The Irresistible Attraction of Stone Dial Watches

The Buying Guide is the place where we often discuss trends in the watchmaking industry. Sometimes, it feels like things are seasonal, and at others, it’s like the popularity for a specific type of watch never dies down. A trend that’s growing stronger and stronger, and one we can very much get behind, is the return of stone dials! Heck, we even imagined a set of stunning Rolex Perpetual 1908s with stone dials in our annual predictions! With both of them still very high on our “if ever!!” wishlist, here’s a look at a selection of watches that embrace the unique beauty of stone (or, in one case, glass) dials!

Baltic Prismic Stone Dials

A lot can be said about Baltic and its watches, but saying they lack style is certainly out of the question! The Prismic collection already showcased the brand’s keen eye for flair with ‘regular’ dials, but the stone dials take it to a whole other level. You get a choice of green Jade, red Agate or blue Lapis Lazuli dials, each showing the remarkable patterns of the natural stone. The dial is finished with applied markers, Dauphine hands and a small seconds subdial at 6′. The collection relies on the manually wound ETA/Peseux 7001 movement to keep things nice and compact. They retail for EUR 1,250 on leather or EUR 1,310 on mesh bracelets.

For more information, please visit Baltic-Watches.com.

Quick Facts – 36mm x 9.2mm – stainless steel & grade 5 titanium case – stepped bezel – sapphire crystal front & back – 30m water-resistant – green Jade, red Agate, blue Lapis Lazuli dials – polished applied markers & hands – small seconds sub-dial – ETA Peseux 7001, hand-wound – 21,600vph – 42h power reserve – mesh steel bracelet or leather straps – limited to 200 pieces per model – EUR 1,250 (leather) – EUR 1,310 (mesh bracelet)

Girard-Perregaux laureato 42 pink gold & black onyx

Onyx is renowned for its deep black lustre, and it comes to light perfectly in this gorgeous Laureato 42 by Girard-Perregaux. It strikes a strong contrast against the 42mm wide solid rose gold exterior and is finished with applied gold markers & hands. The brand has wisely opted for a black date disc to keep with the dial’s theme. And let’s be honest, the combination of black and gold is just delicious! It is backed by GP’s in-house calibre GP01800, which gives it a running time of 54 hours. The integrated pink gold bracelet is the perfect Grande Finale for this one. It’s still part of the collection and retails for EUR 54,500.

For more information, please visit Girard-Perregaux.com.

Quick Facts – 42mm x 10.68mm – 18k pink gold case, brushed & polished – octagonal bezel on circular plinth – sapphire crystal front & back – 50m water-resistant – polished black onyx dial – applied gold markers & hands – date window at 3′ – calibre GP01800, in-house automatic – 28,800vph – 54h power reserve – hours, minutes, seconds, date – integrated 18k pink gold case, brushed & polished – 18k pink gold folding clasp – EUR 54,500

gerald charles maestro 2.0 ultra-thin lapis lazuli

Turning to Lapis Lazuli, the Gerald Charles Maestro 2.0 Ultra-Thin highlights its flamboyant case with the unique speckled pattern of the stone dial. The blues, whites and golds of Lapis Lazuli were a favourite of the late Gérald Genta, founder and designer of the Gerald Charles brand. The signature smiling case also has a blue Colomix galvanic coated bezel for an added ‘pop’. At just 8.7mm in height, the case is extremely slim despite housing an automatic movement. Made by Vaucher, it runs for a maximum of 50 hours when fully wound. Worn on a blue rubber strap with a folding clasp, the Maestro 2.0 Ultra-Thin Lapis Lazuli retails for EUR 23,100.

For more information, please visit GeraldCharles.com.

Quick Facts – 39mm diameter x 41mm length x 8.7mm height – stainless steel, polished – internal bezel with blue Colormix – screw-down crown – 100m water-resistance – lapis lazuli dial – applied indices and hands treated with Super-LumiNova – date at 6 o’clock – calibre GCA 3002 (Vaucher) automatic – 23.3mm x 3.7mm – 28,800vph – 50h power reserve – hours, minutes and seconds (hacking) – Clou de Paris blue rubber strap with folding buckle – EUR 23,100

piaget andy warhol clou de paris

Found on Earth but originating from space, a meteorite holds some of the most intricate patterns you can imagine. One of the most recent watches to highlight this unique charm is the Piaget Andy Warhol Clou de Paris. Forever tied to the famous graphic artist, it comes in a sizeable 45mm wide white gold case fitted with a Clou de Paris decorated bezel. But the star of the show is the blue-finished meteorite dial, showcasing the unique crisscrossing Widmanstätten patterns. Hiding under a solid caseback is Piaget’s calibre 501P1. The dark blue alligator leather strap rounds things off perfectly. The price is EUR 56,000.

For more information, please visit Piaget.com.

Quick Facts – 45mm diameter – white gold case – Clou de Paris bezel – sapphire crystal – solid caseback – recessed crown – 30m water-resistant – blue meteorite dial – applied indices & Dauphine-style hands – silver Piaget logo – calibre 501P1, automatic – 20.8mm x 3.63mm – 23 jewels – 28,800vph – 40h power reserve – hours, minutes – dark blue alligator leather strap with white gold ardillon buckle – customisation options upon request – starting price of EUR 56,000

Kudoke infinity

While technically made of glass, Aventurine dials are every bit as challenging to create and captivating to look at! Also known as goldstone, it’s said to have been created by accident by a Murano glassmaker. The most common type is dark blue with silver, copper and gold specks, creating visions as if you were gazing up into space on the clearest of nights. Kudoke uses it in this fascinating Infinity (I can see why it’s named that!), which comes in a lovely 39mm wide by 10.3mm case. Limited to a production of 12 pieces per year, it retails for EUR 14,170. And for that, you also get a hand-wound movement developed together with Habring²!

For more information, please visit Kudoke.eu.

Quick Facts – 39mm x 10.3mm – stainless steel case, brushed & polished – stepped bezel – onion crown – sapphire crystal front & back – 50m water-resistant – blue aventurine dial – central hour & minute hands – chapter ring with Roman numerals – applied ‘Kudoke’ plaque – Kudoke Kaliber 1 (made with Habring²) – manual winding – 28,800vph – 46h power reserve – leather or Alcantara strap with pin buckle or folding clasp – limited to 12 pieces per year – EUR 14,170

Louis Erard petite seconde malachite

One of the most striking and often seen natural stones for a dial, perhaps, is Malachite, seen here in the Louis Erard Excellence Petite Seconde. It’s used by many brands and has a characteristic wave-like mix of green, grey and black lines. Louis Erard also offers the Petite Seconde with a Lapis Lazuli or Aventurine dial, but Malachite is the way to go here. The dial pattern is unique in each watch and highlighted by a contrasting sub-dial, numerals, markers and fir-tree hands. Everything is housed in a polished 39mm wide steel case equipped with a Sellita SW261-1. Matched to an equally green leather strap, this one is available for CHF 2,500.

For more information, please visit LouisErard.com.

Quick Facts – 39mm x 12.25mm – stainless steel case, polished – fir-tree engraved crown – sapphire crystal front & back – 50m water-resistant – green Malachite dial – recessed silver small seconds sub-dial – applied numerals & indices – fir-tree hands – Sellita SW 261-1 (small seconds version of SW 200-1) – automatic winding – 28,800vph – 38h power reserve – green leather strap with pin buckle – limited to 99 pieces – CHF 2,500 (excl. VAT)