Following the success of the first Weekend models with aventurine and malachite dials, Perrelet is now completing the range with four safe choices in decorative watchmaking: turquoise, lapis lazuli, tiger’s eye and onyx. Familiar stones, chosen for the richness of their shades and their ability to give four very different faces to the same watch.
The Weekend is a particularly suitable setting for this exercise. Its 39mm round steel case frames a widely open dial, punctuated by fine baton indexes and dauphine hands: such a design allows the full benefit of an ornamental stone to be fully appreciated.
Black onyx, the most classic
Onyx is playing the obvious card here. Its deep and relatively uniform black surface gives the Weekend its most sober and dressy expression. The contrast with the indexes and hands ensures excellent legibility. Easy to wear, the stone brings real density and brilliance to a deliberately classic composition.
Tiger’s eye, it’s all about the light
Tiger’s eye immediately proves more expressive. Its shades range from golden brown to bronze and change noticeably depending on the angle of the light. This characteristic “chatoyancy” animates the dial as the wrist moves and gives the Weekend a much warmer personality.
The freshness of turquoise
With its light blue and naturally darker veining, turquoise transforms the appearance of the model even further. The color immediately brings freshness to the collection. The variations inherent to the material also introduce noticeable differences from one disc to another: the distribution of the veins and the shades of blue naturally make each dial unique. Despite this visual presence, reading the time remains clear.
Lapis lazuli, blue in depth
Lapis lazuli finally offers a denser interpretation. Its intense blue, animated by inclusions and mineral variations, has a depth that the lighting gradually reveals. The stone thus brings more texture than a traditional blue dial, while remaining within a particularly well-established field in watchmaking. The rhodium-plated elements stand out clearly against this dark background, while the date window at 3 o’clock blends discreetly into the whole.
A well-balanced Weekend
Behind the differences in color, the four versions share the same recipe. The steel case alternates polished and satin-finished surfaces and is water-resistant to 5 ATM. It is paired with a seven-row steel bracelet, also finished with alternating polished and satin-finished surfaces. Perrelet also provides a second alligator-style calfskin leather strap that matches the shade of the dial and is equipped with a quick-change system.
Inside sits the Perrelet P-321 automatic caliber, produced by Soprod. Beating at 4 Hz, it has a 42-hour power reserve. The transparent caseback allows the pearled bridges and its openworked oscillating weight adorned with a sunburst decoration to be observed.
The whole thing makes for a simple, balanced and particularly easy-to-understand watch. The stones bring just the right amount of uniqueness to a base whose proportions remain reasonable and whose readability is immediate.
Above all, Perrelet positions these four Weekend models at CHF 1,590 or euros, with an automatic movement and two straps included. A contained price for entering the world of natural stone dials, and probably one of the strongest arguments of a collection that prefers to rely on safe choices rather than complicating a formula that already works very well.
