Red Dial Watches Are Impossible to Ignore
Here are seven rare and eye-catching watches with crimson dials that will be catnip for collectors.
Bovet Virtuoso V Red Guilloché Edition.
Photographer: Joanna McClure for Bloomberg Businessweek
The color red always says something—and says it loudly. In lipstick it speaks of a brash confidence. On a Ferrari it practically begs for a speeding ticket. And on a wristwatch it says, “The time is not to be ignored.”
Although blues and greens have recently been trendy in elite watchmaking, reds and burgundies are emerging as elegantly bold alternatives, particularly on special editions made in limited quantities. It’s not hard to figure out why: Hues call to mind sensuality and danger—TAG Heuer’s crimson dial honors the 50th anniversary of its Monaco racing chronograph—whereas others offer heat and luxury. When Hublot set out to create the industry’s first “vibrant-colored” ceramic, it ended up producing a version of the material that was extra-hard, too. Here are seven timepieces draped in red that are sure to get a connoisseur’s blood pumping.