Green Watches: The Colour That Keeps Giving
4 min read
What is it about a striking dial that always hits the right note every time?
According to colour therapy, green symbolises renewal, energy, life and it appears as though this was the very thought that struct watch brands years ago to offer a fresh perspective to classic timepieces when this shade was embodied.
The first super popular green watch that I can think of is the Rolex Submariner that came out in 2010, also dubbed as ‘the hulk’ it is till this day, a must-have for most collectors and honestly ignited the colour green into watches as the perfect way to make a statement.
Bare in mind, these were still times when blue was ruling the market and the perfect coloured dial and almost every brand had a version. Till pre-covid, we would spot a few green timepieces but it was essentially the reign of blue dials and steel cases. Come 2022, the first ever physical Watches & Wonders (founded in 2020, this fair was held digitally for two years due to the global pandemic), a slew of over 60% of the participating brands showcased a green watch.
Were they all trying to tell us something? Perhaps a subliminal message to the universe out there that represented the fresh new freedom that we all had been blessed with? Maybe a celebration of life itself, and most of all, a showcase of extreme excitement wherein everyone wearing a watch wanted to make an unmissable statement.
Today in 2024, I don’t see this trend slowing down at all, in fact, it's only growing and now we can actually have a library of green hues that are taking over the market. There is truly a green watch for every taste, style, size and want.
And that's the beauty of green, while being unified by a general shade, the dexterity of possibilities is endless. Here are two creations that have launched in the past week alone, both proudly green in their own right but in completely opposite styles:
United by the forces of enamelling, guilloche and lacquering, the Master Grande Tradition World Timer is reinterpreted in all its glory in the colour green with a case of 18k rose gold to compliment this captivating iteration.
Retro love meets modern day hype in this exciting new ‘it watch’ which comes in 10 colourways including a blazing green with a very unique insignia that coincides both the house’s logos as one and continues the colour story into the rubber strap for that extra chutzpah.
But this is just the tip of the iceberg, brands like H Moser & Cie, Hublot, Frederque Constant, Van Cleef & Arpels, Cartier are reinterpreting classic lines in the happy tint, refuelling them with a fresh perspective and audiences are more than happy to indulge. “Green is such a wonderful colour for the wrist," I overheard during my product presentation in the Hublot booth.
But what's great about this entire movement is how much fun brands are having with this, note how the H Moser & Cie Pioneer Centre Seconds Citrus is paired with a blue rubber starp—ideally an unconventional choice. The product specialist that presented this creation during W&W last month was quick to tell us how most of the in-house team was perplexed by this combination but founder Heinrich Moser was confident that it will work, and it truly does. On the other hand, the Cartier Santos Dumont always looks amazing in colour green, bringing through its ergonomic lines in an even more fanciful fashion. While Van Cleef & Arpels and Carl F Bucherer take this phenomenon a step further by adding gemstones like emeralds and tsavorites but the highlight of these creations goes way beyond then their vanity, the marvellous two come powered by mechanisms that far precede their bejewelled faces.
Last but not least, let's not forget how captivatingly gorgeous this natural shade compliments gold—another huge trend that we shall discuss another time… Bigwigs including Rolex, Vacheron Constantin and Omega have jumped onto the trend with no time to waste. Linking their unique buttery bracelets with a burst of much needed green.
A green signal to say the least, it is undoubtedly clear that this colour and all its forms are here to stay, flourish and energise brands all the way through the next few years! The proof sits in most collections including the Only Watch offering that shall be up for grabs later this week!
It's safe to say, go green or go home.
