BROWN DIALS. Various shades of brown rose to the occasion as the new black for this year’s hottest dials, as exemplified by these four beautiful tickers
Hublot Classic Fusion Berluti
It seemed unthinkable when word came out that fine shoemaker Berluti would work on the dial—not just the strap—of a Hublot watch. Yet, the result is utter perfection. For one, Hublot’s exclusive 18K King gold corresponds nicely to Berluti’s warm tobacco-colored Venezia leather dial and signature Scritto leather strap. Besides the Classic Fusion Berluti Scritto, Hublot also offers another the Classic Fusion Berluti All Black. This one sports a black ceramic case with Berluti’s black leather dial and an intriguing Nero Grigio leather strap.
Case size: 45mm
Case material: King gold or black ceramic
Dial: Tobacco brown or black
Strap: Calfskin
Movement: HUB1100, automatic
Power reserve: 42 hours
Limited edition: 250 and 500 pieces
Tudor Heritage Advisor
One of today’s most stylish watch lines is Tudor’s Heritage. Out of all the pieces, the Heritage Advisor, which comes with an automatic alarm function, has always been the most sophisticated; and this year, Tudor once again raises the stakes with an equally sophisticated dial color: cognac. This alteration is, as always, better when seen up close, as Tudor has painstakingly added distinctive finishes on the dials, enhancing the visual allure of each displayed feature—a power-reserve indicator at 3 o’clock, an analog date display at 6 and an on/off alarm switch at 9 o’clock. On the case, there are the two crowns—the one at 2 o’clock is for the red alarm hand—and a pusher at 8 o’clock to turn the alarm on and off.
Case size: 42mm
Case material: Titanium and steel
Dial: Cognac brown
Strap: Alligator or bracelet
Movement: 2892, automatic
Power reserve: 42 hours
Water resistance: 100m
Bell & Ross BR 03-94 Desert Type
The world of aeronautics has constantly supplied a wealth of interesting ideas for French company Bell & Ross. Incidentally, military aviation emerges as the theme for this sand-colored chronograph, evocative of the pilot suits flying in desert campaigns, hence the name. What may look like a dime-in-a-dozen dial actually takes on two overlapping inserts: The hour numerals and indexes on the beige upper section are cut out, revealing the black photo-luminescent coating of the lower layer. This accounts for optimum legibility during daytime as well as nighttime. The chronograph function is kept modest, with only a thirty-minute chronograph counter located at 9 o’clock. Other noteworthy features include a date display at 4.30 as well as the light black ceramic case.
Case size: 42mm
Case material: Ceramic
Dial: Beige
Strap: Calfskin or fabric
Movement: BR-CAL.301, automatic
Power reserve: 42 hours
Water resistance: 100m
Rolex Oyster Perpetual Yacht-Master 40
It’s hard to deny that Rolex is, more often than not, ahead of the game. In the case of brown-hued dials, the brand stands at the forefront with the new Yacht-Master in Everose Rolesor. In layman’s term, this particular piece of Rolex-patented jargon refers to a combination of the very sleek 904L steel and 18K Everose gold, which is a material exclusive to Rolex. The Everose Rolessor is used for the bezel, which rotates bi-directionally, and the three-link bracelet. This is the first time that a Yacht-Master timepiece is designed to adopt such a combo, and topping that off is a sumptuous chocolate-toned dial with a sunray finish. Some complementing features like a date display at 3 o’clock with a Cyclops lens (on the sapphire crystal for easy reading) and water-resistance up to a 100m are nothing new to the brand. Then again, the crown-logoed watch manufacturer doesn’t need much to tempt its loyal followers.
Case size: 40mm
Case material: Stainless steel and Everose gold
Dial: Chocolate brown
Bracelet: Stainless steel and Everose gold
Movement: 3135, automatic
Power reserve: 48 hours
Water resistance: 100m