A savanna showstopper: Dennison’s Safari Capsule Collection roars
Tom Austin- Dennison takes a flamboyant turn with the ALD, introducing the Safari Capsule Collection, a pair of animal print watches with diamond-encrusted cases.
- Each dial is finished in striking white or warm orange mother-of-pearl, inlaid with black enamel to evoke the contrasting stripes of a zebra and a tiger.
- Both cases are stainless steel this time, but both are set with approximately 1.79 carats of natural, VS-SI-rated diamonds.
For a while now, Dennison has positioned itself as the go-to when you’re looking to shake things up and get experimental with wearing dressy watches in more casual settings. Even I, a hardened sportswatch guy, have succumbed to owning a blue-dialled gold ALD, which hops on the wrist when I’m feeling a bit fancy. And now, to kick off 2026 in style, Dennison has taken a walk on the wild side and brought with it arguably its wildest pair of mother-of-pearl dials yet. And to top it off, have gone full showbiz with a very special case.
If you’ve been following Dennison for a while, you’ll know that the beloved ALD was penned by none other than renowned watch designer and all-around gentleman Emmanuel Gueit, the man behind the Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Offshore and last-gen Rolex Cellini, among several others. If you follow him on Instagram, you may have noticed him flexing a particularly sparkly, diamond-set ALD, a one-of-a-kind made just for him. Well, it was one of a kind. Not anymore.
The new Safari Capsule Collection features the familiar 36.5mm x 37mm softly rounded square case in polished stainless steel. This time, it’s been adorned with 1.79 carats of natural VS-SI round-cut diamonds all around the case, elevating it into a real showstopper.
Often, gemset cases can end up looking bulkier, but thanks to the ALD’s slender 6.05mm thickness, that’s just an impossibility here. The overall design remains the same as before, with the tightly placed, minuscule crown and the snap-on case back giving it a characterful touch.
To go with the newly decorated case, two utterly wild dials have been introduced. In typical Dennison style, they’re of course made from mother-of-pearl, with an added twist. The first is the Tiger MOP, made from an orange mother-of-pearl, giving off warm, amber-like tones with a hint of copper and honey. This is then interrupted by hand-inlaid black enamel stripes, representing a tiger’s striped camouflage with uncanny accuracy.
The second is called the Zebra MOP, and you don’t need to be David Attenborough to work out why. The black enamel inlays are present again, this time slightly wider and longer, just like the stripes of a zebra. These are set into a white mother-of-pearl backdrop to finish off the look. Both dials feature a faint Dennison logo printed on the underside of the flat sapphire crystal, giving it a lovely hovering effect, alongside the dainty, polished ALD hands, which, if you watch closely, jump once every minute under the power of the Swiss-made Ronda calibre 1062 quartz movement inside.
The Safari Capsule Collection arrives complete on tapered 20mm suede straps, just like our Time+Tide x Dennison DateNight from last year. These are great if the standard high-shine crocodile straps that Dennison usually offers are a little too much; however, I have to say, these would still look great on those, too. The Tiger MOP is paired with an orange suede, naturally, and the Zebra MOP is matched with a black suede. Finally, the strap is finished with the gorgeous ALD-case-shaped buckle in stainless steel, which even features a smattering of diamonds, too, which is a stunning detail to finish off the watch that not everyone will see.
Dennison ALD Safari Capsule Collection pricing and availability
The first 10 pieces of each model in the Dennison ALD Safari Capsule Collection will be available for immediate purchase via the Dennison website. Thereafter, limited stock will be available via selected retailers. Price: CHF 3,850 / €4,200 / US$4,900
| Brand | Dennison |
| Model | ALD Safari Capsule Collection |
| Case Dimensions | 35.6mm (D) x 6.1mm (T) x 37mm (LTL) |
| Case Material | Stainless steel, diamond set |
| Water Resistance | 30 meters |
| Crystal(s) | Flat sapphire front |
| Dial | Tiger MOP – orange mother-of-pearl, black enamel inlay Zebra MOP – white mother-of-pearl, black enamel inlay |
| Lug Width | 20mm |
| Bracelet | Orange or black suede strap with diamond-set pin buckle |
| Movement | Ronda 1062, quartz |
| Battery Life | ~6 years |
| Functions | Hours and minutes |
| Availability | 10 of each model available from the Dennison website initially |
| Price | CHF 3,850 €4,200 US$4,900 |