Results for Mother of Pearl Dial

MICRO MONDAYS: The Albany Watches AMA Diver – a mother of pearl dial diver, with a $300USD price tag

Divers, the tough tool watches that become our best buddies on adventures, strapped on with a wetsuit as backup to a dive computer. All this sounds wonderful, though for those of you in lockdown they have an even more important task, which is to remind us of what will come, as well as adventures spent; … ContinuedThe post MICRO MONDAYS: The Albany Watches AMA Diver – a mother of pearl dial diver, with a $300USD price tag appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.

Time+Tide Announces their First Dress Watch, a Collaboration with Dennison Featuring a Marquetry Mother of Pearl Dial

Just a few months ago, Dennison launched their first ever collaboration with Collectability, John Reardon’s Patek Philippe focused retail operation. That watch was an exercise in subtlety, and all about shape. It evoked classic Patek references without hitting you over the head with obvious historical nods, and felt like a true reflection of Reardon’s taste. This week, they’ve announced their second collaborative watch, a time limited edition with Time+Tide, and this one is equally impressive while being anything but subtle, featuring an impressive execution of a rarely seen mother of pearl marquetry technique.  This feels like it might be the second week in a row where a mother of pearl limited edition takes over our social media feeds. It was just days ago that Selten premiered their own engraved MOP dial in partnership with Watch Ho & Co. Like the Selten, this new Dennison doesn’t stop at a simple slab of mother of pearl, but seeks to transform the material into something unexpected.  That’s where designer Emmanual Gueit comes in. He’s created a dial featuring a repeating motif of unique, rectangular, mother of pearl filaments. The result is an irregular surface that shimmers like a traditional MOP dial, but in unexpected ways through a geometric pattern. This type of dial making is far more labor intensive than using a single piece of mother of pearl, as each filament had to be precisely inlaid by hand.  Time+Tide has released a number of limited edition...

Rare Watches: F.P. Journe Tourbillon Remontoir d’Egalité with a gorgeous mother of pearl dial

Francois Paul Journe. A talented watchmaker. I had the pleasure of meeting with FP way back when he was yet a nobody…and had just made his first tourbillon remontoir d’egalité. The original looked like it was made in his garage, and indeed it was. But recently, I had the pleasure of spending a week withRead More

Franc Vila’s FVF2 Time & Day is Quirky Haute Horlogerie

FVF Genève’s second model after the FVF1 skeleton tourbillon, the FVF2 Intrepido Time & Day is a more concise and accessible watch. It’s essentially a familiar formula – time (plus day) and a hand-finished manual wind movement – the FVF2 nonetheless manages to stand out thanks to brand founder Franc Vila’s eye for design. Pictured here with a black mother of pearl dial, part of a five-piece edition, the FVF2 has a pleasing asymmetry. The movement is composed of intriguing geometric forms and quirky details like the square winding click, while also being traditionally decorated with generous bevelling and black polishing. The case is an unusual “unibody” construction where the base plate and case middle are one and the same Initial thoughts The FVF2 might seem like yet another time-only watch with a fancily decorated movement, and it is just that, but not quite. Its creator, Franc Vila, is an industry veteran rather than a newcomer, and is now making a comeback after rising and falling with his original brand some two decades ago. Unlike many recent calibres that try to do more with more, the FVF2 movement is more minimalist but has a recognisable style and artful details. The calibre is characterised by geometric forms that encompass finer elements like the winding click, while also retaining a clear classical bent with the prominent going train and finishing. The treatment for the titanium base plate requires superheated gases to create an oxide layer on t...

Czapek Introduces Two New Exotic Mother of Pearl Dials in the Promenade and Antarctique Collections

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...

Ressence Hits Warp Speed with the new Type 9 IKE

When we create a post on the Worn & Wound blog, we check a little box on the sidebar of our backend system to categorize the watch we’re writing about. The options are things like “Diver,” and “Chronograph” and “Dress,” which is about what you’d expect, and these well understood categories are appropriate for most of the watches we write about. But my absolute favorite thing is when a news release (or an actual watch!) comes across my desk that can only fit into one category, at the very bottom of the list: Unique. More than any other brand (besides perhaps MB&F; and Urwerk), Ressence really has a lock on the Unique category here at Worn & Wound. One of many reasons we continue to be drawn to them year after year.  Their latest, the  Type 9 IKE, is unique even within the Ressence catalog. Built on the (relatively) approachable Type 9 platform, which features an easy to wear 39mm case and a simplified version of the already incredibly stripped down Ressence Orbital Convex System (ROCS), the new limited edition is a collaboration with Japanese artist Terumasa Ikeda. It’s also a twist on a trend we’ve been seeing play out in the watch industry over the last few years, but you probably wouldn’t think at first glance that this is actually a very intricately crafted mother of pearl dial.  Ikeda’s work has a style that can be described as mixing very old craft techniques with a futuristic, almost sci-fi inspired design code. The Type 9 IKE’s dial looks...

Awake’s Son Mai Collection Gets Three Intricate New Dials

One of the more interesting stories in the micro/independent watch scene that has matured over the last few years is Awake, a French brand that has done a lot of work to reshape their branding and presentation with their most recent releases. When we first started covering Awake, they traded in high concept ideas – watches tied to the Metaverse, and NASA, for instance. They were weird, but I always appreciated that they seemed to have a real perspective and weren’t going after the traditional watch enthusiast crowd. They always seemed happy to chart a new course. They’ve pivoted more recently, with their newer watches laser focused on traditional craft techniques, and in developing a signature design language. I was a pretty big fan of their first batch of Son Mai watches, with beautiful lacquered dials. Their latest release, the Son Mai “Fragments” collection, takes these lacquer dials to a logical next step, upping the complexity and depth along the way.  The Fragments collection consists of three watches in the standard Son Mai case with gorgeous dials accented with mother of pearl. I know what you’re thinking: not another mother of pearl dial. While I totally understand the fatigue, these watches are worth taking a look at to acknowledge the novelty of the mother of pearl execution.  Against a black lacquer base, each watch in the Fragments line consists of very small pieces of mother of pearl placed intricately on the dial surface to create a complex mos...

Watches, Stories, and Gear: Peak Design x Sitka, Spinnaker’s Nessie, Polyagonal Turning, and a Cool New F1 Merchandise

Rereleased: The Peak Design x Sitka Optifade Marsh Slide Lite Peak Design has once again collaborated with Sitka, hunting and outdoor experts, on a limited edition Slide Lite camera strap. Crafted in Sitka’s Optifade Marsh pattern, this strap blends comfort, versatility, and Peak Designs quick-connection system with the unique aesthetics and outdoors benefits of Sitka’s legendary concealment know-how. Wether you’re trying to blend in, or stand out, this camera strap might just be the perfect accessory for you.  Full specifications of the strap and details on how this collaboration came to be are available on Peak Design’s website.   Spinnaker and Scottish Watches release the Nessie Pear Diver Spinnaker Watches has announced its newest rendition of the Fleuss Automatic Nessie Pearl Diver Limited Edition, created in collaboration with Scottish Watches. This timepiece plunges into the depths of Loch Ness, drawing inspiration from Scotland’s legendary waters and its most mysterious inhabitant. Powered by a Miyota 8245, this collaborative piece features a mother of pearl dial, and Nessie illustrations on the small seconds dial and rotor. Limited to 650 pieces, the Nessie Pearl Diver was released on September 65, and retails for $425. For more details on the release, check out the official release page here. Tactile Turn Polyagonal Collection While Tactile Turn might be known for their cylindrical, machine finished writing devices, they’re unlocking a new machining...

Selten and Collector Community Watch Ho and Co. Team Up for a New Collaboration in Tahitian Mother of Pearl

Selten impressed me earlier this year with the release of their Grand Feu Enamel series, which features deeply engraved and colorful dials made in a traditional enamelling process. Artistic, craft forward dials made from interesting materials are their stock in trade, so it’s no surprise that they seem to be flourishing at this particular moment, when there’s a real hunger among collectors for watches that offer something a little more daring. As a certified mother of pearl addict (DM me if you need help finding a support group in your area) their latest release, a collaboration with the Hong Kong based watch collecting community Watch Ho & Co caught my eye. The Jui 聚 (which translate to “to meet, to gather”) features a dramatic Tahitian mother of pearl dial that is CNC engraved to form an elaborate and complex pattern. According to Selten, the design is inspired by ancient China, and the pattern itself is lifted from a motif often used in body armor. Over time, these shapes came to symbolize strength and security, which the brand is now pitching as a testament to the bonds formed within the watch community. This of course is a guiding principle that makes a lot of sense given the collaboration with a community of watch collectors. It’s underscored by the ethos of Watch Ho & Co with an engraving on the caseback reading “Good Vibes Only.”  I’ll be honest, I’ve seen a lot of watches over the years with dials featuring abstract or obscure design motifs th...

Brew Debuts the Metric Lite, a New Version of their Hit Watch in a Vintage Inspired Smaller Size

There’s a good deal of conversation around proper use of the terms “retro” and vintage” in many spaces-automotive, interior design, video games, etc. -and the watch world is no different. Is there a year cutoff? A need for tangible or mechanical connection to a model of the past?  Brew, the ever-more-popular New York-based watch brand, shirks all those insecurities and goes straight to the “vibe check” standard. Founded in 2015 by industrial designer Jonathan Ferrer, the brand obviously doesn’t have a back catalog of “vintage” designs to pull from or reinvent, but their new Metric Lite model is aimed squarely at the “retro-vintage” renaissance that’s hitting the watch world, mostly because, well, it looks the part. Is that all it takes to make a retro-vintage watch? Let’s dive in.  Brew’s self-described mission for the Metric Lite can also be found in the name; basically, they set out to create their most “compact and wearable” watch, without sacrificing utility or style. The Metric Lite comes in three variations: steel case and black dial, steel case and mother of pearl dial, and gold PVD case and black dial. All three are wrapped in cushion cases that measure in at 30mm-a mark of the vintage appeal and Brew’s proven understanding of the “everyday watch” category. Each reference additionally wears a hand-brushed flat link bracelet, which lends a sporty outline and 1970’s-type flair to the watch’s silhouette. Brew’s coffe...

Breguet Livens Up the Ladies’ Classique Tourbillon 3358

Having recently redesigned its flagship perpetual calendar and minute repeater, Breguet now turns to its compact tourbillon for ladies. Moving away from Breguet’s traditional, formal style, the Classique Tourbillon 3358 is available in two variants, including the ref. 3358BB with a blue mother-of-pearl dial with diamond stars. Initial thoughts By doing away with the usual silvered guilloche dial, the new pair of tourbillons bring a new look to a familiar watch. Although the two watches are quite different from past Breguet tourbillons, they are still recognisable as Breguet thanks to elements like the pomme hands and fluted case band. The white gold ref. 3358BB is definitely the more striking of the two. The blue mother of pearl dial set with diamond stars is usually whimsical for Breguet, but nonetheless works well with the more traditional design elements. The ref. 3358 with a blue mother-of-pearl dial The Classique Tourbillon 3358 is a woman’s watch, but the design elements employed here could be transplanted into a men’s tourbillon wristwatch quite successfully, though it is not like Breguet to do something like that.  Though pricier than past ladies’ tourbillons, the ref. 3358 is arguably more interesting and attractive, particularly for someone who wants something much less formal and traditional. The ref. 3358 with a diamond-set dial Stars and diamonds Already in the catalogue for several years, the ref. 3358 in its earlier incarnations looked more like ...

Panerai Introduces the Luminor Moon Phase for Ladies

A compact take on the signature Panerai watch that made its debut in 2016, the Luminor Due is essentially a scaled-down version of the military-inspired original, which allows it to wear easily on smaller wrists. To date, the Luminor Due has remained minimalist, making do without complications save for a date display. But now Panerai gone for something slightly more elaborate with the Luminor Due Luna that has a small seconds and moon phase display featuring a solid-gold moon disc. Initial thoughts I like the compact size of the Due, as well as its more formal styling that allows it to double as a dress watch. Although the original, full-size Luminor is a clean, almost elegant design, its massive size and stark aesthetics means it can only be a military-style watch. The Due, on the other hand, manages to preserve the outline of the original Luminor while being modestly elegant. For that reason, the new Luna is an appealing watch. At just 38 mm wide, it is clearly more wearable, while the engraved, solid-gold moon gives it a bit of sparkle. And the all-gold model comes along with a mother of pearl dial, making it even more luxe. Interestingly, the Luminor Due is largely targeted at female clientele, but models have a masculine aesthetic. That continues with the Luna, which is available in steel with a metallic blue dial, a combination leaves it looking very much like a conventional men’s watch. The dial design is largely classical Panerai, although the proportions seem a...

Citizen Series 8 new mechanical watch – the definitive hands-on, in-depth review

We deep dive into the new Citizen Series 8 Model 830 Mechanical with a unique 3 layer metal and mother of pearl dial, as we get our hands on a loan sample for possibly the world’s first hands-on and in-depth review of this new release. Is this a game changer in the prestige mechanical watchRead More

Grand Seiko Introduces the Masterpiece Spring Drive 8 Day Jewelry Watch

Having first unveiled one set with diamonds and blue sapphires last year – that no doubt sold out briskly – Grand Seiko has just announced the Masterpiece Collection Spring Drive 8 Day Jewelry Watch 140th Anniversary (ref. SBGD207). This is similar to last year’s model – a Grand Seiko Spring Drive 8 Day with the dial, flange, and crown set with diamonds and garnets – combining the refined, artisanal movement finishing of the Micro Artist Studio with lavish gem-setting. Initial thoughts Last year’s sapphire-set 8 Day watch was impressive and truly special, being the first highly-jewelled, mechanical men’s watch from Seiko (or Grand Seiko) in two or three decades. The new SBGD207 in green is equally impressive, though it does reduce the unique nature of the original. Being a variant of the Spring Drive 8 Day, the SBGD207 will wear much like the standard model, which is extremely hefty and large for a Grand Seiko, and slightly top heavy on the wrist. The mass of the watch probably works better with the lavish gemstone setting, making the sparkle as over the top as the size. And because the SBGD207 has a green mother of pearl dial, it probably has more flash than last year’s model that had a grained, silvery dial finish. And the movement will be equally refined, having all the hand-finished intricacy of the 9R01 in the standard model. Though finely decorated, the movement lacks visual detail, because almost all of it is hidden under a single, massive barrel b...

Auction Watch: Unique Daytona “Zenith” Becomes Most Expensive Modern Rolex

Having just set the record for a modern Rolex wristwatch two years ago when a unique, platinum Daytona ref. 16516 with a Zenith movement sold for US$871,000, Sotheby’s broke its own record with yet another one-off Daytona in platinum that sold for HK$25,375,000, or about US$3.27 million, fees included. The Daytona became the most valuable modern Rolex despite having been relatively under the radar prior to the sale. While the platinum Daytona sold in 2018 was widely published in the press and social, today’s example was not covered by any of the key horological publications. And it was depicted with a bizarre turquoise leather strap in catalogue photos, though the strap was replaced with one in a neutral shade of tan during the preview exhibition. The famous five Both were part of a five-piece run of Zenith Daytona watches with platinum cases made at the request of former Rolex chief executive Patrick Heiniger in 1999. The late Heiniger reputedly kept one for himself, and gifted the others to key business partners. The watch sold in 2018 for instance was a wedding gift a member of the family that was a longtime Rolex retailer in Italy. All share the same model reference 16516, but each was unique in having a different dial made of an exotic or precious material. The example sold in 2018 had a dark mother of pearl dial, which was also found on the standard-production white gold Daytona of the period. In contrast, the platinum Daytona that just sold at Sotheby’s has a ...

Zenith Elite Lady MoonPhase Review

Zenith has rejuvenated the Elite collection through timeless lines and simple yet strong visual aesthetics. The Zenith Elite Lady Moonphase is setting the tone for the brand and its modern, stylish watches.  What are the key features? The most important feature worth mentioning is that the Zenith Elite Lady Moonphase has 64 round brilliant cut diamonds around the bezel with VS clarity, totalling 0.9 of a carot. These diamonds sparkle beautifully from its side angles and would be noticeable for those around you. This watch is also offered without diamonds.  The stainless-steel bracelet is another exquisite feature. It’s so shiny that you can see your own reflection. It’s elegant, classy and practical. Due to the design and make of this bracelet, marks or light scratches were not visible even after a few weeks of wear. This watch also comes in the black alligator leather strap which is also a classy look.  The diameter of the Zenith Elite Lady Moonphase is 36mm which may sound big but as the casing is only 9.1mm, it’s ultra-thin. This watch is also available in 33mm with or without diamonds.  The dial of the Zenith Elite Lady Moonphase is simple and clean making it extremely easy to tell the time. The blue hand of the small seconds counter at 9 o’clock is a thoughtful feature as it stands out well against the mother of pearl dial. It shines beautifully under the right light and angle. The simplicity of the dial adds to the elegance of this watch.  The open case ...

Lange 1 Mother of Pearl

The Lange 1 has many iterations. I have my favourites, the rose gold, white dial and the white gold white dial with blued steel hands are two. But one version which remain a favourite of many of my friends and collectors is the Lange 1 Mother of Pearl. With a guilloched mother of pearl dial.Read More

Blancpain Adds 38mm Mother-of-Pearl Variants to Fifty Fathoms Dive Watch Lineup

Introducing: The Oris Aquis Date Yangtze Jiangtun Limited Edition - Featuring An Engraved Blue-Green Mother-Of-Pearl Dial

Oris is on a roll in 2026. We’re only three weeks into the new year, and the popular Swiss independent already presents its third novelty. After an Artelier model dedicated to the Chinese Year of the Horse and a new tuxedo-dial Big Crown Pointer Date, here comes the limited-edition Oris Aquis Date Yangtze Jiangtun. It […] Visit Introducing: The Oris Aquis Date Yangtze Jiangtun Limited Edition - Featuring An Engraved Blue-Green Mother-Of-Pearl Dial to read the full article.

Yema Navygraf Pearl with a Mother-of-Pearl Bezel and Dial

Yema brings mother-of-pearl to new territory with the Yema Navygraf Pearl, a watch featuring a bezel and dial crafted from the iridescent material.

Watch Ho & Co. team up with Selten to offer an engraved Tahitian mother-of-pearl dial for just under US$1,100

Black Tahitian MOP graced the Toledano & Chan B/1.2 - and now Selten leverages its allure.The post Watch Ho & Co. team up with Selten to offer an engraved Tahitian mother-of-pearl dial for just under US$1,100 appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.

Breguet Classique Dame Ref. 9065 Features A Tahitian Mother-Of-Pearl Dial And More Than A Touch Of Romance – Reprise

Breguet's Classique Dame Reference 9065 is always perfect for the season of love, but rest assured this watch is also the right choice any time. Martin Green thinks that's largely due to the Tahitian mother-of-pearl dial, but there's much more to this colorful delight as he explains here.

Breguet Classique Dame Ref. 9065 Features Tahitian Mother-Of-Pearl Dial And More Than A Touch Of Romance

Breguet launches the Classique Dame Reference 9065 in time to celebrate Valentine’s Day and the season of love, but rest assured this watch is the right choice any time. Martin Green thinks that's largely due to the Tahitian mother-of-pearl dial, but there's much more to this colorful delight as he explains here.

Audemars Piguet’s first dial colour is cemented in ceramic with a trio of Royal Oak ‘Bleu Nuit, Nuage 50’ models

Audemars Piguet has finally perfected its 'Bleu Nuit, Nuage 50' colour in ceramic, which is based on the first Royal Oak dial from 1972.The post Audemars Piguet’s first dial colour is cemented in ceramic with a trio of Royal Oak ‘Bleu Nuit, Nuage 50’ models appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.

HANDS-ON: Is the Bulgari Octo Finissimo blue dial in satin polished steel the best steel sports watch of 2020?

Editor’s note: We’ve had quite the flurry of Bulgari lately, mostly in celebration of the brand’s 2020 collection. And, increasingly, the pinion of the collection is emerging as this model right here. Make no mistake, it doesn’t rightly deserve to be. It’s a simple dial variation away from the black lacquer dial variation that the … ContinuedThe post HANDS-ON: Is the Bulgari Octo Finissimo blue dial in satin polished steel the best steel sports watch of 2020? appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.