7 of the best mother of pearl watches for all wrists from $80 to $8,000

Buffy Acacia

With its creamy iridescence and multicoloured lustre, few dials can capture a sense of pastel luxury like mother of pearl. It’s by no means a rare or expensive product, but this organic material has been prized by humanity globally for millennia. Some may dismiss it as being too feminine, and indeed many brands have been guilty of using mother of pearl as an unimaginative shortcut for marketing watches towards women. But when it’s used right and respected? It can really be something. It’s no surprise that mother of pearl has been used in watch and clockmaking for as long as the craft has existed.

Timex Modern Easy Reader 32mm

Timex has been synonymous with affordability and utility for as long as the brand has existed, and any variation of the Easy Reader is going to please lovers of minimalism and versatility. This 32mm version uses a particularly pretty slice of white mother of pearl with colourful splotches of pink and green, giving a quilt-like texture to the dial instead of a plain white backdrop. It’s also set up with Timex’s Indiglo feature, which acts as a backlight for the whole dial when you need after-dark legibility. It negates the need for luminous markers, keeping the dial’s applied numerals slender and elegant. Price: US$79

Casio MTP1302DS-7A

While its availability seems to be limited to Australia and New Zealand, the Casio MTP1302DS-7A is well worth seeking out from overseas, too. At 38.5mm in diameter and 44.2mm lug-to-lug, it’s one of the most affordable mother of pearl watches you can buy that’s still completely gender neutral. The dial is swathed in fading greens, blues, and reds, while the sword hands and baton indices retain full legibility along with a date display. The fluted bezel and Oyster-style bezel show off its Datejust influence, without treading too far into homage territory. Its mix of elegance and ruggedness makes it a fantastic choice for anyone who loves practicality and beauty combined. Price: A$169 (~US$110)

Citizen Peyten

It’s quite rare for mother of pearl to be decorated further than its polished surface, but the Citizen Peyten uses a subtle tread pattern and brushed sector arrangement to create a bit more intrigue on its hazy blues, purples and reds. It’s a subtle effect, but one that certainly sets it apart from much of its competition. With a 33mm case, it’s also a completely capable sports watch with 100 metres of water resistance that makes it suitable for swimming. Plus, the Eco-Drive movement ensures that you’ll never have to change the batteries thanks to solar charging through the dial itself. Price: US$375

Tissot Chemin des Tourelles Powermatic 80 34mm

Named for the street where Tissot’s factory was built in 1907, the Chemin des Tourelles collection represents the Swiss brand’s heritage in a blend of traditional and contemporary touches. This 34mm reference displays a central window with a creamy section of monochrome mother of pearl, offering a soft contrast to the silver of the surrounding dial. Its applied markers and alpha handset is sharp and well-executed, as is the date window at 6 o’clock that balances everything perfectly. Powering the watch is the fan-favourite Powermatic 80 movement which has an 80-hour power reserve and a pleasant view through the exhibition caseback. Price: US$795, available from the T+T Shop

Longines Legend Diver 36mm

Standing out as a stark inversion of the stereotypical black dive watch stereotype, the Longines Legend Diver with its mother of pearl dial is equal parts sophisticated and ready for scuba diving, It’s water resistant to 300 metres, with an inner rotating bezel operated by a screw-down crown for uninterrupted timing. Whether you’re timing a dive or a parking meter, it’s got true tool watch DNA beneath its glamorous façade. The 36mm diameter works wonderfully for smaller wrists or simply those who prefer vintage sizing, as references from the 1960s vary between 27mm up to 42mm. Price: US$2,500

Fears Brunswick 40 Aurora

The 40mm version of the Fears Brunswick in 2022 struck perfect harmony between the brand’s archival origins and its design-obsessed future, and the Aurora released the following year took it to a new level of undeniably contemporary beauty. Two sections of blue mother of pearl utilise rich swatches of navy, grey and powder blue to capture an ephemeral view of ocean waves, while notes of purple and green evoke the Aurora Borealis after which it’s named. The dial is manufactured in Germany from Pinctada Maxima oyster shells that have been treated to get that gorgeous colouring. Price: US$4,050, available from the T+T Shop

Bulgari Lucea 33mm

Not every mother of pearl watch needs to suit androgyny to be cool, and the femme fatale Bulgari Lucea proves that. As a historic jeweller, Bulgari knows the importance of form over function. The Lucea may be a time-only watch with a pretty basic automatic movement, but it’s also one of Bulgari’s most underrated designs. The bracelet’s flanked edges are reminiscent of viper scales, and the mother of pearl intarsio dial is absolutely hypnotic when moving. A lab-grown pink sapphire crown completes the picture along with 12 diamonds as the hour markers. US$7,350

Time+Tide Timeless Pick: Rolex Datejust

It would be nearly impossible to count the number of references that Rolex has produced with mother of pearl dials. In almost every conceivable variation, mother of pearl has remained such an incredibly popular dial option throughout the decades that there is an abundance of them out there on the used market. Buying a vintage Rolex is almost never a bad idea, especially if it’s a dressy one with some flash, and the sheer number of MOP Datejusts available means that prices aren’t too unreasonable. As always, be mindful of redials and fakes, but you shouldn’t have any trouble finding genuine examples.