Blue dials are hot, hot, hot. Of course they are – nothing feels better on the wrist than glimpsing an ice-cold shade of blue on your watch. Or exploring the depths of a rich cerulean hue. There are so many different shades and styles to choose from – you can’t go wrong. We’ve gathered a few of our favorites currently available on Crown & Caliber below, or you can go ahead and browse our curated collection right here.
The Seamaster Aqua Terra Master Chronometer is, in our opinion, one of OMEGA’s most underrated watches. As part of the greater Seamaster range, the Aqua Terra was designed to bridge the gap between the sporty and dive-oriented nature of the Seamaster Diver 300M with a daily-wear option in stainless steel that could function equally well on land as it could at sea. Proof of that concept is visible no further than in the watch’s name, which brings together both aqua and terra, Latin for water and earth.
Despite the long history of the OMEGA Seamaster, the Aqua Terra is a timepiece that has its roots firmly planted in the 21st century. It was born in 2002 and has received a number of updates over its 15-plus years, resulting in the current version you see here. The modern Aqua Terra is tested to 150 meters of water resistance and offers a defined sense of style thanks to the reflective blue dial, the applied nature of the OMEGA logo and trapezoidal hour markers, and the dial’s horizontal lining meant to recall teak paneling found on the decks of luxury ocean liners. The combination of these details results in a very dynamic feel on the wrist.
Glashütte Original PanoReserve
Now that’s a power reserve gauge! A divisive topic, dial-side power reserve gauges are often disparaged for disrupting dial symmetry. However, on a dial that’s boldly deploying asymmetry to excellent effect, the large inverted gauge on the PanoReserve only complements and completes the design. Another reason to love this power reserve display is that the PanoReserve is a manually wound watch, so knowing your level of stored power is actually useful – especially when letting the watch sit over the course of a few days or more.
In terms of wearability, the 40mm stainless steel case of the Pano series is about as versatile and tasteful as it gets. The classically proportioned lugs assure a predictable and comfortable fit, here presented on a blue alligator leather strap. The 40mm size, the stainless steel case, and the classical styling make this watch an easy and charming pairing with any outfit, for any occasion. We’d even wear it happily with jeans and a tee-shirt, were we looking to crisp up that classic look.
NOMOS Glashütte Autobahn Neomatik 41 Date
Few watchmakers have blended the worlds of design and horology quite as effectively as NOMOS. For the Autobahn Neomatik Date, the German watchmaker teamed with Berlin-based industrial designer Werner Aisslinger on his first timepiece. His design employs curved surfaces and an atypical display to convey a sense of movement and speed.
As with every NOMOS watch, the Autobahn Neomatik Date is the result of a melding of a very recognizable Bauhaus aesthetic and vertically integrated manufacturing. The movement in this watch is the brand new NOMOS DUW 6101, which provides indications of the hours, minutes, and seconds, in addition to the date. Among this new movement’s features is a quick-set date that can be easily adjusted in either direction. In the case of the Autobahn, the date is viewed through a window showing the prior, current, and tomorrow’s upcoming date. This display was chosen in order to recall certain aspects of a car’s dash.
OMEGA Speedmaster Specialties Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 Limited Edition
At the recently closed Tokyo Olympics, once again, as has been the case at 28 Olympiads since 1932, OMEGA was trusted as the official timekeeper. To celebrate Japan’s second time hosting the summer games, OMEGA released a collection of five Speedmaster Professionals, one for each Olympic ring, and two Seamasters. Collectors are debating if these special editions will become rare oddities in the future as the Tokyo 2020 games are set to kick off this week, in 2021 and all the watches are engraved 2020.
Future oddity status or not, OMEGA tapping the Speedmaster Professional as their flagship watch in the Tokyo 2020 collection should come as no surprise – the pairing just makes sense. In terms of execution, OMEGA did a very nice job with these watches, the five variants for each Olympic Ring have their own character as standalone objects while presenting beautifully as a set. The “blue ring” Speedy for Tokyo 2020 is limited to 2020 pieces.
The TAG Heuer Monaco needs no introduction. The watch is a collector favorite, due to its role in the arms race to produce the world’s first automatic chronograph during the late 1960s, and a pop culture icon, thanks to its presence on the wrist of Steve McQueen, during the filming of “Le Mans” in 1971, and Bryan Cranston, in season five of “Breaking Bad.” This delicate balancing act, between the worlds of brand penetration and insider validation, is executed in no better form than in the TAG Heuer Monaco CAW211.
Tudor Heritage Black Bay Fifty-Eight Navy Blue
Was there a more popular new watch collection introduced in the 2010s than the Tudor Black Bay? This vintage-inspired dive watch helped relaunch the Swiss brand in the United States and many other international markets, in which it had been absent for years. It has ended up on countless wrists ever since its debut for its unbeatable combination of good looks, easy wearability, and accessible pricing.
After the success of the original Black Bay, introduced in 2012, Tudor tapped into and thrived on a modern offering for the vintage enthusiast. While clearly aimed at that consumer, the so-called “BB58” transcends by stepping outside of vintage reedition territory to create a wristwatch that is something nearly unique.
The Fifty-Eight is vintage inspired, yes, but it isn’t a direct reissue of any specific watch from Tudor’s archive. Instead, it draws on aesthetic characteristics of vintage Tudor Submariners like the “big crown” and absence of crown guards seen on the ref. 7922 in 1954, and the “snowflake” handset of the 1967 ref. 7021. Tudor called on these elements, plus the use of the vintage Tudor Rose logo, and built on them with touches like the navy blue dial with white accents and comfortable dimensions of 39mm x 11.9mm.
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