Livening Things Up With Six Watches With Coloured Cases

If like me, you’re not always content with a superbly elegant yet somewhat simple-looking dress watch, I have a solution for you. While a dress watch gives me just as much joy in the right moments, I often like to spice things up with a touch of frivolity. That frivolity can come in the form of colour, for instance. As luck would have it, brands are expanding their colour palettes well beyond the traditional blue, black, silver and brown. We’ve seen watches with bright pink or purple dials, but what if you want to step up your colour game even more? Well, you’re in luck, as the six watches in today’s Buying Guide all come with a strikingly colour case, using various materials to enhance their looks.

Tissot Sideral Blue

The revival of the Sideral was quite a surprise move from Tissot, but a very fun and welcome one. It captures the essence of the original Sideral yet presents it in a modern package. The forged carbon barrel-shaped case is topped with a black PVD-coated unidirectional rotatable bezel with a regatta timing scale. The blue model is a bit more special as it’s the only one to have coloured flakes embedded in the carbon. The dial lights up like a 1970s disco, which only adds to the fun. The movement is Swatch Group’s go-to calibre, the automatic Powermatic 80. The blue rubber strap is also worth mentioning, as it has a cool hole & pin fastening system. The price is very reasonable, set at EUR 1,075.

For more information, please visit TissotWatches.com.

Quick Facts – 41mm x 46.5mm – barrel-shaped forged carbon case with blue flakes – black PVD coated steel rotating bezel with regatta timing scale – sapphire crystal front & back – 300m water-resistant – black dial with luminous regatta timing scale – hands with Super-LumiNova – vintage Tissot logo – Tissot Powermatic 80, automatic – 21,600vph – Nivachron anti-magnetic hairspring – hours, minutes, seconds, date – perforated blue rubber strap with hole & pin fastening system – T145.407.97.057.01 – EUR 1,075

Hublot Big Bang unico Nespresso origin

Hublot is known to push back the boundaries of watchmaking on the technical aspect, but also aesthetically. One of the most striking examples is the collaboration with Nespresso, resulting in the bold Big Bang Unico Nespresso Origin. The green anodized case uses 28% recycled aluminium, obtained from the Nespresso capsules. But that’s not all, as the two different straps that come with it are both made with recycled Nespresso coffee grounds (up to 8.2%). This limited edition is powered by the HUB1280 Unico movement, with a rare dial-side mounted column-wheel chronograph, visible through the green openworked dial. Limited to 200 pieces, it retails for EUR 25,200 or USD 24,100.

For more information, please visit Hublot.com.

Quick Facts – 42.5mm x 14.5mm – anodized recycled aluminium case – sapphire crystal front & back – eco-titanium caseback – 100m water-resistant – openworked green dial – green applied markers & hands – Calibre HB1280 Unico, in-house – automatic integrated column-wheel chronograph movement – 354 components – 28,800vph – 72h power reserve – hours, minutes, small seconds, date, chronograph with 60-minute counter – white and green straps partially made with recycled coffee grounds – limited to 200 pieces – EUR 25,200 – USD 24,100

Bell & Ross BR 03-92 Tara

Bell & Ross recently pulled the covers of the BR 03-92 Tara, made in partnership with the Tara Ocean Initiative which aims to deepen our understanding of the maritime world. The rugged square diver, of which there aren’t that many, now comes in blue ceramic, which is a first for this particular collection. To provide contrast under all circumstances, the large numerals and hands are finished in white, with Super-LumiNova, and the blue ceramic bezel has a two-tone blue and orange insert. Power comes from the Sellita SW300-based Calibre BR-CAL.302, which has a running time of approximately 40 hours. Limited to 999 pieces, this cool-looking instrument will set you back EUR 5,700.

For more information, please visit BellRoss.com.

Quick Facts – 42mm x 42mm – blue ceramic square case – blue ceramic rotating bezel with two-tone insert – sapphire crystal with closed caseback – 300m water-resistant – deep blue dial – applied indices & hands with Super-LumiNova – orange seconds hand – calibre BR.CAL-302 (Sellita SW300) – automatic – 28,800vph – 40h power reserve – hours, minutes, seconds, date – blue rubber strap with pin buckle – limited edition of 999 pieces made with the Tara Ocean Initiative – EUR 5,700

IWC Pilot’s Watch 41 Chronograph TOP GUN mojave

The IWC TOP GUN range, which encompasses many versions of the brand’s iconic Pilot’s Watch, recently saw cool new versions of the Pilot’s Watch 41 Chronograph and Timezoner being introduced. Under the Mojave Desert sub-collection, the Pilot’s Watch 41 Chronograph gets a sand beige ceramic case with steel pushers and crown, and a titanium caseback. The dial is a darker shade of brown with beige-coloured hands and markings, finished with Super-LumiNova of course. The movement is IWC’s proprietary Calibre 69380, running at 28,800vph and providing the time, chronograph and day-date functions. It’s worn on a beige rubber strap with textile inlay, is part of the permanent collection and retails for EUR 12,000.

For more information, please visit IWC.com.

Quick Facts – 41.9mm x 15.5mm – sand beige ceramic case – steel pushers and crown – sapphire crystal on top with titanium caseback – 100m water-resistant – dark brown dial with beige numerals and markings with Super-LumiNova – brown and beige hands with Super-LumiNova – calibre IWC 69380 – automatic column-wheel chronograph – 28,800vph – 46h power reserve – hours, minutes, small seconds, 30-minute & 12-hour chronograph counters, day, date – beige rubber strap with titanium pin buckle – IW389402 – permanently available – EUR 12,000

De Bethune db28xp kind of blue

Horological alchemists De Bethune are known for their bold and polarizing yet incredibly technical watches. The latest is a continuation of the ‘Kind of Blue’ saga and is dubbed the DB28XP. This is a slimmed-down version of the existing DB28, now coming in at just 8.5mm in height. But what’s so special about this watch is the fact it’s not kind of blue, it’s very blue. The grade 5 titanium case, along with the floating lugs and many dial and movement components, is heat-blued to perfection. The movement has a titanium balance spring, silicon escape wheel and triple pare-chut shock absorbers. Limited to just 25 pieces, this will set you back an eye-watering USD 125,000.

For more information, please visit De-Bethune.com.

Quick Facts – 43mm x 8.5mm – polished grade 5 titanium case, blued – floating lugs, blued – sapphire crystal front & back – 30m water-resistant – blued titanium hours ring with rose gold indices & hands – blued titanium delta bridge – Calibre DB2115v12, in-house – manually wound – 247 parts – 28,800vph – 6-day power reserve – titanium balance, silicon escape wheel, triple pare-chut shock absorbers – extra-supple blue alligator leather strap – limited to 25 pieces – USD 125,000

MB&F HM8 Mark II

The final watch on this list is another very expressive one, this time built by the masterminds of MB&F. The HM8 Mark II, a continuation of the car-themed HM8 from 2016, is an amazing take on the driver’s watch. A crystal placed over two rotating discs flips the time to a vertical position, so time can be read at a glance without taking your hands off the wheel. Its case is made out of titanium and white or green CarbonMacrolon and is shaped like an engine cover with two roll hoops. A sapphire crystal reveals the battle-axe rotor, a signature design element in MB&F’s watches. In green it is limited to 33 pieces, while the white one is part of the permanent collection (albeit volumes are low). The price is set at EUR 70,000 for either of the two.

For more information, please visit MBandF.com.

Quick Facts – 47mm x 41.5mm x 19mm – grade 5 titanium & green or white CarbonMacrolon case – sapphire crystal on top, front and back – lateral time indication with jumping hours & rotating minutes displayed by reflective prisms – Girard-Perregaux base movement with in-house developed module on top – 28,800vph – 30 jewels – 42h power reserve – white or green calfskin strap with loop & velcro closing – green limited edition of 33 pieces, white non-limited edition – EUR 70,000