What dials haven’t we seen yet?

Fergus Nash

Watches have been around for a long time, and it only gets harder to innovate with each passing year. One of the easiest ways to stand out is by bringing out a dial that nobody has seen before, and then watch as the craze sweeps all of the other brands. That’s what we’ve seen in recent years with meteorite, bright colours and other strange materials which make a buzz on social media. It begs the question, what haven’t we seen yet? Maybe there’s good reason for them not to exist, but I wanted to explore a few options that could be fun in the future.

Glitter

There are glittery watch dials which exist, but nothing from anything considered a serious watch brand. Even just the word “glitter” is fraught with frivolous connotations that don’t often have a home in watchmaking, but I think we’re at a point where it could be done well and enjoyed. After all, there’s really not much of a leap between something like aventurine and glitter.

Lava Lamp

The heating and cooling of wax within a lava lamp may be too difficult to achieve within a watch dial, however the principle of a hypnotically-evolving dial using oil and water could be done. It would definitely be more of a novelty than anything else, but given how popular 1970s throwbacks are currently, there’s definitely a market for the strange and kitschy.

Brick

We’ve seen stone marquetry and what looks like concrete, but what about good, old-fashioned brick? Whether given a stacked effect or simply a flat face of brick, the earthy tones and rough textures would make for a very compelling watch dial. It would especially look great with a streetwear angle, worn down but full of character.

Embroidery

The term linen is used for a very specific kind of dial texture, but they’re not actually made of fabric. If there was a fabric watch dial, then that would also open the door to embroidered designs. Embroidery is a painstaking craft on par with the enamel painters of haute workshops, and I could definitely imagine something like a Louis Vuitton watch with an intricately-embroidered dial. Keeping it thin and flat would be a challenge, but watchmakers don’t tend to shy away from challenges.