Blue. A short, straightforward word. A color that everyone thinks they know, yet which defies simple definitions. In watchmaking, it is a code, a mood, a language unto itself. Once again this year, at the Watches and Wonders show in Geneva, the observation was clear: blue has not moved from the wrist. Or rather, it is everywhere. IWC, Zenith, Chanel... all have let blue saturate their display cases. Not out of creative laziness, but because it is visually obvious. There is no longer any need to hesitate: blue has become the neutral color of watchmaking. Neither cold nor warm, neither ostentatious nor discreet. Just perfectly right.
Blue is not coming back, it never leaves
At Matwatches, the new generation Picobello is a striking example of this. From the moment it was launched, it caused a tidal wave, and its blue version promises an equally powerful response. Jubilee bracelet, polished steel, bright blue. A watch that is not afraid to be seen, nor to set sail. The sea air on your wrist.
And then there's the extreme. The Richard Mille RM17-02. Blue ceramic, skeletonized architecture, integrated tourbillon. A piece that doesn't seek to seduce, it provokes. Designed as a manifesto, it's not blue for the sake of coquetry. It's blue like one wears armor, with power and panache.
Blue is a playground
Between the spectacular swell of some creations and the absolute calm of others, an infinite range of nuances unfolds. Grand Seiko, faithful to its vision of time as a reflection of nature, continues to explore this unique aesthetic where each dial evokes a season, a breath, a light. Its glacier blue model, with its subtly changing reflections, is a lesson in sophistication. Nothing screams, everything shines.
Beaubleu has the same high standards with the Ecce Figura Smalt, whose chiseled dial evokes the grain of creative paper. Semi-octagonal case, grazing light, delicate geometry: here, blue becomes texture, rhythm. It adorns without dominating.
One color, a thousand uses
The Ingenieur Automatic 40 by IWC is the perfect synthesis. Neo-retro design inspired by the 1970s, deep blue checkered dial, in-house caliber with an impressive power reserve (120 hours), high resistance to magnetic fields... This watch ticks all the boxes of a contemporary object designed to last. Not an exercise in style, but a lesson in rigor.
And what about Chanel, which is celebrating the 25th anniversary of its iconic J12 in deep blue? Five years of research went into developing an exclusive matte ceramic, punctuated with baguette-cut blue sapphire hour markers. Here, minimalism achieves a form of silent, almost secret luxury. A jewel that does not seek to attract light: it absorbs it.
Not a fashion, a signature of watches
It can be worn with a suit or shorts, in a meeting room or on a sunny terrace. It transcends seasons, generations, and attitudes. It says something about you without overdoing it. And above all, it lasts. Green is a trend. Blue is a staple.
But ultimately, what makes the difference is perhaps what this color conveys. An atmosphere. A suspended moment. What is known in literature and perfumery as the blue hour. That fragile moment between day and night, when time hesitates and contrasts fade away. On the dial, it becomes an escape. A fragment of sky, worn on the wrist.
And then we understand why it is always there. Because in blue, time simply seems to pass more beautifully.
A few other iconic models...
Oris Big Crown Pointer Date Automatic Electric Blue Dial
Herbelin Cap Camarat Square Automatic
Awake Son Mài Silver Leaf “Outre Bleu”
Zenith Defy Skyline Chronograph 160th
An article written by Édouard Bierry, featured in issue 12 of OniriQ magazine.
Translated by Bethszabee Garner
