Dial Detail

During every round of product development there are always new techniques that I trial to see what can be achieved for my brands. Becoming bored with the same old textures on my watch dials (sunray, sand blast, same old), I attempted to try a few different techniques to liven things up. Mother of Pearl is a favourite and this worked well however an endeavor to use different types of stones was trickier.

After much back and forth with various factories and designers I decided to research the technique myself. It turns out that the use of stone dials is difficult to implement due to the high level of skill involved and the subsequent cost of labour. The process of creating a stone dial is tricky: the piece of stone used must be perfect with no inclusions and then cut to the exact shape and thickness required, watch dials are so thin that this can be a very difficult and time consuming. Searching for watches that use stone dials, it became apparent that it is really only the big luxury brands that have this type of product on offer.

Dior’s La D Dior and Mini La D ranges both offer a beautifully bright  interpretation of a stone dial. The ultimate in feminine cocktail watches.

My favourite though comes from Piaget’s Altiplano collection which was apparently a favourite of Jackie Kennedy and Elizabeth Taylor. Featuring  malachite,  lapiz lazuli and jade expertly crafted into dials, each of these watches represents hours of labour and love.

 Having turquoise as my birth stone may make be slightly biased but the 24mm turquoise dial rose gold version, set with 48 brilliant diamonds is particularly striking. The contrast of the bright dial with the black satin strap really makes the colour of the stone glow. If anyone wants to get me a Birthday present, you don’t need to look any further.

At a high street level, DKNY’s champagne glitter dial is a more wallet friendly option and for a different slant on traditional MOP, the Marc by Marc Jacobs Amy offers a rich use of coloured Mother of Pearl.

                                        DKNY Champagne Glitter dial ladies watch- £145 here

                        Marc by Marc Jacobs Amy- I can only seem to find this in the US- $175

 

Although the High Street will never be able to replicate the expertise and quality that goes into a luxury brands pieces, it’s always good to be inspired by something that is the focus of so much care and attention. Something i'll certainly be working hard to replicate in future collections.  

If Elizabeth Taylor approves, I’m in.