The unique beauty of mother-of-pearl takes center stage in watches by Patek Philippe, Rolex, Jaeger-LeCoultre, Panerai, Cartier, Bulgari and Zenith.
Mother-of-pearl is an iridescent, multicolored material that provides a protective inner layer in mollusk shells. This inner lining, which is also called nacre, is self-repairing and smooth, and builds very slowly, layer by layer, for the duration of a mollusk’s lifetime. Because each shell is unique and produces its own unique patterns, no two pieces of mother-of-pearl will look exactly alike.
Pearls are also formed with nacre, usually inside an oyster, which is a type of mollusk. When a foreign object enters a mollusk shell (for example, a grain of sand or a tiny pebble), it is coated with nacre as a protective measure. Nacre is highly resistant to certain natural environmental risks, including UV rays and salt water. Mother-of-pearl is also lightweight, which, in combination with its unique beauty, makes it a highly desirable watch dial material.
Let There Be Light
Patek Philippe is the oldest family-owned watchmaker in Geneva, watchmaking’s capital city. The brand is known for its exceptional mechanics and an unwavering attention to detail. Patek Philippe’s Aquanaut collection made its debut in 1997 “as a statement of casual elegance,” according to the brand. “The Aquanaut is immediately recognizable with its distinctive embossed pattern that runs from the dial to the strap.” In 2004, Patek added the Aquanaut Luce to the collection.
Luce is Italian for light, and every Aquanaut Luce timepiece has a gem-set bezel that creates a luminous frame for the dial. The Aquanaut Luce pictured above is crafted of 18-k rose gold and is offered on a flexible composite strap. The watch’s mother-of-pearl dial is engraved with a checkerboard pattern and is surrounded by 40 baguette-cut diamonds.
Flipping Out
The Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso is arguably the most iconic of all of the brand’s collections. The watch’s case can reverse—flip over—to a solid caseback, a second dial or an elegantly decorated motif. The first Reverso was a true sports tool watch made for polo players in the early 1930s. It was born from a simple need: to protect a watch’s dial from the hard knocks and “rigors of the game,” according to the brand. René-Alfred Chauvot, an industrial designer, was entrusted with designing the watch’s case and its swiveling function and filed a patent for his new creation in 1931.
The name Reverso, which is Latin for “I turn,” was registered by Jacques-David LeCoultre and his partner, César de Trey, the same year. The Reverso is a “quintessential embodiment of the spirit of its era: blending modernity, Art Deco style, sport DNA and innovation,” according to Jaeger-LeCoultre. The Reverso One Precious Flower watch pictured here showcases the timepiece’s Art Deco design influence and features a diamond pavé dial and lugs surrounding its mother-of-pearl dial. The reverse side of the timepiece has a tropical design with flowers crafted of Grand Feu Champlevé enamel, snow-set diamonds and black lacquer.
President Time
The Rolex Oyster Perpetual Day-Date is celebrating its 70th anniversary this year. When the watch was introduced in 1956, it was the first calendar wristwatch to indicate the day of the week spelled out in full on the dial. The timepiece has graced the wrists of U.S. presidents and other luminaries across the world. “The Day-Date officially entered the history books on President Lyndon B. Johnson’s wrist when he moved into the White House in 1963,” according to the brand.
“From that moment, the watch began to earn its reputation as the ‘presidents’ watch,’ becoming the accessory of choice for leaders and other influential individuals.” Day-Dates come on a bracelet made of three semicircular links, which is aptly named the President bracelet. Over its decades-long history, the Oyster Perpetual Day-Date has been available in numerous dial and metal variations, but it is only ever crafted in the precious metals of platinum and 18-k gold—rose, white and yellow. The timepiece pictured above is made of rose gold and features a mother-of-pearl dial accented with diamond hour markers and a diamond bezel.
Take Me To The Moon
Giovanni Panerai first opened his watch store in 1860 in Florence, Italy. His business was not just a shop: he also ran the city’s first watchmaking school on its premises. Panerai is well-known in watch circles for providing the first diving watches for the Italian Royal Navy, and the brand’s design code is firmly rooted in robustness and reliability in challenging conditions. One of Panerai’s distinctive design features is the hinged crown protector found in the Luminor and Submersible collections.
The crown protector’s original design had an essential functional purpose: to keep water from entering the watch via the crown. Pictured above, Panerai’s Luminor Due TuttoOro Luna watch’s strong association with the sea is illustrated not just with the crown protector but in its lustrous mother-of-pearl dial. The watch gets its name from the Latin luna, meaning moon, and features a moonphase as well as a stop-seconds function. The watch is made of Panerai’s proprietary 18-k Goldtech and comes on either an all-gold bracelet or a blue alligator strap.
Wrapped in Gold
Bulgari’s Serpenti collection was first introduced in 1948 in the form of a bracelet watch that sinuously wrapped around the wrist. Serpenti is Italian for serpent, and the watch’s dial and bezel were shaped like a snake’s head. In 1963, Elizabeth Taylor wore her Serpenti watch in the movie “Cleopatra,” and the timepiece instantly rose to global fame. The now-iconic Serpenti collection includes bracelets, necklaces and rings in addition to watches.
“Combining the audacity of Serpenti and the legend of Spiga, the Italian word for spike, the Serpenti Spiga watch joins the modern with the ancient,” according to the brand. The watch “echoes the idea of infinity with its abstract wheat stalk pattern carved into the bracelet itself.” The Serpenti Spiga 18-k rose gold watch pictured here has a single-spiral bracelet set with diamonds and a mother-of-pearl dial.
Precious Time
The signature oval shape of Cartier’s Baignoire watch collection is named for the French baignoire, meaning bath. The brand is well-known for its unusual watch case shapes, which first appeared during the 1910s. Louis Joseph Cartier, a grandson of the brand’s founder Louis-François Cartier, has been credited for revolutionizing its modern watchmaking, both from a mechanical and a style standpoint.
“The 1912 design of the watch that would later be christened the ‘Baignoire’ demonstrated Cartier’s prowess in crafting watchmaking forms,” according to the brand. In the 1950s, the modern Baignoire watch went by another name, according to Cartier. “In 1958, the Ovale cintré watch first appeared, and in 1973 it was named the Baignoire.” The Bagnoire watch pictured above has a mother-of-pearl dial bordered by a case of 18-k yellow gold set with diamonds. Its crown is decorated with a single diamond.
A Legendary Movement
The new Zenith Chronomaster Sport’s mechanics harken back to the brand’s El Primero movement which was introduced more than 50 years ago. The history-making El Primero was the world’s first automatic integrated high-frequency caliber and is world-renowned for its timekeeping accuracy to this day. The timepiece features a mother-of-pearl dial with three counters at the 3, 6, and 9 o’clock positions, a design nod to the original El Primero.
The timepiece “is designed to seamlessly move across contexts, maintaining its mechanical authority while adapting effortlessly to its surroundings,” according to the brand. The watch is crafted of steel and 18-k rose gold, and will be produced in a limited quantity of just 50 pieces.