Watch dials are traditionally crafted from brass or gold, but in 1963 brothers Gérald and Valentin Piaget had a revolutionary idea: stone dial watches, delicately cut from beautiful decorative gemstones such as lapis lazuli, malachite and tiger’s eye. No surprises, then, that Piaget in its ’60s and ’70s golden age became a leading watchmaker to feature hard stone dials.
Well, the taste for vintage styles and aesthetics—see, for instance, a trending lean towards dinkier timepieces—has now come around to this style of dials. Hardstones are making a comeback today, and they are admired not just for their vibrant colours, but also for the intricate, unique patterns that make each a one-of-a-kind. Because the patterns and colours on these stones come with the tiniest nuances of difference, no two are exactly the same.
In addition to the classic options of green malachite and blue lapis lazuli, there’s a wider range now of stones that can grace a dial. Take meteorite, for example, a stone that’s quite literally out of this world. It’s been increasingly popular, with Omega dedicating a whole line of its Constellation design to models with meteorite dials.
Here, a look at Vogue’s curation of the most beautiful stone dial watches on the market right now.
1 / 16
Gem Dior in stainless steel and yellow gold with diamonds and a lapis lazuli dial, $27,000
2 / 16
Piaget Andy Warhol in white gold with a blue meteorite dial, $87,500
3 / 16
Chopard Happy Sport Automatic 36mm in Lucent steel and ethical rose gold with diamonds a blue mother-of-pearl dial, $17,500
4 / 16
Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Selfwinding 37mm in yellow gold with a turquoise dial, $93,100
5 / 16
Buccellati Macri in yellow gold with diamonds and a jade dial, $37,000
6 / 16
Dennison ALD in yellow gold PVD stainless steel with a tiger's eye dial, $943
7 / 16
Omega Constellation 29mm in stainless steel with diamonds and a purple iron meteorite dial, $18,900
8 / 16
Louis Vuitton Escale in platinum with a meteorite dial, $53,000
9 / 16
Rolex Day-Date 36 in yellow gold with diamonds and a carnelian dial, $94,300
10 / 16
Gem Dior in pink gold with diamonds and an aragonite dial, price on request
11 / 16
Vacheron Constantin Traditionnelle Perpetual Calendar Ultra-Thin in white gold with diamonds and a blue mother-of-pearl dial, $133,000
12 / 16
Ulysse Nardin Diver Atoll in stainless steel with diamonds and a chrysocolla dial, $23,100
13 / 16
Van Cleef & Arpels Perlée 23mm in yellow gold with a guilloché onyx dial, $13,900
14 / 16
Hermès Nantucket Dual Time in stainless steel with diamonds, and an aventurine and lacquered dial, $12,610
15 / 16
Jaquet Droz Tourbillon Skelet Sapphire Opal in sapphire with an opal case, price on request
16 / 16
Piaget Limelight Gala in rose gold with diamonds and a malachite dial, $76,000
Vogue Singapore’s January/February ‘Resolution’ issue is available on newsstands and online.
