Five Watches With Colorful Dials To Light Up Your Winter Blues

For those in the Northern Hemisphere, this time of year is associated with cold and dark days! But fear not; it is a scientifically proven fact that bringing color into your life can cheer you up. Some colors, like yellow, trigger the release of serotonin in our brains, making us feel happy. Watches with colorful dials, therefore, are good for you!

I can think of no better reason to consider buying a watch with a colorful dial than the idea that it will make me a little happier. This seems like as good a reason as any to consider a new watch purchase. Throw in the notion that this time of year is associated with gift-giving, and we have a powerful capitalist combination. So, without further ado, let’s dive in and check out five fantastic watches with colorful dials.

Watches with colorful dials: Tudor’s Black Bay Chrono in pink

This divisive color comes from a brand known for its burly tool watches. The pink-dial Tudor Black Bay Chrono is sure to raise eyebrows in a crowd. Pink is a great color for a watch if you ask me. I have no problem with the idea of wearing a watch with a pink dial. Plus, what you get with Tudor’s Black Bay Chrono is a highly capable tool watch with lots of features. Screw-down pushers help provide water resistance to 200 meters. The Snowflake hands are distinctively Tudor, and the five-row bracelet is comfortable, especially with the brand’s rapid-adjustment T-fit clasp.

The Tudor Black Bay Chrono measures 41mm in diameter, 14.2mm thick, and 49.9mm from lug to lug. With dimensions like those, it’s not a small watch but wears pretty well all things considered. Now, you can opt for a more monochromatic colorway with this watch, but the pink dial is a real standout. So, for this particular colorway, the Tudor Black Bay Chrono is a winner for me. Throw in the build quality we’ve come to expect from Tudor, and you have a powerful value proposition.

Omega’s Aqua Terra

This special-edition 38mm Aqua Terra (ref. 220.10.38.20.03.004) comes in an enchanting shade of blue. Indeed, of all the blue colorways we saw as part of Omega’s 75th anniversary of the Seamaster line, this is perhaps my favorite. To quickly recap, Omega released different dial colors showing varying shades of blue as part of this release. The deeper the watch’s depth rating, the darker the blue. It was an incredibly cool release from Omega, and this Aqua Terra is no exception.

Sure, there are plenty of other bright color options in the Aqua Terra collection, but there is something special about the powder-blue version here. Omega’s Aqua Terra is a truly capable watch that can handle almost anything you can throw at it, but it also looks perfectly appropriate dressed up or down. Omega punches hard with the Aqua Terra line, but it has to because the “go anywhere, do anything” category of sports/dress watches is fiercely competitive.

A Doxa Sub in Divingstar yellow

Doxa’s Sub 300 and Sub 300T lines are nothing short of dive-watch icons. Used by famous ocean explorers and professional divers during the golden age of mechanical watches last century, Doxa Subs are incredibly cool. They are also relatively approachable when you pit them against dive watches with similar heritage, like the Rolex Submariner and Omega Seamaster 300. Sure, we are discussing different levels of watchmaking here, but for the money, you’re getting a well-built Swiss-made mechanical watch with an incredible heritage. If you want something smaller, you can also opt for the less expensive Doxa Sub 200T. This 39mm charmer is a favorite of mine when it comes to watches with colorful dials.

Within the Doxa Sub collections, we have a dazzling array of color options. Even so, the foundational colors were black (Sharkhunter), silver (Searambler), orange (Professional), and Divingstar (yellow). The Divingstar version is my pick by a country mile today. Of all the colors that seem to pop in person, yellow is always right up there. I have had my eye on a watch that Hodinkee Editor-in-Chief James Stacey owns, the Doxa Sub 200T in the Divingstar iteration. So, my advice? If you’re after a dive watch with some punch, pick a color, and grab one of these Doxas.

Image: Wind Vintage

Rolex Oyster Perpetual

The Rolex Oyster Perpetual is a watch that needs little introduction. It represents the core DNA of a Rolex sports watch. The standard 100m water resistance, a screw-down crown, the iconic Oyster case, and the Oyster bracelet all come together to provide a heady dose of sport chic. I own a vintage 34mm Rolex Oyster ref. 1002 (with a manual-wind caliber), but of all the watches in Rolex’s modern catalog, one of the standouts for me is the Oyster Perpetual 36. The 36mm size is classic and works well for most wrists. It’s also the smallest diameter to house the Rolex caliber 3230.

Image: Artisans of Time

One great thing about this particular version (ref. 126000) is we have the same caliber as the current Rolex Submariner, offering a 70-hour power reserve and an accuracy of ±2 seconds per day. But the best thing, I would argue, is that we have different color options! One of my favorites is the yellow dial, but sadly, Rolex no longer makes it. So today, we have the beautiful green version to consider. Of the types of green out there, I would say this is more of a dark British racing green. Just like Omega’s Aqua Terra, we have a highly capable daily watch that can handle all sorts of conditions, including a trip to the ocean, while it looks good in any situation.

King Seiko 

King Seiko is a watchmaking name close to my heart. Founded as an in-house competitor to Grand Seiko, King Seiko produced some wonderful watches in the brand’s heyday in the 1960s. A few years ago, Seiko brought back the King Seiko line with modern renditions of some classic case designs that the originals brought to the table. The cases followed the Japanese designer Taro Tanaka’s Grammar of Design, which emphasized sharp, faceted angles. I own a vintage King Seiko 44-9990, which has a case design very similar to the modern watches pictured above. What we have above are versions in lavender, blue, and maroon. My favorite is the lavender dial (ref. SJE107), and lavender is an underappreciated hue when it comes to watches with colorful dials.

What we get with this King Seiko model is an incredibly attractive 38.6mm case, a comfortable bracelet, and a stunning dial. The King Seiko line in general is worth further investigation. One thing I would emphasize, however, is the attractiveness of seeking vintage options when possible. Vintage King Seiko is some of the best value for money still out there on the secondary market. Still, Seiko is known for its attention to detail when it comes to dials, and modern options like this King Seiko are no exception.

Concluding thoughts on watches with colorful dials

There are so many ways I could have taken this article. The sheer number of options is dizzying. I suppose a part of me wanted to feature watches I could potentially afford with a lot of diligence. A special mention goes to some of the options we have seen from the Tissot PRX line. Among them is a multitude of colors that play well with the PRX’s sporty vibe.

This article has just scratched the very surface of what is out there when it comes to watches with colorful dials. How about you, Fratelli? What options would you recommend? I look forward to reading about them in the comments.