The Continuing Temptation Of Blue Dials
What once was a trend color, has resulted in an extensive love affair; at both SIHH as well as Baselworld there where many watches that featured blue dials. With that, the color has most certainly proved its staying power, which is also evident from these four watches.
Bovet Virtuoso IX
Even though this Bovet features a flying tourbillon, double time zone, and big date, is it its blue dial that immediately grabs your attention. To create this, first a fine guilloche motif is created, on which the blue color is applied. After this, no less than eight layers of translucent lacquer are carefully put on the dial to create a rich color and beautiful play of light. Interesting is that Bovet also used blue as the main color of the reverse side of this watch, where another set of hands tells the time as well. Here there is no dial and instead the bridges of the movement are visible, which are decorated, chamfered, and then coated with a blue CVD treatment, matching the front of the watch in color.
Jaeger-LeCoultre Master Ultra Thin Moon Enamel
A dial can really make a big difference, as illustrated by the Master Ultra Thin Moon Enamel. Here a guilloche pattern is covered in an ocean blue enamel, which results in a captivating watch. It provides a beautiful contrast with the white gold case, while the engraved date counter accentuates the moon phase so that it is not lost in the ocean of beautiful blue enamel. Jaeger-LeCoultre complements this with a blue alligator strap in exactly the right hue. It forms the finishing touch of a very impressive watch, of which the only downside is that it is limited to just 100 pieces.
Patek Philippe Nautilus Annual Calendar 5726/1A
While many dial colors look great on the Nautilus, it is blue that looks exceptionally good on it. For the steel Nautilus with annual calendar, Patek Philippe created a dial inspired by that of the original Nautilus of 1976. This results in a color that goes from blue to almost black, and the change in them is even amplified by the horizontal embossing of the dial. It makes this Patek Philippe a very dynamic creation, exactly what the Nautilus has always been. While it does feature the annual calendar complication, it remains a sports watch, as is evident from for example its 120-meter water resistance.
TAG Heuer Autavia
With the new Autavia did TAG Heuer launch its Isograph technology, featuring a carbon composite hairspring. While this groundbreaking new watch is available in many different colors, blue will probably prove to be one of the most popular ones among them. This dial also has a gradient finish to it, going from a bright blue at the center to deep dark blue on the edges. Complimented by a blue bezel, the Autavia is available on a steel bracelet, as well as a leather strap. Interesting is that TAG Heuer opted for a brown color, which gives a contrast with the blue in a way that works very well.
