Color has become the fresh fetish of the luxury watch industry. A sea of color and whimsy lit up the annual Watches and Wonders trade fair in Geneva last month, perhaps to remind us that the bleak isolation of Covid is behind us. The combination of hand-craftsmanship, mechanical movements, precious metals and a high watchmaking finish and now, vibrant color has become the new winning formula for collector’s pieces. Here is a look at some of the top tones hitting the market this spring.
You’ve heard of the Limited Edition. This is the Kermit Edition, surely the most cheerful introduction at this year’s W&W. The Oris ProPilot X Kermit Edition is a collaboration with Disney (which owns the Muppets) on the watch, incorporating a tiny portrait of Kermit that appears in the date window at 6 o’clock on the first of every month. It’s just small enough that it’s mostly the wearer’s private joke, and yet there is a giveaway: the dial is Kermit-green, and as cheerful as can be. The case is titanium and the movement is the automatic Oris caliber 400 with a 120-hour power reserve.
Among ladies’ watches, purple was a hot color in several shades. It was especially refreshing to see it applied to otherwise traditional models, such as Patek Philippe’s Calatrava ref. 4997/200R. The classic watch, with Patek’s signature automatic ultra-thin movements, the caliber 240, now has a purple dial and strap. The dial is embossed with a pattern of concentric waves, and coated with more than 50 layers of translucent lacquer. It looks good framed by a bezel set with diamonds – mind you, what doesn’t?
Baume & Mercier put a different shade of purple on the dial of a new ladies’ model in the Riviera collection, also with a slightly wave pattern embossed on the dial. This year, in fact, Baume & Mercier introduced more ladies’ watches in the Riviera line than ever before, including several dial colors.
TAG Heuer took to the pink end of the spectrum with the Carrera Date, which also has a new tapered bracelet and an upgraded movement, the caliber 7 automatic. And the Hermès H08, also on the sporty side, was presented in a kaleidoscope of rubber strap colors with matching dial elements, including flange ring, hour markers and seconds hand. Bell & Ross went the ice-blue route with its new BRX5 with date window and power reserve indicator.
Finally, let’s not forget salmon, a trend that has been building for a while, but that is peaking as this year’s most popular color. There are dials in that hue from Chopard, Cartier, H. Moser, MB&F, Tudor and Vacheron Constantin. The above is just a small sample of the many colors invading the luxury watch segment, and it’s a trend that is likely to be around for a while.