Pantone of The Year 2014- Radiant Orchid

Global colour authority Pantone has announced that Radiant Orchid will be taking over from Emerald as colour of the year for 2014, causing mass panic range amongst buying teams across the country who were convinced that Tangerine Tango was due a resurgence.

It’s easy for the apparel industry, all they need to do is re-jig a dye recipe and job’s a goodun. In watches though, unless your brand already works as a colour vehicle (Ice Watch, you guys nailed it), it’s pretty difficult to inject this colour into a watch and make it a success.

Fortunately my team appear to have worked with a tremendous amount of foresight and our 2014 ranges have an adequate spattering of purple hues to cover Radiant Orchid. Kudos guys

Radiant Orchid- Image from Dexinger

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Delightfully described as “a captivating purple…that draws you in with its beguiling charm”,  Radiant Orchid’s new status in fashion land doesn’t change the fact that, generally speaking, purple does not work in watches. My lovely boss who has worked in the watch industry for over 20 years and never fails to whisper “purple doesn’t sell” in development meetings when we manage to sneak one past her.

So here’s my round up of the best Radiant Orchid-esque watches for those brands that managed to sneak one past the boss.

First up is Cartier’s  Ballon Bleu De Cartier, a luxury take on the trend, designed to be worn by both men and women (although I imagine this colourway may have a more female led customer base). The classic Cartier piece has a guilloché dial, sword-shaped hands and a semi-matte alligator strap to match to your orchids.

 

 A snip at £11.800 here

Next are two lovely models from Vivienne Westwood, both making use of high quality resin to create two very different looks. On the right if the Kew, inspired by the colours of Kew Gardens where more than a few Orchids grow. On the left is the Clarity Bright, the brand’s main colour vehicle and entry price point piece. Both are a playfull take on the brands love of vibrant, fresh colours.

Clarity Bright is £140 here,                 Kew is £150 here

Finally is the Versus Versace Sertie watch with a circular Swarovski baguette set dial and matching purple-hued leather strap. The case is 38mm so quite large for such a bold piece. But I suppose understated is to Versace is what carbs are to Kate Moss. 

 The Sertie is £185 here

I’ve been a huge fan of this year’s  Emerald Pantone Colour of the Year. I have green eyes and I’ve built up quite a collection of jewel coloured jumpers and nail varnishes. Radiant Orchid seems  a little bit insipid to me. For clothing it’s highly commercial, especially for the pastel led colour palettes of Spring. 

However, as much as I love Pantone, their belief that  Radiant Orchid “encourages expanded creativity and originality, which is increasingly valued in today’s society” seems like far too much marketing gumpf for me. Bring back tangerine Tango, all if forgiven.