Blue is still a strong competitor for the most popular colour of 2025 – especially light blue hues like on the Parmigiani Perpetual Calendar, or the Patek Philippe Quadruple Complication inspired by a pastel summery sky. Blue in watchmaking dates back centuries, and was a demanding and complex colour used for the most prestigious of timepieces. This gave it a strong symbolic value of luxury and exclusivity, not forgetting the colour’s royal connection.
In recent times, blue has now been prominent for approximately a decade, which makes it tricky to talk about it like a trend: just like democracy, it seems like it always was and always will be there. But beware, as it was not long ago that the colour was completely dead, even for sports watches.
“I remember around 2008/2009 when we developed the Girard-Perregaux Laureato,” said designer and watch expert Stefano Macaluso. “A personal project of mine was to make it with a blue dial, but finally my father (then CEO of Girard Perregaux, ed’s note) said ‘blue is not good for this kind of watch’,” he continued. Today the Laureato dials exists in ice blue, midnight blue, indigo blue, and ultramarine.
“Blue is an easy colour to wear, because it is a kind of style that fits within different cultures: Europeans, Americans, China – it is a very interesting colour with a fascinating history,” Mr. Macaluso said, recommending the book Blue, the history of a colour by French author Michel Pastoureau.
Zenith wants to make a blue splash for the brand’s 160th anniversary. In April 2025 it released three ceramic watches – Chronomaster Sport, Defy Skyline, and a Pilot – in an electric blue hue that won’t go unnoticed. Interestingly, the blue also comes in different sheens, as zirconium oxide, the most common blend for ceramic watches, has gone from being either dull or super shiny to having the different kind of textures you’d expect on a prestige metal watch. Said Zenith Chief Product Officer Romain Marietta: “Our suppliers now have more experience in mastering the material itself.” This includes handmade finishes. “Polished, satin, micro blasted/sandblasted and more. This technical material is also relatively accessible, so we can create great-looking watches with a very interesting price positioning,” Mr. Marietta concluded.
Sky Blue
Patek and Parmigiani are far from the only ones reaching for the sky when it comes to the choice of blue. The trend seems omnipresent at all price levels, as you can find the blues on Oris and Nomos as well as Laurent Ferrier Classic Auto Horizon and the new perpetual calendar from Audemars Piguet. The latter comes both in an 11.59 case and a Royal Oak case.
Blue might seem easy today, but for instance the sky-blue dial of Favre Leuba Chief Chronograph goes through more than 100 steps in its production. This includes a stamped snailing pattern, sunray circular brushed finish on the base and circular brushing on the contrasting grey-coloured sub-dials.
At Rolex, light blue signals platinum case, which is also the material used on the Chopard Alpine Eagle with a textured blue degradé dial reminiscent of an eagle’s iris. “These blues fit with most complementary colours. And where black might be too serious, blue is a bit more easy-going,” said Mr. Macaluso.
