Beating the Monday (or Sunday) Blues with Six Bluer-Than-Blue Watches

What comes after Black Friday, the Christmas holidays, and the New Year’s Eve celebrations? That’s right, Blue Monday. Labelled to be the most depressing day of the year, Blue Monday is typically connected to the third Monday in January, which this year would have been the 15th. This means that, for what it’s worth, we’ve already passed it, possibly without even realising it! If you have been experiencing a bluesy mood, don’t worry, as we might have a horological fix for you. How about we attempt to distil that Blue Monday energy (or lack thereof) in a watch instead? With this in mind, here are six very blue mechanical watches to combat Blue Monday feelings!

Maurice Lacroix Aikon automatic 39 blue PVD

The Aikon has marked a monumental turnaround for Maurice Lacroix. This entry in the luxury sports watch segment is inspired by a vintage watch and comes in quite a few different styles with multiple complications and relatively affordable prices. To kick off 2024, the brand has decided to make a bold statement by giving its Aikon Automatic 39 a surprisingly cool full-blue makeover. The 39mm wide stainless steel case has been coated in blue PVD top to bottom, including the ‘claws’ on the bezel. The only other touches of colour are the indices, hands and the M-logo on the (surprise-surprise) blue rubber strap. Limited to 888 pieces, it relies on the Sellita SW200-based Calibre ML115 and has a price tag of CHF 2,400.

For more information, please visit MauriceLacroix.com.

Quick Facts – 39mm x 11mm – blue PVD-coated stainless steel case, brushed & polished – bezel with signature claws – sapphire crystal front & back – screw-down crown – 200m water-resistant – blue Clous de Paris dial – applied indices & hands with Super-LumiNova – calibre ML115, Sellita SW200 base – automatic winding – 28,800vph – 38h power reserve – hours, minutes, seconds – integrated blue rubber strap with blue PVD-coated pin buckle – limited to 888 pieces – CHF 2,400

Hautlence Vagabonde Tourbillon

We recently included the wickedly cool Hautlence Vagabonde Tourbillon in a Buying Guide about rectangular watches, but it just as easily fits into this Blue Monday selection. The TV-shaped case is made of steel and given a blue PVD coating. Most of the dial elements that make up the wandering hours display are also finished in blue, with a sapphire minutes disc on top. All this is ‘elevated’ by the wavey copper-niobium superconductor base dial made by James Thompson (a.k.a. Black Badger). The D30 calibre, regulated by a one-minute flying tourbillon, is made in-house and is based on a movement by sister company H. Moser & Cie. Limited to just 28 pieces, this one will set you back CHF 65,000.

For more information, please visit Hautlence.com.

Quick Facts – 50.8mm x 43mm x 11.9mm – stainless steel with blue PVD coating – sapphire crystal front & back – rubber-clad crown – 100m water-resistant – copper-niobium superconductor dial with honeycomb structure – wandering hours display with rotating minutes – calibre D30, in-house (based on Moser HMC200 with planetary display by Hautlence) – 21,600vph – 72h power reserve – 1-minute flying tourbillon escapement – integrated white rubber strap with blue PVD-coated steel buckle – limited to 28 pieces – CHF 68,000

Bell & Ross BR 03 92 Tara

Bell & Ross presented a new version of its striking BR 03 92 Diver recently, with a highly scratch-resistant blue ceramic case in that iconic square shape. The BR 03 92 Tara, connected to the Tara Ocean Foundation that aims to explore and preserve our oceans, has a very blue appearance as a result. Not only is the case rather blue, but this also goes for the dial, minutes ring, diving bezel and rubber strap. This is offset with bright orange details like the first quarter of the diving scale, the central seconds hand and the Tara logo in the bottom half. It’s powered by the calibre BR-CAL.302, which is based on the Sellita SW300 series of movements. This one is limited to 999 pieces and retails for EUR 5,700.

For more information, please visit BellRoss.com.

Quick Facts – 42mm x 42mm – matte blue ceramic case & bezel – blue & orange diving scale – sapphire crystal – blue ceramic caseback – screw-down crown with guards – 300m water-resistant – deep blue dial – applied indices & hands with Super-LumiNova – orange central seconds hand – date window at 04:30 – calibre BR-CAL.302 (Sellita SW300 base) – automatic winding – 28,800vph – approx. 40h power reserve – hours, minutes, seconds, date – blue rubber strap with blue PVD-coated steel buckle – limited to 999 pieces – EUR 5,700

De bethune db28xp kind of blue

It’s impossible to bypass De Bethune whenever we talk about blue watches. The horological alchemists led by master watchmaker Denis Flageollet are the creators of some of the bluest watches out there, after all. This DB28XP Kind of Blue is a perfect example of just how skilled De Bethune is in working with materials. The titanium case, complete with signature floating lugs, is polished & heat-blued to perfection, which is extremely hard to do. Add in a stunning cosmic blue movement with that typical delta-shaped blued titanium bridge in the middle and the Kind of Blue more than lives up to its name. Just 25 of this DB28XP Kind of Blue (XP for Extra Plat, ultra-thin) will be made at an undisclosed price (read expensive!)

For more information, please visit DeBethune.ch.

Quick Facts – 43mm x 8.5mm – heat-blued polished titanium case – floating lugs – sapphire crystal front & back – 30m water-resistant – blued dial elements & movement – spherical rose gold indices – rose gold hands – calibre DB2115v12, in-house – manual winding – 247 parts – 28,800vph – 6-day power reserve (144 hours) – titanium balance with white gold inserts – silicon escape wheel – blue alligator leather strap – limited production of just 25 pieces – price upon request

Audemars Piguet royal oak perpetual calendar blue ceramic

When Audemars Piguet decided to drape its Royal Oak Perpetual Calendar in very bold and polarising blue ceramic, the watch world took notice. Previously made in white or black ceramic, this blue one elevates it from cool to ultra-cool. The entire case (except for the caseback) and bracelet are made of the same ultra-resilient material, with a blue Grande Tapisserie dial to match. This dial not only displays the current time but also the date, the day of the week, the number of the week, the month, whether it’s a leap year or not and the phases of the moon. This is driven by the in-house automatic calibre 5134. Although it’s not limited by number, it’s not produced in large quantities. The price is currently upon request.

For more information, please visit AudemarsPiguet.com.

Quick Facts – 41mm x 9.5mm – blue ceramic case, brushed & polished – blue ceramic bezel & crown – sapphire crystal – titanium caseback with sapphire crystal – 20m water-resistant – blue Grande Tapisserie dial – white gold indices & hands – calibre 5134, in-house – automatic ultra-thin movement – 374 parts – 19,800vph – 40h power reserve – hours, minutes, perpetual calendar with day, date, week, month, moon phases and leap year indications – integrated blue ceramic bracelet – ref. 26579CS.OO.1225CS.01 – price upon request

iwc pilot’s watch chronograph 41 top gun oceana

With a name like Oceana, there’s little mystery to the colour of this IWC Pilot’s Watch Chronograph 41 TOP GUN edition. Its distinct matte blue ceramic case comes in at 41.9mm (so who not call it 42, IWC?) and 15.5mm in height, with steel pushers and a crown on the right. The tone-on-tone blue dial has strongly contrasting white indices & markings, with black hands that are finished with large Super-LumiNova inserts. The automatic calibre IWC 69380 displays the time, the day of the week and the date and can measure elapsed time through its 30-minute and 12-hour chronograph counters. The blue rubber strap has a denim inlay for a sporty, urban touch, and it’s part of the permanent collection. It retails for EUR 12,900.

For more information, please visit IWC.com.

Quick Facts – 41.9mm x 15.5mm – Oceana blue ceramic case – steel pushers & crown – sapphire crystal – titanium caseback – 100m water-resistant – tone-on-tone Oceana blue dial – white indices & markings – black hands with Super-LumiNova inserts – calibre IWC 69380 (proprietary) – automatic column-wheel chronograph – 28,800vph – 46h power reserve – hours, minutes, small seconds, day, date, 30-minute & 12-hour chronograph – blue rubber strap with denim inlay with EasX-CHANGE system – non-limited edition – EUR 12,900