Salmon leaps into the new year with a raft of pink-hued dials making a strong showing at the SIHH
Salmon-coloured dials were a relatively common feature on wristwatches from the 1940s to the 1970s, with major manufacturers like Longines, Omega, Rolex and Tudor producing variants. But as the decades went by, their popularity waned. By the 2000s, salmon dials were almost exclusively the preserve of Patek Philippe, and even then, only its special order pieces. Musician Eric Clapton is known to have several custom pieces from Patek with salmon dials.
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Salmon dials witnessed a revival as early as last year, with Montblanc issuing the 1858 Chronograph Tachymeter Limited Edition Bronze and Patek itself unveiling its Reference 5270P Perpetual Calendar Chronograph, both with salmon dials. Later in the year, influential watch publications Hodinkee and Revolution teamed up with watchmakers Gronefeld and Chopard respectively to release limited edition watches—the Gronefeld 1941 Remontoire and Chopard L.U.C 1860—with salmon dials.