Orange crush: Timepieces that make a bold statement
From sporty chronographs to daring high watchmaking creations, these luxury watches make a compelling case for embracing orange over traditional watch colours.
From bold orange bezels to vibrant ceramic cases, these luxury watches make a strong case for adding a pop of colour to your wrist. (Photos: Courtesy of respective brands)
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In an industry long dominated by the restraint of black, navy blue and silver, one colour has been making a far more assertive statement. Orange, once considered a sartorial gamble in fine watchmaking, has become a favourite among watchmakers, effortlessly blending luxury with athleticism and the spirit of adventure.
Long before it made its way into the collections of some of Switzerland’s most revered watchmakers, the colour served a far more practical purpose. Its high visibility against the blue and green of the underwater environment made it a natural choice for dive watches and oceanographic equipment, where legibility was paramount.
Today, orange is no longer reserved for rugged tool watches, having shed its purely functional past to become watchmaking’s poster child for playful luxury. It has found its way into some of watchmaking’s most recognisable collections, from Hermes’ H08 to Hublot’s Spirit of Big Bang. Here are six orange timepieces that bring a welcome dose of colour and personality to the wrist.
HERMES H08 CHRONOGRAPHE
Hermes gets playful with the H08 Chronographe, pairing its moody carbon fibre composite case and dark dial with a bright orange rubber strap. The 41mm-wide timepiece marries both hard and soft lines with circles and squares throughout – an aesthetic Hermes has perfected over the years with its H08 collection. The dial, complete with an industrial grained finish, takes many of the cues from the existing collection but adapts it for its chronograph function with a 30-minute counter at 9 o’clock.
Visible through the sapphire caseback is the mechanical self-winding H1837 movement. As a monopusher chronograph, the timepiece uses a single button integrated into the crown at 3 o’clock to start, stop and reset its stopwatch function. As always, Hermes is big on design details here, from the repeating “H” motif on the rotor and bridges, to the font of the numbers, which mirror the shape of the case that houses them.
TAG HEUER AQUARACER PROFESSIONAL 500 DATE
With its black lacquered dial and orange flange, Tag Heuer’s Aquaracer Professional 500 Date is a standout watch for those who want a subtle dose of the bright hue. Designed for professional diving, the timepiece offers water resistance of up to 500m, hands and indexes coated with white Super-LumiNova for underwater legibility, and a magnified date display at 6 o’clock.
Its COSC-certified Calibre TH30-00 is a true workhorse here, promising lasting accuracy and endurance even in the depths of the oceans. To preserve the integrity of the titanium case even under pressure, Tag Heuer has fitted the watch with a helium escape valve crafted from sandblasted grade 2 titanium with a black DLC coating.
OMEGA SEAMASTER PLANET OCEAN 600M
The Omega Seamaster Planet Ocean 600M pairs serious dive-watch credentials with a bold splash of colour. Its vivid orange ceramic bezel, numerals, and rubber strap contrast with a matte black dial, framed by a 42mm polished-and-brushed stainless steel case. The result is a handsome, sporty timepiece that would look as much at home on a padel court as it would on a luxury yacht. Inside, the Co-Axial Master Chronometer Calibre 8912 offers a 60-hour power reserve and Master Chronometer certification. It also features a practical time zone function, allowing the hour hand to be adjusted without stopping the watch.
HUBLOT SPIRIT OF BIG BANG ORANGE CERAMIC
Few watchmakers wield high-tech materials with the audacity of Hublot, and the Spirit of Big Bang Orange Ceramic is a striking example. The Swiss watchmaker transformed the brand’s signature tonneau-shaped ceramic case with the hue, a feat in itself as Hublot had to spend years perfecting the production process in order to achieve the rich, flawlessly uniform orange without burning out the pigments.
Beyond its fiery exterior, the 42mm watch features an openworked sapphire dial that reveals the skeletonised HUB4700 automatic chronograph movement. This high-frequency calibre is descended from the legendary Zenith El Primero, introduced in 1969 as one of the world’s first automatic chronograph movements. Limited to 200 pieces and paired with a black-and-orange rubber strap, the timepiece is unlikely to go unnoticed.
BREITLING PROFESSIONAL ENDURANCE PRO 44
The Breitling Professional Endurance Pro 44 in its orange iteration was clearly designed for energetic, bold, and adventurous personalities. The tangerine hue can be found on several parts of the watch, from the strap and the crown to the pulsometer, which when paired with the black dial and Breitlight case offers just the right amount of contrast for everyday athletic pursuits. The chronograph will endure any quest that you put it through, thanks in part to its ultra-light case, made from a robust material that is lighter than titanium and stainless steel. It is also precise, powered by the COSC-certified Calibre 82 SuperQuartz movement, which allows wearers to time races and measure elapsed time.
KONSTANTIN CHAYKIN PUMPKIN HEAD
As far as Halloween references go, Konstantin Chaykin’s pumpkin-orange Wristmon is perhaps the most literal. The independent watchmaker traded his trademark Joker for a jack-o’-lantern, complete with a toothy grin that changes with the moon phases and two triangular eyes that indicate the time, giving the watch – quite literally – a different face every time you look at it. The dial’s sunburst guilloche recalls the grooves of its namesake vegetable, and is the perfect contrast against its 42mm bronze case, which houses the brand’s calibre K07-0. The movement combines a base Swiss ETA 2824-2 automatic movement with an in-house module for the moving eyes and mouth indicators.
Created as a unique piece in 2017, the Pumpkin Head is unlikely to find its way into most collections, but remains a wonderfully eccentric example of creative watchmaking.
Source: CNA/sn
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