The Best Coloured Watches of Watches & Wonders 2024 and The Geneva Week

While colours have always been part of brands’ collections, they have long been used mostly for the dials – and sometimes, but not always, for the straps… We’ve seen trends for blue or green dials in recent years, as well as a continuous love for salmon-toned watches and even purple making a discreet appearance. But this year, not only we’ve seen dozens of brightly coloured watches, but there’s more than just dials. Colours were everywhere… Unexpected ones mostly, but also in all sorts of watches and combined with textures. Another trend is clearly about colour-matching these coloured dials with the straps, or even using colours for the cases. Here are some of the most appealing and striking coloured watches we’ve seen during Watches & Wonders 2024 and The Geneva Watch Week.

Cartier Santos-Dumont Lacquered Peacock

First presented in 2022, the Santos-Dumont collection with lacquered cases made quite an impression… Available back then in beige, black or burgundy, the concept is coming back this year in even more striking colours. The idea was and still is to use the classic, thin and elegant Santos-Dumont watch as a canvas for creativity, but using a bright colour for the dial, the strap and… the case. Indeed, what sets this sub-collection apart is the use of coloured lacquer on the case, matching the tone of the dial and strap. Among the three models presented this year, the rose gold version with its peacock blue attire certainly has appeal. Original, different yet elegant, this watch is powered by an ultra-thin hand-wound Piaget movement and retails for a relatively reasonable price of EUR 15,000. It will only be produced this year, however.

Quick facts: 31.5mm x 43.5mm x 7.3mm rose gold case with peacock blue lacquer – sapphire crystal and solid gold back – peacock blue lacquered dial with sunray-brushed finish – hand-wound calibre 430 MC (base Piaget 430P), ultra-thin with 38h power reserve – colour coordinated semi-matte alligator strap and gold ardillon buckle – 2024 production only – reference CRWGSA0098 – CHF 15,000

De Bethune DB28XS Purple Rain

A genius watchmaker but also a proper alchemist, De Bethune’s creative mind Denis Flageollet has done it again this year with a striking iteration of the brand’s most elegant and compact watch, the DB28XS. While blue has always been the signature colour of De Bethune, this year it’s all about purple, used for the dial, the case and the floating lugs. But in true DB style, we’re not talking about a coating here, but a titanium case that has been heat-treated to give it this stunning colour. Pair this with a titanium guilloche dial and you end up with a surprisingly refined watch. I was sceptical at first, but it’s a watch you have to see in the metal. It is fascinating. And the back is equally impressive too.

Quick facts: 38.7mm x 7.4mm grade 5 titanium case with floating lugs, purple colour by heat treatment – sapphire crystals front and back – purple titanium guilloche dial with white gold stars – in-house calibre DB2005, hand-wound, twin barrel for 6-day power reserve, blued titanium balance wheel – black canvas strap with purple stitching, purple titanium pin buckle – limited to 25 pieces – CHF 90,000

Grand Seiko Hi-Beat SLGH021 Genbi Valley

We’ve said it on multiple occasions, but Grand Seiko makes some of the most striking dials. Often inspired by Japanese nature or traditions, using a large range of colours and boasting refined textures, GS’ dials are one of the reasons for the recent success of the brand. This year, with the SLGH021 Genbi Valley, the brand is releasing a highly captivating edition of its Evolution 9 sporty watch, with a new texture and an unprecedented colour… It’s hard to define this dial inspired by the Genbi region, as the colour ranges from aquamarine to mint green, depending on the angle. What matters is the look, and it’s superb. The rest of the watch, except for the use of Ever-Brilliant Steel, is identical to the SLGH005 White Birch.

Quick facts: 40mm x 11.7mm Ever-Brilliant Steel case – sapphire crystals front and back – emerald-green-water-toned and textured dial inspired by Genbi Valley – in-house calibre 9SA5 Hi-Beat, automatic, 80h power reserve, Dual Impulse Escapement – Ever-Brilliant Steel steel bracelet with folding clasp – limited edition of 1,000 pieces, available in June 2024 – reference SLGH021 – EUR 11,100

H. Moser & Cie. Pioneer Concept Citrus Green

If there’s one area where Moser excels, it has to be for its creativity in dial design and colours. A pioneer in the use of gradient/smoked dials, the brand has made this such a signature element that it doesn’t even need to have its logo printed – or markers for that matter. Following dials in fumé blue, Swiss red, funky blue, cosmic green or Mega Cool (yes, that’s the official name), the H. Moser & Cie. Pioneer now comes in its most expressive version, a minimalistic, lume-framed citrus green colour. Punchy, or shall I say zesty, it’s not a watch for the faint-hearted. And at the same time, it couldn’t be more Moser…

Quick facts: 42.8mm x 14.2mm steel case – sapphire crystals front and back – Citrus Green fumé concept dial with sunburst pattern and inner flange filled with Super-LumiNova – HMC 201 in-house automatic calibre, 3-day power reserve – alligator leather, rubber, or textile strap with steel pin buckle or steel bracelet with folding clasp – reference 3201-1204 – from CHF 14,500

IWC Horizon Blue

Here, we’re not going to talk about one specific watch, but a new colour applied to 4 different references. This year, in addition to presenting one of the most complex perpetual calendars on the market, IWC revamped its emblematic Portugieser collection, with several new colours – including Dune and Obsidian. Without a doubt, the most striking new colour is this light blue tone named Horizon paired with a white gold case and a gradient blue Santoni leather strap… Fresh, modern and elegant, it is available on the Portugieser Chronograph, the Portugieser Automatic 40 and Portugieser Automatic 42 and the Portugieser Perpetual Calendar 44.

Quick facts: new light blue dial colour combined with an 18k white gold case, available on the Portugieser Chronograph (ref. IW371626, EUR 21,000), the Portugieser Automatic 40 (ref. IW358402, EUR 20,000), the Portugieser Automatic 42 (ref. IW501708, EUR 28,000) and the Portugieser Perpetual Calendar 44 (ref. IW503703, EUR 50,500) – combined with a gradient blue Santoni leather strap and a white gold buckle

Tudor Black Bay Chrono Pink

Presented a couple of weeks before Watches and Wonders, the Black Bay Chrono Pink was clearly an unexpected move from Tudor, a brand that we usually associate with classic tool watch colours. Well, this new chronograph is nothing but classic… At first, only with the official images of Tudor to forge my opinion, I wasn’t convinced. But, we all know how it works. This perception changed once I had this Black Bay Chrono Pink on the wrist. In all fairness, and I know it’s going to be a topic of debate, but this pink dial really works in my opinion. It wouldn’t be my first choice if I was about to get a Black Bay Chrono – I still think the classic Panda version is a safer choice – but on the other hand, this pink version has sheer personality. And I still have a bit of a hard time admitting to loving a candy pink 41mm chronograph. Does it matter? Well, the lack of availability will solve this issue.

Quick facts: 41mm x 14.4mm stainless steel case with black aluminium bezel – sapphire crystal on the front and solid steel back – matte candy pink dial with black counters – Manufacture Calibre MT5813 (base Breitling), automatic chronograph, COSC certified, 70h power reserve – 5-link Jubilee bracelet with T-fit clasp – limited production and availability – reference M79360N-0019 – USD 5,675