Within a couple of weeks, 2024 will be over, and it will be time to reflect on all that’s happened over the past year in the world of watches.
Although the year hasn’t quite ended yet, I think it’s safe to say that one of the industry’s hottest trends in 2024 — if not the hottest — has been the triumphant return of natural stone dials.
The trend began in earnest last year in the luxury space, with Rolex, Audemars Piguet, and Girard-Perregaux all launching new references featuring the types of exotic stone dials that were popular half a century ago. The high-end trend continued into this year, with watches like the $55,000+ stone-dial Mirage from newcomer Berneron drawing significant buzz.
But over the course of the year, a funny thing happened: stone dials became democratized. At seemingly record-breaking speed, a luxury watch trend found its way to the affordable market — and in an uncompromised form, no less. Brands like Baltic and Zodiac started throwing exotic natural stone dials on watches regular people can afford, and now Bulova has joined the party with its own unique trio of trendy stone-dial watches.
Everybody must get stoned
Bulova’s stone dials are the result of its second collab with Complecto, a New York-based organization that aims to increase watch enthusiasm in underrepresented communities by helping brands reach more diverse audiences.
The collab consists of three new references of Bulova’s Super Seville, itself a new release that debuted only a few months ago. The Super Seville is already a very cool watch oozing with retro style thanks to its combination of an integrated bracelet with a fluted bezel and cyclops date window. The watch also features Bulova’s superb Precisionist quartz movement that beats at a whopping 262 kHz, giving the watch’s seconds hand a perfectly smooth sweep.
