4,665 articles · 565 videos found · page 53 of 175
Monochrome
The Historiques American 1921 is one of Vacheron Constantin’s most recognisable heritage revivals: a cushion-cased, asymmetrical wristwatch inspired by early-1920s designs. Made for the American market in 1921, the distinctive wristwatch, with its 45-degree-rotated dial and unconventional crown placement, made it practical for motorists who could read the time without taking their hands off the […]
Time+Tide
Czapek & Cie releases a trio of Antarctique models with grade 5 titanium cases and bracelets, and Cosmic Blue dials The Dark Sector and Révélation models are available in both 40.5mm and 38.5mm, and the Tourbillon model is available in 40.5mm. Each model features Cosmic Blue as the main dial colour, with each model appearing … ContinuedThe post Cool blues and feather light, Czapek & Cie releases three new Antartique models in full titanium and blue dials appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
Time+Tide
Earthen company takes its revered full ceramic field watch and adds an aventurine dial for a sparkly, luxurious twistThe post Earthen Company explores stone dials for the first time with the Moonglow and Nightfall appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
Worn & Wound
If you had told me a few years ago that much of what I’d be doing at Worn & Wound in terms of new release coverage would be writing about mother of pearl and stone dial executions like a beat reporter at small town paper assigned to the high school basketball team, I probably would not have believed it. But here we are, multiple years into a trend that does not really seem to be letting up. It started with a resurfacing of high end vintage watches with exotic stone dials, moved to bigger brands capitalizing on the hype, shifted to smaller makers and microbrands offering impossibly affordable options, and now we’re back at the high end, and seeing brands looking for new ways to combine stones and materials in novel ways. Last week, Czapek announced a pair of watches that make particularly interesting use of mother of pearl. The Antarctique S Ice Cloud is, at a glance, simply an Antarctique with a mother of pearl dial. But there’s some special artisanal work that has gone into the making of this particular dial, which has been conceived as a “poetic interpretation of cloud formations in an icy landscape.” The dial is constructed from a piece of white mother of pearl that is cut to just 0.2mm thick – the height of two sheets of paper, according to Czapek. A varnish is then applied to the underside of the mother of pearl surface using a horsehair brush, which creates a cloudlike pattern that is unique to each dial. The varnish itself is tinted blue, and the art...
Deployant
The latest millesime small seconds keeps the core architecture of the line intact while shifting the visual emphasis toward stronger contrast and more deliberate layering. The case, proportions, and RW4251 movement remain unchanged, which gives the new references a familiar baseline. The update comes through the Tuxedo‑inspired dial treatment and the way each colorway organizes light and dark zones.
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Monochrome
Among the incredible variety of materials used to decorate dials, mother-of-pearl is an all-time favourite. Obtained from the inner lining of oyster and mollusc shells, mother-of-pearl is a captivating, naturally iridescent material that adds a unique shimmer to dials. Working with GT Cadrans, a specialist Swiss dial manufacturer, Czapek embellishes its Antarctique S and Promenade […]
Hodinkee
Baltic says goodbye to a great model with a glossy black dial and a splash of bling.
Deployant
Parmigiani releases a new version of their super popular Tonda PF Micro-Rotor in an Agave Blue dial, with two expressions.
Teddy Baldassarre
Watches with California dials are among the most niche products in the industry, with a relatively vague history that somehow only adds to their mystique and quirky appeal. If you’re not familiar with the California dial - or if you are already a convert and simply curious about where in this day and age you can find these rare birds - read on as we attempt to answer all of the expected queries about the style, starting with the most basic, namely: [toc-section heading="What Exactly Are California Dials?"] Photo: Sotheby's A California dial is generally recognized as a watch dial with a combination of Roman numerals, Arabic numerals, and non-numeral indexes to mark the hour positions. On most examples, the layout is fairly consistent: Roman numerals in the top half of the dial, from 10 o’clock to 2 o’clock; Arabic numerals in the bottom half, from 4 o’clock to 8 o’clock; baton-shaped or rectangular-dash indexes breaking up the numerals at 3, 6, and 9 o’clock; and an inverted triangle marking the 12 o’clock position. A few watchmakers, like Germany’s Nomos Glashütte in its Club Campus models, have chosen to stray from this formula a bit, putting the Arabic numerals in the top half and Roman numerals in the bottom half. Other variations include the less-common “Semi-California” dial, which uses the triangle at 12 o’clock and indexes at the 15-minute markers but opts for only Arabic numerals at the other positions. [toc-section heading="Who Made...
Monochrome
Technology has overshadowed some of the advancements of watch dial lume that have progressed for over a century. For example, the digits on Hamilton’s Pulsar P1 LED watch from the early 1970s were bright by the nature of the tech – light-emitting diodes. Timex introduced INDIGLO back in the early 1990s, which provides a bright, uniform […]
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Time+Tide
The current generation of the legendary Omega Speedmaster Moonwatch Professional now has a new black and white lacquered dial.The post Omega’s latest pair of Speedmaster Moonwatch Professionals feature lacquered reverse panda dials appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
SJX Watches
Biver expands its Automatique line with a diverse set of new dials that underscore the brand’s fascination with permanence, ranging from billion-year-old mineral stones to finely executed enamel and traditional guilloché. In a year crowded with stone-dial releases, the latest Automatique models stand out for the coherence of the concept and the quality of execution, offering collectors a mix of exotic materials, artisanal craft, and a technically unusual calibre across a wide price spectrum. Initial thoughts Jean-Claude Biver talks a lot about eternity. The slogan for his namesake brand, “eternity has no competition”, is an eloquent expression of what drives the Biver family enterprise, founded with his son Pierre and now led by chief executive James Marks. Beyond the ability to keep time, mechanical watches appeal to enthusiasts precisely because they seem to exist outside of time. Few modern products are crafted from such noble or enduring materials, and for many people a mechanical watch is among the most lasting man-made objects they will ever encounter. Biver’s obsession with eternity is clear in the products themselves. In the case of the Automatique, the brand has chosen to use especially long-lasting materials like gold for the movement plates and bridges, going so far as to used a high-palladium gold alloy that will not tarnish over time. The overly robust cases are another clue as to the motivations of the people behind the Biver brand. Water resistant t...
Hodinkee
The stone dial craze shows no signs of stopping any time soon, and Baltic is throwing its hat into the ring again with new, unique colors.
Worn & Wound
Baltic’s Prismic line always felt like it existed to capitalize on the stone dial trend. When the watch debuted in early 2024, the French brand’s take on the classic “cocktail watch” seemed like it was pulled from a confluence of all the forces pushing against the vintage inspired sports watch boom that preceded it. The Prismic is a small, aesthetics first, design oriented piece, about as anti tool watch as they come. Those first Prismic releases did not have stone dials, but a later set of limited editions did, and that’s when this watch really clicked into place for many of us. Now, with those LEs long gone, Baltic has introduced a new line of stone dial Prismics that will be part of the permanent collection. The new Prismic Stone collection arrives to celebrate the opening of Baltic’s first boutique, just as the previous LEs were released to celebrate the opening of showrooms in New York, London, and Paris. The four dial options make use of stones that are not common in watchmaking: Pietersite, Pink Albite, Bloodstone, and Dumortierite. Like all stone dials, each individual piece will be unique. The standout, in my opinion, is the Pietersite dial. This is a truly dynamic stone, and looks like something that could have been ejected from an active volcano just minutes ago. Bloodstone has a dark green hue with inclusions of brown and red, and could be seen as an alternative to the more commonly used malachite. Similarly, Dumortierite has a dark blue tone that...
Deployant
Favre Leuba extends their Deep Raider Rennaisance line with two new models in a malachite dial and a meteorite dial. Details within.
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Monochrome
Presented in 2024, the Biver Automatique is the brand’s vision of a classic 3-hand watch. The collection kicked off with 4 models: two showcasing monochromatic dial-and-case combinations and two from the Atelier Series featuring distinctive stone dials. A few other versions have been introduced since then, and on the occasion of Dubai Watch Week 2025, Biver Watches […]
Fratello
The Grand Seiko SBGM255 and SBGM257 bring two new dials to the classic Elegance Collection GMT. Both models preserve the 39.5mm stainless steel case and mechanical caliber 9S66 but introduce fresh dial designs inspired by the seasons. These new references serve up a restrained evolution of a design that has been a Grand Seiko cornerstone […] Visit Introducing: The Grand Seiko SBGM255 And SBGM257 - New Dials For The Dressy GMT to read the full article.
Fratello
Tokyo-based artist Towa Takaya creates pigments from soil, plants, and minerals gathered during her travels, which she then uses to craft watch dials. Now, Minase is introducing handcrafted Yusai dials made by her for its 5 Windows Mid, 7 Windows, and Divido watches. Takaya’s goal is to create a dial showing the essence of nature […] Visit Minase Introduces Handcrafted Yusai Dials For Its 5 Windows Mid, 7 Windows, And Divido Watches to read the full article.
Worn & Wound
The age of the textured dial is upon us, and there’s no escaping it. No longer are we limited to Grand Seiko and similar legacy brands to bring us the third dimension on our wrists, with microbrands pitching in their own-often more innovative-takes on texture. Farer has joined the fray with their new Three Hand Series III collection showcasing three new models, each with a unique approach to the intersection of texture and color. The Three Hand collection was one of Farer’s first, and remains one of the British brand’s most emblematic. Previous iterations of the collection showcased varied numeral and index styles, and of course a huge variety of color, but with the III collection, Farer has opted for a smaller initial release of three watches. To achieve the texture, the dials are stamped with a custom press and then spray-painted, with multiple colored layers added for gradient effects. A clear lacquer layer comes next, with high gloss polishing to seal in the texture. Before we dive into the different dials, let’s take a look at the functional aspects of the Three Hand collection. With a minimalistic design and large crown at 3 o’clock, the 316L stainless steel case appears simple, but boasts some nifty construction considerations, namely a new monobloc mid-case. Sizing is on the smaller side, with a 39mm diameter and 45mm lug-to-lug span, which suits the eye-catching dial designs well. A screw-down crown ensures 100 meters of water resistance, and a b...
Hodinkee
What a difference a dial (and bracelet) makes.
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Time+Tide
Two striking takes on a classical dial-making technique that's resulted in very modern and contrasting watches. The post Oracle Time joins forces with Isotope for two living dials appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
Worn & Wound
Minimal, quartz, stone dial dress watches with “TV-cases” would have been a hard sell with watch enthusiasts just a few years ago, but you wouldn’t know it from Dennison’s rapid rise in popularity. The historic British brand, twice revived, has been one-to-watch in the last year, having launched the ALD line of watches fitting the description mentioned above just last October (2024) to great success. Perfectly timed for the seemingly capricious swings of the enthusiast zeitgeist, the combination of a 60s/70s shaped case, clean, expansive stone dials, effortless style, and approachable price point made them an easy sell for those who wanted to dabble with an aesthetic that was previously the domain of luxury jewelry watch brands. Less than a year since launch, Dennison is back and, quite literally, doubling down on their inaugural line’s success with the ALD Dual Time. An extension of the first line, as the name suggests, the Dual Times can tell the time in more than one location, but do so in a decidedly direct and retro method. They have two movements. Positioned on either side of the dial, with independent crowns on either side of the case, these twin quartz tickers (though it should be noted there are no seconds hands) allow for differences down to the minute. Convenient for the rare 15 or 30-minute timezone change, or perhaps tracking a friend who is always 10 minutes late, this layout is as easy to read as it is visually dynamic. The close proximity of the t...
SJX Watches
Half a century after the Bvlgari Bvlgari was conceived by Gianni Bulgari and then redesigned by Gerald Genta, the Bulgari is making the occasion with Italian marble dials – without a date window – in both large and small sizes. This is the first instance the model sports a stone dial, which is paired with an in-house movement for the large mechanical model. Initial Thoughts In 50 years, the Bvlgari Bvlgari has gone through innumerable permutations in design and materials while retaining its key design element of a flat, engraved bezel. The 50th anniversary edition is mostly faithful to the original, with only one minor misstep: the bezel engraving is done by machine and lacks the character of the hand-engraved original. The addition of a seconds hand and display back to the automatic version will likely bolster sales, but detracts from the simplicity and refinement of the design. I do appreciate the unsigned crown and dropping the date. Also in its favor is pricing, which is reasonable for a solid gold watch from a major brand. Marbleous New Dials Initially conceived by Gianni Bulgari in 1975 as a digital watch gifted to top clients, the Bvlgari Bvlgari was subject to a 1977 redesign by the prolific Gerald Genta that made it a breakout success for the Roman jeweller. The case design was inspired by coins minted by the Roman Empire, which were struck with the current Emperor’s name along the perimeter. Genta’s 1977 Bvlgari Bvlgari of 1977 (left), and the original di...
Time+Tide
A flyback chronograph makes a return to the Riviera range, and for the first time ever, we also get a Riviera Chrono with a panda dial.The post Baume & Mercier give enthusiasts what they want, expanding the Riviera range with panda dials and a flyback chrono appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
Time+Tide
There's a stone dial watch our there to suit most tastes.The post 12 of the best stone dials from labradorite to pietersite appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
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