The natural world abounds with millions of shades of green; from pine through mint, shades of savana and olive, to the vibrant greens of fresh shoots pushing out of the soil. When you look out over a forest scene, at first, you just see one color, but as you continue to look, the green separates into millions of hues.
In colour psychology, Green is most often associated with life, balance, harmony, growth, and healing. It certainly makes an interesting choice for a luxury watch, and it seems like every watch manufacturer is falling in with the new trend – green is the new black.
H. Moser & Cie. calls their particular choice of green “cosmic,” while Hermès plays it cool with their malachite dial – and let’s not forget the one-of-a-kind Rolex submariner in green, which earned the nickname “The Hulk.”
Yes, it seems green is everywhere this year, so to celebrate all things ‘naturelle‘ – here is a pick of three of my favourites.
Panerai Luminor Submersible 1950 Bronzo
Staying with the toned-down olives and military themes, Panerai remains true to its diving heritage with their choice of green.
What makes the 1950 Bronzo so appealing is not only the gorgeous green on the dial but the very exclusive green that develops on the bronze case itself – given enough time.
Only 1000 pieces of this special edition were made, and each one will naturally pick up subtle tones of green, copper, and argent as the metal reacts with the environment over a number of years, until each Panerai PAM 507 becomes a “piece unique.”
It’s enough to make any collector turn green with envy.
Patek Philippe World-Timer, Mecca Edition
Every once in a while Patek Philippe creates a limited watch for a particular region – such as the ‘Dubai’ edition made for the Patek Philippe exclusive retailer Ahmed Seddiqi & Sons, and ‘Shanghai’ edition for the opening of Shanghai Patek Philipp centre.
The reference 5130 P, is one of only 150 World Timers made of platinum instead of gold, (especially for the Saudi Market) with an immaculate emerald green center disc and “MECCA” printed in green on the dial.
Green Jaeger-LeCoultre Grande Reverso Ulra Thin
To mark the opening of its own London flagship boutique, Jaeger-LeCoultre unveiled a limited edition Grande Reverso Ultra Thin 1931, Special Edition (Ref. 278853L). This followed in the line of special Reversos over the last few years, including the fiery “Rouge,” and the delicious “Chocolat,” models.
This time, to match the season of green, the choice was an obvious one.
In addition to the bold colour choice, there is also an exquisite engraving of the iconic Big Ben on the reverse side. Only 26 of these were made.
According to Jaeger-LeCoultre, the deep green colour is a particular favourite of the brand’s Design and Artistic Director, Janek Deleskiewicz. His inspiration comes not from the classic British racing green, as you might expect, or even from the incredible British countryside, but from another tradition altogether.
It was the green silk linings he found inside his elegantly tailored British suits, during the 1960s and 1970s that did the trick.
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Whatever the inspiration might be – green is the colour of the season for fine luxury watches, it would seem, and perhaps it fits too – after all, green is the colour of money, isn’t it?
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