Borna Boschunjak
The classic blue dial has lost some ground in terms of popularity due to the rise in other colors (particularly green and pink), but is perhaps the most popular choice on watches. Of course, this excludes black and white, but my point is standing because it’s not actually a color. Among the vast number of options, we have tried to choose some of the very best blue dials available today. It provided everything from hue and textures to valuable propositions and craftsmanship.
Montbree MB2 Kenky Starry Blue
Excellent, affordable watches are no longer rare thanks to many micro brands these days, but sometimes they create something special. The Montbree MB2 Kenky brings a very rough texture and color depth, especially with the “Jewel Steel” dial variant, making it hard to believe the price range, especially considering the movement and refined case of the Miyota 9000. It’s a small touch like faceted hands and indexes that work well with the dial texture without looking gimmicks, and earns Kenkyū a spot on the list. Price: 649 US$
Anordain Model 1 BlueFumé
Often, seeing the best and best is easy to lose sight of the value proposition. That’s a bit disappointing as you risk missing a gem like the Anordain Model 1. Its smoke enamel dial was a coincidence discovery due to the distorted silver dial blanks polished to reveal stunning gradients and grain patterns. Here we’ve detailed the whole painstaking process, and it’s even more impressive considering that everything is made in-house at Anordain’s Glasgow workshop, putting the brand on the UK’s best list. Price: £2,595
Grand Seiko Evolution 9 SLGA025 Atera Valley
Without Grand Seiko, the list of the best dials will not be complete. Despite the frankly ridiculous number of new releases branding, they can still come up with beautiful designs. Omiwatari, Kishun, or even the new Ice Forest UFA model are valuable candidates. There is one distinctive design: the relatively new evolution of 9 Atera Blue, or Atera Valley. Whatever you like to call it, there is no denying that it is a soft, gradient dial that evokes the clear currents of the Atera River that flows through the South Nagano region.
The SLGA025 is the absolute smoke show on the dial. There’s no doubt about it, but if you’re OK with looking for a secondary market, check out SBGP017 Iwao Sea of Clouds. It held the Grand Seiko spot on this list for a long time, but the limited edition is sold out, meaning it technically is no longer qualified. It’s not that such details aren’t that beautiful, care. The subtle brush strokes in baby blue reflect on the highly refined faceted ingot-like index, with blurry seconds of hands and applied GS logo icing on the cake. It also features a display caseback that shows off the Grand Seico level decoration of the quartz movement, just as if the SBGP017 needs to be a cooler. Price: USD 3,800 (retailer, sold out), ~ USD 4,000 (secondary market)
Tudor Black Bay Ceramic “Blue”
Blue is like Tudor’s signature dial color, but the most obvious blue dial in its current range belongs to the appropriately titled Black Bay ceramic “Blue”, well known as the Team Watch of the F1 Team Visa Cash App Racing Bulls Formula One Team. The partnership between Tudor and VCARB represents a long-standing return to the world of motorsports, one of the sportiest watches in Tudor catalogues, houses a solid electric blue dial in a black ceramic case and pairs with a hybrid strap sewn in blue. Price: USD 5,300
H. Moser & Cie Streamliner Small Seconds Blue Enamel
Moser’s streamlines have always been the left field take on the integrated bracelet sports watch, so why not hit the Grand Fewenamel dial? Similarly, textured dials were previously available in the perpetual calendar of effort, but there’s something about the juxtaposition of sporty water-resistant cases and the traditional enamel dial that suits me. The best thing for me is that Moser is very confident in his appearance and doesn’t bother him putting his logo on the dial. The brand has become known for many years. Such confidence (or sassiness) is rare in watchmaking and is a breath of fresh air. Price: CHF 29,900
FP Journe Chronomètre Bleu
On the best list, it’s difficult to pick just one, but this is it for me. If you can believe it, FP Journe’s Chronomètre Bleu was once a work under the radar a few years ago, before an artificial shortage of other more popular watches spiked its demand. Availability aside, the Chronomètre Bleu features a bluish-gray tantalum case, a solid 18K gold movement and a blue dial that is best in business. Many blue lacquer layers are mirrored and cared for, and depending on the light, they become pure black or electric blue. The small seconds at the center are finished with Azurage, showing off the full range of blue from the Sunburst run. Price: USD 42,420
Zenith GFJ
Blue was Zenith’s general theme in the latest Watches and Wonders Fair, but it reached its peak with the release of GFJ and the revival of the Legendary Caliber 135, named after the Brand Founder Georges Favre-Jacot. For watches that house such historically important movements, it would not be surprising if Zenith gave the caliber a plain dial to make it a star of the show. The Le Locle Company went completely the opposite, giving GFJ a complex, trimaterial dial with a stunning shade of blue.
For the outer boundary, the GFJ features a basket wave guillothi pattern, enclosing a central section made of lapis lazuli and descending on a blue-dyed mother-of-pearl subdial. According to Buffy, a resident gemology enthusiast in our resident, the grade of the stone is particularly notable for its low calcite content, reducing the white inclusions that are usually found in regular lapis. Price: 49,900 US$
Credo H. II. Ruri
Released to celebrate Seiko’s 140th anniversary, Eichi II Ruri is a special edition of Credor’s Minumalist Masterpiece. Its dial is made of fragile porcelain and glazed with blue lacquer, giving it an etheric glow around the edges and central pinions, and soaring depth elsewhere. The logo and index are all hand-drawn and appear to be hung above the dial. Here is a very important and overused trope – you really have to experience this first hand. Certainly, that exquisite Spring Drive movement is completed by a micro artist studio, but it costs almost $100,000 for a time-only watch, and there is no doubt about that. But… I think I’m captivated enough to think it makes sense to this sparkling blue wonder. Price: £50,000
Bernelon Mirage 34 Lapis Lazuli
I tried to move away from the dial, which was made only from natural stones. Its beauty is largely dependent on the color of the stone itself, not the artistry of the brand that used it. That said, I couldn’t help but include the Mirage 34. Because it not only distills large mirage dials of potentially replicated, distorted sectors into simpler forms, it also shows off the quality of the Bernellon. Instead of being made of two pieces, like almost every other stone dial with a sub-dial, for the Mirage 34, the artist meticulously carves the sinking part of the sinking second from the single piece used for the remaining dial. I couldn’t tell you what these failure rates were, but that can tell you that the drop dead is gorgeous. Price: CHF 54,000
Chopard Alpine Eagle Flying Tourbillon
A bold choice to choose the Alpine Eagle from a long list of iconic integrated bracelet sports watches with a blue dial. Inspired by the Eagle’s iris pattern, the swirling texture of Alets Blue makes it a stunning display in any light condition. My favorite is the dial on Chopard’s Alpine Eagle Flying Tourbillon, which emanates the pattern from the tourbillon cage, rather than the central pinion. Price: 112,000 US$
Vacheron Constantin Overseas Tourbillon
The swirling iris of the Alpine Eagle are beautiful, but the piece under the original radar with an incredible blue dial was the Vacheron Constantin from overseas. A time-only variation has popularized the model, but it is a high-end piece that makes the most of the depth of the blue lacquer entry. This is especially true for tour byond overseas via titanium. Vacheron did an excellent job of polishing metals known to be difficult to finish, but its inherent dark gray shades make the electric blue highlights on the dial even more prominent. Price: on request
Louis Vuitton Voyager Flying Tourbillon Poinn des Geneva Prick a Jole
There are some amazing blue dials on this list, but if you’re looking for the most amazing handicrafts, Louis Vuitton’s Voyager Flying Tourbillon Poinson de Neséjour Prick (and Bracelet) has it on the spade. First of all, this movement has a Geneva Seal Certification, which means an overall excellent finish, but the actual treat is its enamel prick dial. We’ve outlined the Enamell technique in the finish guide, but to summarise the Precue Abjar, think of it as a miniaturized stained glass window. The enamel is suspended in a lattice-like structure and does not have the backing material to hold it in place, creating a great airflow. The most impressive piece is undoubtedly the small metal cylinder that allows the pinion to pass through. Price: CHF 297,000
Time+Tide Timeless Pick: Czapek Promenade Goutte D’Eu
Czapek has been pushing the iterations of the popular Antarctique for a while, but his debut in the promenade collection at Watches & Wonders 2024 was headlined by the stunning Goutte D’Eu. It achieves the water droplet effect that gives its name by layering the semi-transparent groundfeuiwenamel on a 3D base until the whole is flat. Czapek is transparent about his work with Donzé Cadrans, who manufactured the dial, showing how important the best and best recruitment is. This work is limited to 100 units and is already sold out by the time of writing. Considering the rest of the watch is also very nice, that’s not a surprise at all, but the dial is clearly a star of the show.
