Freed from the imperative of utility (today, watches are no longer seen as indispensable tools), watchmaking is exploring aesthetic registers with the self-assuredness of fashion and is innovating on the technical front for the sheer pleasure of novelty. What I am proposing now is the establishment of a trend – let’s call it a secondary trend – which, far from making a splash, invites us to enjoy tranquility. It’s about dials in shades of beige, ochre, cinnamon, mahogany or brown, reminiscent of a world of familiar sensations: the sweetness of chocolate, the aroma of an old cognac, the scent of cherry wood or of a tobacco box. It’s the world of domestic comfort, whose charms we can wear around our wrists wherever our footsteps take us.

Brown sugar

Charles Zuber is one of the newest brands in the watch and jewellery universe, but a household name in the industry. Launched about a year ago, today’s brand claims its creative DNA from one of the most respected Swiss jewellers of the last century, whose name it has also borrowed. With its octagonal steel case and 60-minute dial, the Perfos Föhn 39mm (CHF 17,900) is a watch that relies on the simple (yet refined) elegance that the Swiss appreciate so much. Designed by Eric Giroud, the watch comes in a limited edition of 50 pieces and is powered by an automatic calibre with a 38-hour power reserve.

Wax, pollen and honey

With Nivada Grenchen we enter the realm of very affordable watches, with prices as low as USD 500. The brand appeared in 1926 and disappeared decades later; today, it is a good example of a revived brand, a real trend in the watchmaking industry. Reestablished by Guillaume Laidet, an expert in   reinvigorating watchmaking companies and their historical heritage, Nivada Grenchen now has a very diverse collection, including diving watches, mecaquartz chronographs and retro-looking timepieces. Since all watch owners want to feel special, regardless of how much money they have spent on their watches, one of Laidet’s ideas, in addition to reworking design codes from the ‘50s and ‘60s, was to launch several low-cost limited series. The fact that almost half of the models launched are sold out is proof of the brand’s success. The same is likely to happen with the new F77 Smoked Dial with Date (USD 1,150), a new limited-edition watch featuring a Soprod automatic movement protected by a steel case with a very retro diameter of just 37mm. The highlight of the piece is the dial design, which is a reminder of the shades of colour that you can see inside a beehive.

100% cocoa

Two new models, both in chocolate shades, are the current flagships of the Gerald Charles collection. First, a few words about the House: it was founded in 2000 by one of the legendary names in Swiss watchmaking, Gérald (Charles) Genta. He sold the company just three years after its establishment, but he continued as the designer-in-chief until 2011, the year of his death. Gerald Charles watches are easily recognizable by the shape of the case and a preference for rubber straps that match the colour of the dial. The new “chocolate” Maestro 2.0 and Maestro 3.0 fall into two of the brand’s favourite watch categories: ultrathin models and chronographs, respectively. Of the two new releases, my favourite is the Maestro 2.0 Ultra-Thin (USD 43,500), with a rose gold case (39 x 41mm in size), pressure resistant to 10 ATM, an automatic calibre (GCA 3002, with a 50-hour power reserve), a date aperture at 6 o’clock and SuperLuminova-filled hands and indexes.

The ultimate refinement

The spectacular gem-set frame of 94 brilliant-cut spessartites (totaling 2.02 carats), with colour tones ranging from cognac to tangerine, together with the chocolate-brown dial, make the Gondolo from Patek Philippe (reference: 4962/200R; estimated price: EUR 39,000-40,000) one of the most exquisite Art Deco timepieces available today. It is an elegant, understated piece, in the best Patek Philippe tradition, whose decorative character is derived from the floral patterns on the dial and the warm glow of the stones. The quartz movement that powers it is housed in a rose gold case (28.6 x 40.85mm), which is fastened to the wrist with a satin-finished calfskin strap.

Transparencies

With the BR 05 Skeleton Golden, Bell & Ross has given us a truly attractive watch whose dial is reminiscent of transparencies and the sweetness of honey. Betting on the technical character of the exposed calibre, the model is not complicated in itself. In terms of functions, it offers the bare essentials: hours, minutes and seconds. Its essentially aesthetic appeal, however, is truly convincing: the image of the skeletonized, rhodium-plated movement is filtered in sepia tones by the transparent dial with SuperLuminova-treated hands and hour indexes. The automatic calibre BR-CAL.322 is simultaneously housed and exposed in a steel case (40mm in diameter), that can be combined with two types of bracelet – in rubber (to match the dial) or in steel (to match the case). The watch was produced in a limited edition of 500 pieces and it retails for EUR 6,900.

Tobacco

With a collection that plays on a very original idea regarding the deconstruction of the representation of time on a dial, Trilobe is becoming increasingly prominent in the league of watchmakers with a poetic bent. The collection from this very young brand, which immediately caught my attention (and not just mine), has been expanding thanks to the possibilities of personalizing the dial and to the courage of its founder, Gautier Massonneau, in tackling such extremely difficult pieces as jewellery watches. Equipped with the aptly named X-Centric calibre, Nuit Fantastique (a model that I first wrote about two years ago) initially came up with celestial map dials designed to celebrate a particular place and time of a specific significance for the future owner. Since Nuit Fantastique watches can be ordered in sets of two, with 38.5 and 40.5mm cases, they became the perfect gift for couples. Then came monochrome dials which emphasised the minimalism and originality of these pieces. One of the latest and most beautiful versions of the Nuit Fantastique dial, Grained Havana, is not available in the smaller size, but only in the 40.5mm diameter version. Thus, the association between Cuban tobacco and manliness remains intact. The watch is available in rose gold and retails for EUR 22,800.

Four dials, one colour: caramel

At the end of November last year, at the Ritz-Carlton during Dubai Watch Week, Byrne unveiled a watch produced in collaboration with 10ten Labs: the GyroDial Arqaam. 10ten Labs sells watches from brands that are highly valued by collectors: Speake-Marin, Sinn, Kudoke, Artya, Cornehl Stuttgart, Cuervo y Sobrinos etc. These are brands that you don’t see advertised in the mainstream press, watches that are not necessarily expensive (listings can go as low as USD 3,000), but for which there is a demand in the Middle East, a region where 10ten Labs is particularly active. With a Grade 5 titanium case (41.7 x 48.1mm), an automatic calibre and a black textured strap, the GyroDial Arqaam has no less than… four dials! The colour of the dial remains the same (salmon, according to the manufacturer, or caramel, if you ask me). What changes is the appearance of the hour markers. When the hour hand passes 12, the four numerals on the dial change from Nabataean to Southern Arabic script. After another 12 hours, the numerals change to the traditional Arabic script, and then again, to the Indo-Arabic numerals that we use. The alternation of the four cardinally-placed numeral markers is the distinguishing feature of all Byrne watches. On the 10ten Labs website, the Byrne GyroDial Arqaam, a model launched in a limited edition of only ten pieces, is listed at USD 24,500.