! Having debuted in the 1980s in black, ceramic’s one flight of fancy, in the 2000s, was the option of white. Now this highly resistant material is synonymous with colour and, alongside black and white, brands are unleashing a rainbow of shades. Beige, red, green, blue, brown, pink, we explore watchmaking’s coat of many colours.
CHF 7,400 - Chanel
An iconic watch and the lowest price in our selection. Chanel stormed to global success in 2000 when it launched the J12 in black ceramic, soon followed by white ceramic. In doing so, it established ceramic as a material that would go on to feature in every brand’s catalogue.
CHF 10,500 - IWC Schaffhausen
The muted beige ceramic of this pilot’s watch beautifully complements the khaki dial and the sand tones of the rubber strap with textile inlay. IWC Schaffhausen instils unique character into a tool watch with this reimagining of the particular atmosphere of a desert landscape when the sun is at its height.
CHF 12,600 - Blancpain
One of the best-known dive watches, launched in 1956 and water-resistant to 300 metres, the Bathyscaphe rocks a livery of black ceramic for the case and green ceramic for the unidirectional rotating bezel with 60-minute scale. Indications on the coordinated sun-brushed green dial are powered by Calibre 1315, which is manufactured, built, assembled and adjusted in-house.
CHF 14,300 - Omega
The first watch to have landed on the moon, the Speedmaster reaches for the stars with a magnificent iteration in an expanse of blue, from the blue ceramic case and bezel to the strap and the remarkable aventurine dial: a poetic recreation of a starry summer’s night beneath a magical gold moon.
CHF 26,900 - Hublot
In 2018 Hublot proved that ceramic could also adopt vibrant shades with the introduction of vivid red. Polished to a sheen, it adds to the appeal of this automatic flyback chronograph whose in-house UNICO movement has been carefully skeletonised. Bold style and mechanical substance combined.
CHF 74,900 - Rolex
Everyone can spot a Rolex, it’s the ultimate status symbol, but few are familiar with the details that distinguish models one from the other. How, for example, do we know that this superb Daytona is in platinum? Simply because it is the only one to sport a chestnut ceramic dial. This unusual shade makes a sophisticated contrast with the ice-blue of the dial.
CHF 75,700 - Audemars Piguet
In 1972 the Royal Oak became the first modern luxury sports watch - a DNA that translates into the Offshore chronograph with a heavy dose of testosterone thrown in. Always elegant, its muscular personality is reinforced by the all-black aesthetic of this model, from case to bracelet and, of course, the signature octagonal bezel.
CHF 179,000 - Richard Mille
The price, for “just” an automatic watch, may be hard to swallow for some, but bear in mind that the movement is an in-house skeleton calibre and the dial is entirely unique. Boasting Art Deco undertones and crafted from red gold with a white gold PVD treatment, it features colourful ceramic shapes with guilloché adornments and diamonds..
