent colours of the year. This is not
only because they are the easiest to pick out visually, but also because a watch’s look can
completely transform with a figurative stroke of the brush. A seemingly ordinary dial takes
on a quaint retro charm when dressed in salmon. A chronograph exudes a more military vibe
when decked in olive green. Last year, it was vibrant rainbow finishes and gems that took
the spotlight — a clear departure from the lush back-to-nature green that conquered the
year before. Through it all, one colour has held its ground against the fickle tides of trends,
reassuring watch lovers with its classic timelessness, while offering a point of differentiation
from the white, black and metallic dials so commonly found. Running the gamut from ocean
shades to azure hues, these blue-dialled watches stand out with a quiet confidence that
makes them worthy additions to any collection.
IN
COLOUR
Launched as part of
the collection’s 60th-anniversary celebrations
this year, TAG Heuer’s
Carrera Date 36mm
features a new streamlined
silhouette, a mechanical
movement upgrade and dial
colours that include blue,
pink, green and silver.
Girard Perregaux’s
La
Esmeralda Tourbillon “A
Secret” Eternity Edition
returns in white gold this
year. Available in a blue,
green or grey guilloché
Grand Feu enamel dial,
the watch features a hand-engraved case with a secret
hinged cover at the back.
HIGHLY
DECORATED
SPORTING
BEHAVIOUR
Louis Vuitton’s completely redesigned Tambour exudes
sophistication that results from its sleeker-than-usual
profile, an integrated bracelet and impeccable finishes
(polished, satin-brushed and sandblasted included). It’s
also available in a tone-on-tone silver dial model.
ONE AND
ONLY
Blancpain continues its
support of 2023’s Only Watch
charity auction with a pièce
unique edition of its Fifty
Fathoms 70th Anniversary
Act 1 timepiece. It’s a
vision in blue with a dial,
unidirectional sapphire bezel
and straps in the same hue.
Its name says it all: De
Bethune’s electrifying
DB28 Kind of Blue
timepiece showcases grade
5 titanium that has been
blued, using the same 16th-century thermal technique
used to blue steel. Even the
movement has undergone
the procedure.
JOLT
OF HUE
TOUGH LOVE
IWC Schaffhausen’s Pilot’s Watch Chronograph
41 Top Gun “Oceana” features a ceramic case in a
blue inspired by the working overalls worn by the U.S.
Navy pilots. Co-developed with Pantone, the watch is
completed with matching denim-rubber straps.
STEELY
AFFECTIONS
Cartier has enriched
its Santos de Cartier
collection with new steel
editions bearing colour-saturated dials. The sunray-brushed dials are coated with
a thin layer of tinted lacquer
in navy blue or deep green.
Frederique Constant
celebrates its 35th
anniversary with the
Highlife Worldtimer
Manufacture timepiece.
There are two models to
choose from: A steel edition
with a chocolate dial and
this 35-piece limited-edition in rose gold with a
petroleum blue dial.
JET-SET
LIFE
VINTAGE
STYLE
Breitling’s Premier collection turns 80 years old with
six new Premier B01 Chronograph 42 watches.
The steel editions feature dials in blue, black, salmon,
green or cream, while a red gold number is offered
with a cream dial.
THE
UNEXPECTED
It may not look it but
Montblanc’s new
Unveiled Timekeeper
Minerva is an avant-garde
watch: It’s a chronograph
without any pushers.
Instead, its fluted bezel
starts, stops and resets the
chronograph function with
a quick twist.
Thirty-five layers of
translucent lacquer have
been hand-applied to the
three-part dial of Jaeger-LeCoultre’s new Polaris
Chronograph, resulting in
an impressive colour richness
and visual depth that
warrants a second glance.
THE
HEAD-TURNER
LA DOLCE VITA
Released in a limited edition of 1,000 pieces,
Bvlgari’s Aluminium Capri Chronograph pays
homage to the Italian island of its name with a
gradient-hued dial that recalls the clear skies and cool
ocean waters of the Mediterranean.
