As it has every December for the last 25 years, Pantone, the global authority on color, has announced what it believes will become next year’s hottest shade. Pantone has selected Peach Fuzz as the Color of the Year for 2024, which according to the company is “a velvety gentle peach whose all-embracing spirit enriches mind, body, and soul.” Pantone further states that it’s “a warm and cozy shade highlighting our desire for togetherness with others and the feeling of sanctuary.” While the name may be different and the sentiment behind picking this specific hue is new, watch collectors and enthusiasts are very familiar with this tone; we just know it as a salmon dial watch.
Salmon dial watches have been a staple in horology since the early 20th Century and it’s not uncommon for high-end watchmakers such as Patek Philippe to reserve this particular pigment for exceptional releases. There’s something charming about a salmon dial watch; not quite pink, not quite orange, and not quite gold, its delicious shade sits somewhere in between and has historically signaled something special. More and more watch brands have taken note of the popularity of salmon dials and in turn, are adding them to their catalogs. Let’s have a look at the origins and evolution of the salmon dials, dig into some classic examples, and showcase some modern interpretations. If you’re on board with Peach Fuzz as the new color of the year, then a salmon dial watch is one you should consider.
The Origins of Salmon Dials on Watches
The origins of salmon as a dial color can be traced back to vintage watches with rose gold dials. Rose gold was created by Peter Carl Fabergé in the late 19th Century, who incorporated it into his famous Fabergé Eggs.
The pink-toned gold later appeared on other luxury goods including jewelry, and of course, timepieces. But rose gold wasn’t just used to craft watch cases and bracelets but dials too, which thanks to the rosy hue, we can point to as paving the way for salmon dials.
While tone-on-tone case and dial combinations set the stage, pinkish dials began cropping up inside white metal watch cases around the 1930s and became quite popular in the 1950s. There are some gorgeous examples of mid-century vintage Rolex, LeCoultre, Omega, Patek Philippe, and Vacheron Constantin watches on the market that combine rose gold dials and white metal cases. Rolex began using salmon dials in its bubbleback watches. Patek Philippe allowed its most prominent clients to custom order salmon dials.
Thanks to their historic significance, vintage luxury watches with salmon dials and similar blush-colored variations often do very well at auctions. For instance, in 2019, a 1947 Patek Philippe Ref. 1518 with a salmon dial was sold for $2.3 million during the Phillips Game Changers auction — a record for that reference in pink gold.
But the phenomenon isn’t reserved for vintage pieces only. Earlier that same year, Christie’s in Geneva sold the world’s most expensive watch at the 2019 Only Watch Auction; it was the modern-day Patek Philippe Grandmaster Chime Ref. 6300A-010 with a salmon dial, which fetched $31.19 million.
Plenty of Options
Many brands have dabbled with salmon dials and as we’ve mentioned, the color has become particularly popular in recent years. In fact, the A. Lange & Söhne 1815 Rattrapante Perpetual Calendar, Tudor Royal, H. Moser & Cie Streamliner, Bulgari Octo Finissimo Automatic, Chopard LUC 1860, IWC Portugieser Automatic 40, and Cartier Pasha watches are just a few that welcomed salmon dials to their lineups in 2023.
But even looking back at watches released over the few decades or so reveals that salmon dials have always been present. In the 1990s, we have the Daniel Roth Masters Chronograph and Rolex Day-Date 18239.
The 2000s gave us the Rolex Air-King 114200 and Patek Philippe Gondolo 10-Day Tourbillon; the 2010s witnessed the debut of the Patek Philippe 5270P Perpetual Calendar Chronograph.
More recently, Audemars Piguet launched the titanium Royal Oak Self-Winding Flying Tourbillon with a stunning Evolutive Tapisserie salmon dial, and Vacheron Constantin introduced a platinum Traditionnelle Perpetual Calendar Chronograph with a salmon dial. Plus, it can be argued that Rolex’s modern “Sundust” dials are salmon-adjacent.
In short, if you want to get on board with Pantone’s 2024 Color of the Year trend as a watch enthusiast, then all you have to do is find a salmon dial watch. There are plenty around to catch.