With the tip of the 12 months quickly approaching, it’s time to look again at a few of the exceptional issues that occurred in 2023. Moreover, it’s enjoyable to stay up for the 12 months forward. One of many recurring matters of dialog is the dial colour of the 12 months. For sure, the dial colour of 2023 was ice blue. However what about subsequent 12 months’s colour of selection? I’ve a sense that it will likely be a wonderful 12 months of darkish brown dials. However in good watchmaking (or maybe advertising) custom, by no means name a dial “brown.” Hold your eyes open for chocolate, espresso, mahogany, tobacco, chestnut, and mocha dials in 2024.
To cite the well-known Coco Chanel, “The very best colour in the entire world is the one that appears good on you.” Whereas an business would possibly attempt to affect the colours we gravitate towards with its choices, the ultimate selection is at all times extremely private. Each by way of easy preferences and what seems to be good on me, I’d wish to assume that the business doesn’t affect me that a lot. That’s why I usually don’t take the colour of the 12 months all too significantly. Having mentioned that, as a design fanatic, I like the influence of colours on a design. So this text is a lighthearted look again at our colour of the 12 months 2023 and a prediction for 2024.
Is ice blue the brand new inexperienced?
As The Mountain Goats put it of their 1993 track “Ice Blue”: “I believed that I knew what colours have been earlier than I noticed you / Ice blue.” Precisely three a long time later, ice blue is our dial colour of the 12 months. However that’s not as a result of we right here at Fratello assume that it’s the hottest colour with watch followers, in no way.
However it’s the colour that watch manufacturers have used loads for his or her dials in 2023. Name it ice blue, summer season blue, or just mild blue; the colour was arduous to overlook in 2023. Irrespective of the place you regarded this previous 12 months, small and massive manufacturers launched one or a number of watches with stunning ice-blue dials.
The extra fascinating query is whether or not ice blue is the couleur du jour or a extra everlasting addition to manufacturers’ collections. As we now have seen with inexperienced dials, they’ve turn out to be a typical within the repertoires of manufacturers alongside the ever-popular white, black, and darkish blue dials. My first thought is the sunshine blue colour most likely gained’t have the endurance that darkish inexperienced has just because it’s much less impartial.
Instant associations are, funnily sufficient, extra with heat, summery conditions relatively than the icy title would suggest. Even when the dial’s end is actually icy, the tone of the colour brings swimming pools and sunny seashores to thoughts. However as it’s a brighter colour, it appears extra more likely to turn out to be a short lived development.
An avalanche of ice-blue dials
So, what are a few of the most exceptional ice-blue dials? Let’s go over a few of the releases we now have seen in 2023. I’ll begin by saying that we at Fratello are responsible as charged. The primary of our two collaboration items with Aquastar featured a ravishing ice-blue dial and rapidly grew to become a fan favourite. The second instant choose can be the brand new platinum Rolex Cosmograph Daytona. The watch now has a show case again and up to date motion and design. However it nonetheless has that lovely mild blue dial that has lengthy been related to Rolex’s platinum fashions.
One other nice instance is the duo of Zenith Defy Skyline fashions in 36mm and 41mm circumstances that got here out in June of this 12 months. Omega additionally launched its sequence of Summer season Blue editions for the seventy fifth anniversary of the Seamaster line. Amongst them are three Aqua Terra fashions with stunning mild blue dials.
The checklist continues with the Norqain Freedom 60 Chronograph with a pleasant blue and black panda dial. And Fratello’s personal Lex fell for the Tissot PRX Powermatic 80 with an ice-blue dial. After seeing the watch on Lex’s wrist, I added a 3rd PRX to my want checklist.
Earlier this week, Seiko added the Seiko Prospex Speedtimer SSC937 to its assortment. Bell & Ross added the BR 05 GMT Sky Blue to its lineup, and a last instance I need to point out is the Seiko Prospex Save the Ocean Restricted Version SPB385, which has a blue dial that really feels icy. That is only a small collection of the ice-blue dial we now have seen, however you most likely perceive why this was the colour of the 12 months.
The fumé phenomenon
One other phenomenon that I need to contact upon is fumé dials. Again in Might, Thomas wrote an article asking whether or not fumé was the brand new inexperienced for watch dials this 12 months. Whereas I really feel that ice-blue dials take that place, there was no denying that fumé, dégradé, or vignette-style dials have been all the trend in 2023. Because the months went on, we received extra affirmation that watch manufacturers have been all concerning the smoky dials this 12 months.
It grew to become considerably of a working gag within the Fratello workplaces when a watch arrived with a fumé dial just because the stream didn’t appear to cease. Sure, it was all in enjoyable as we love a properly executed fumé dial. However in all honesty, we might do with a bit extra creativity and fewer smoky dials in 2024.
The dial colour for 2024 is darkish brown
This brings us to the colour of subsequent 12 months, and it gained’t be stunning since we’ve seen fairly a number of examples already. However I can say that I’m trying ahead to seeing extra darkish brown watch dials within the upcoming 12 months. There’s one drawback, although: brown has at all times appeared taboo for a lot of watch manufacturers. Properly, not essentially the colour however the phrase “brown” itself. That’s why we regularly see phrases corresponding to chocolate, espresso, mahogany, tobacco, chestnut, hickory, or mocha. Whereas all these are shades of brown, primarily, they’re darkish brown dials.
And as soon as once more, we’re responsible as charged. Along with Fortis, we launched the brand new Fratello × Fortis Flieger F-43 Bicompax Umber Brown Capsule Version. Not solely did we launch a brown dial, however we additionally used “umber” to explain the shade of brown. In my e book, although, it doesn’t matter what you name it as a result of a darkish brown dial is usually gorgeous. The precise darkish brown dial has the instant energy so as to add sophistication and depth. It’s a trendy colour that works effectively with yellow- and rose-gold tones, so high-end manufacturers usually mix them for gorgeous outcomes. The Laurent Ferrier Grand Sport Tourbillon Golden Brown pictured above is a incredible instance.
However we now have seen some superb releases with brown dials from varied manufacturers. Some that come to thoughts are the King Seiko SPB365, the Baltic Aquascaphe Bronze Marron, the two-tone Tudor Royal with its chocolate-brown dial, the Serica 8315-2 GMT, and the Frederique Fixed Highlife Worldtimer Manufacture that celebrated the thirty fifth anniversary of the model. Lastly, there was the trio of Nomos Membership Sport Neomatik 39 “Indian Summer season” fashions. The model with the gorgeous darkish brown Tabac dial is my favourite amongst them.
Brown has potential
As you’ll be able to see, manufacturers have already launched fairly a number of watches with darkish brown dials in 2023. For some cause, although, it isn’t a typical colour, which is considerably stunning. Everyone knows and love the brown tropical dials. Panerai fashions with a coffee-brown dial have considerable allure and elegance. Extra proof that brown has potential got here with outgoing Audemars Piguet CEO François-Henry Bennahmias’s parting present that he created with well-liked rapper Travis Scott, the Royal Oak Perpetual Calendar Openworked “Cactus Jack” Restricted Version.
Whereas I’m not an enormous fan of integrating the Cactus Jack signature graphics, the general brown aesthetic of the Royal Oak Perpetual Calendar Openworked “Cactus Jack” seems to be gorgeous and completely proves that brown works past dials.
Picture: Mr. Watchley
However we have been speaking about dials right here. My final instance is the Vacheron Constantin Abroad 4500V with its darkish brown dial, which was one of the best of the current-generation customary Abroad fashions. Okay, that could be a extremely private opinion. Sure, the Abroad 4500V is an ideal instance of a watch that we regularly see with a black, blue, or white dial. Admittedly, this common palette of colours works effectively for the Abroad.
Picture: Mr. Watchley
However the transformative powers of the brown dial present why this colour ought to be a part of that customary palette. That’s why I’d advocate that step one is to make darkish brown the dial colour of 2024. Quickly after, brown dials ought to turn out to be a part of any model’s customary palette of dial colours. Whether or not chocolate, espresso, mahogany, tobacco, chestnut, mocha, or umber, darkish brown dials are right here to remain.
In the event you’d wish to see extra darkish brown dials in 2024, hold forth within the feedback. And if not, tell us what colour you hope to see reign supreme subsequent 12 months!
