High-end watches used to be quite somber affairs, generally fitted with neutral-toned dials like black, white, silver, or gold. Blue was typically as far as the color spectrum would go. After all, if you’re going to invest in a fine timepiece, it made sense to go for quiet and conservative shades that would blend in with much of your wardrobe.
However, we’ve noticed that the watch world is letting its hair down and playing around with a much broader variety of pigments these days. Forget blending into the background; your pricey watch can now be the star of the show thanks to a range of candy-colored dials now on offer.
From sunny yellows and minty greens to fiery reds and bubblegum pinks, it seems no hue is too bold for even the most conservative of watchmakers. We love this new fresh assortment of colors and hope that this timepiece trend sticks around for a while. Here’s a closer look at some of our favorite colorful luxury watches right now.
Rolex Oyster Perpetual
The Oyster Perpetual is Rolex’s entry-level collection, featuring simple three-hander dials, steel water-resistant cases, steel bracelets, and automatic movements. The collection has been a mainstay of Rolex’s catalog for most of the company’s history, and these watches serve to highlight two Rolex innovations: the waterproof Oyster case and the self-winding Perpetual movement.
While the Oyster Perpetual has long been a core part of the Rolex lineup, it was never an exciting collection — that is, until a few years ago. In 2020, Rolex unveiled the newest generation of the Oyster Perpetual range, which not only boasted new sizes and calibers but also offered plenty of bright dials to choose from.
Current-production Rolex Oyster Perpetual watches are available in five sizes (28mm, 31mm, 34mm, 36mm, and 41mm) and colorful dial options include turquoise, yellow, red, pink, blue, and green. Although there are some muted dials too (white, black, and silver), it’s the vibrant Oyster Perpetual watches that are highly popular right now. For instance, it’s not uncommon to see the turquoise Oyster Perpetual selling for more than $20,000 on the secondary market, which is an incredible premium over its $6,150 sticker price.
Omega Seamaster Aqua Terra
The Seamaster Aqua Terra collection has been around since the early-2000s. Omega designed them to be casual everyday yet luxurious water-resistant watches that could (as its name suggests) seamlessly go from land to sea. Over the next two decades, the Aqua Terra line expanded to include more sizes, colorways, and in some cases, complications. However, the majority of the Aqua Terra lineup remains the simpler time and date variants.
Omega recently announced new stainless steel Seamaster Aqua Terra watches in 2022, with a rainbow of shades to choose from. The new Aqua Terra 38 models are available with dials in Atlantic Blue, Bay Green, Sandstone, Saffron, and Terracotta while the smaller Aqua Terra 34 models feature Sea Blue, Lagoon Green, Sandstone, Shell Pink, and Lavender dials. Regardless of color, all the dials are crafted from brass and include a beautiful sunburst effect radiating from the center. Both case sizes house the new-generation Co-Axial Master Chronometer Caliber 8800 automatic movement, which supplies the watches with 55 hours of power reserve.
Although these colorful 2022 Aqua Terra luxury watches haven’t hit stores just yet, we expect them to be highly popular with watch buyers everywhere once they do.
Cartier Tank Must
Of all the Cartier watches ever made, it’s the Tank that’s most famous of all. According to Cartier lore, Louis Cartier designed this now-iconic rectangular watch in 1917 after the architecture of WWI military tanks. Following the first model (now known as the Tank Normale), Cartier made various iterations of the Tank over the following century, from the elongated Tank Cintrée to the squarer Tank Francaise to the pared-down Tank Solo.
In the 1970s, Cartier — like so many other European watch brands — had to take drastic measures to protect its line of watches from the onslaught of quartz watches coming out of Japan. So, Cartier unveiled the budget-friendly Must de Cartier Tank collection, which sported less expensive vermeil cases instead of traditional 18k gold. These 1970s Cartier watches, many of which were quartz-powered and colorful, became a global hit and Tank Must watches did indeed become must-haves.
Fast-forward to 2021, and Cartier launched a trio of new quartz-powered Tank Must watches, directly inspired by the seventies' versions. Cartier made the new Tank Must watches in green, red, and blue, each with a steel case measuring 33.7 mm x 25.5 mm. The colored leather strap that matches the dial adds to the overall striking look of the watches. It didn’t take long for these new Cartier Tank Must watches to sell out, so we can only hope for more releases and more fresh colors, later this year.
Breitling Superocean Heritage '57
In 1957, Breitling plunged into the then-new diving watch market by launching the Superocean lineup. With its water-resistant case, concave rotating timing bezel, and oversized and luminous elements on the dial, the Superocean was ready to accompany skin and SCUBA divers on their underwater adventures.
While the current Superocean Heritage ’57 collection is not, by today’s standards a diving watch, it does honor the style of the original Breitling diver. Rather, the Superocean Heritage ’57 is a vintage-inspired watch that is more than capable of going for swims in the ocean (water-resistant to 100 meters) but without the fussiness of a modern dive watch. The case measures 38mm but it’s topped with a 42mm concave ceramic bezel, while the dial retains the arrow-tipped hour hand and quirky hour markers of the maiden Superocean.
Last summer, Breitling released a capsule collection called the Superocean Heritage ’57 Pastel Paradise with an assortment of fresh surfer-inspired shades. There’s Aquamarine Blue, Mint Green, Iced Latte, White, and White with colorful accents on the dial. Plus, thanks to the strap quick-exchange system, you create a custom color combination.
When it comes to watches, color is in
If you’re on the hunt for your next watch, why not make it a colorful one? Sure, the classics are important and the versatility of a neutral-toned timepiece is undeniable but adding a splash of color to your wrist is just plain fun. If going for a bright dial seems too much right now, experiment with a colorful strap first. You may be surprised at how much you enjoy it and then you can venture into the world of colorful luxury watches.
