Best Blue Dials of 2013
Watchmaking is entering a blue period, with dials in all shades of this vibrant color, and not just for sports watches. Blue dials have traditionally been used for the dials of diver’s watches because it is widely believed to be the most highly visible color underwater. The Omega Seamaster Good Planet combines it with orange markers, another highly visible color underwater. But blue is also showing up on dress watches, such as the Jaquet Droz Grande Seconde, an interesting change from the classic colors of white and cream. It is also being used on decorative limited editions, like the Rendezvous Celestial, with a lapis lazuli mineral dial to depict the sky. Blue enamel or lacquer, for some reason, have a glow that no other color in those materials can produce. Blue also makes a highly visible as a background for silver and white markers, and looks best with steel, platinum or white gold cases.
Jaeger-LeCoultre Rendez-Vous Celestial: Constellations are rendered in white over a lapis lazuli dial plate. Above it is a crescent that is hand-guilloched and coated with a transparent blue lacquer. The automatic movement rotates the star disc at the rate of one turn every 23 hours, 56 minutes and 04 seconds.
Jaquet Droz Grande Seconde Quantieme: This blue dial is uniquely decorated with Geneva stripes, emphasizing the blue color. Baton markers are used instead of numerals, so as not to detract from the dial.
Rolex Cosmograph Daytona: Rolex reserves this special ice-blue dial color for watches with platinum cases. Aside from the new Daytona, only four other Rolex models have featured this dial color. Collectors have nicknamed the new Daytona the bruiser, for the brown-colored ceramic bezel, which really stands out against the blue.
Omega Seamaster Ocean GoodPlanet: This bold, blue lacquered dial is highly visible to the 600-meter depth to which this watch can plunge. The hands are coated with a Super-LumiNova that emits a blue light. A portion of sales from the watch aid the GoodPlanet Foundation.
