Luxury brands Patek Philippe, Jaeger-LeCoultre, IWC, Breitling, Vacheron Constantin and Tudor include salmon-dial timepieces in their collections.
Watches with salmon-colored dials, while still somewhat of a rarity, have seen a resurgence among top watch brands in recent years. While white, blue, silver and black dials are by far and away the most common colors, salmon and similar shades are making their mark in haute horlogerie.
“Salmon-colored dials, also referred to as pink or rose dials, have since the early 20th century been used infrequently in some of the finest Swiss wristwatches,” said Paul Boutros, Phillips’ deputy chairman and head of watches, Americas. “Seen in some of the most desirable vintage Patek Philippe time-only and complicated watches, they command a significant [price] premium over identical watches fitted with silver dials due to their rarity and beauty.”
When asked about the resurgence in popularity of modern salmon-dial watches, Boutros said, “Salmon-colored dials are absolutely classic, with a rich, luxurious and timeless look. They are aesthetically stunning, providing superb contrast when used in watches with white metal cases, and equally beautiful when used in a more monochromatic look with pink gold cases.”
A History of Excellence
Patek Philippe’s Calatrava collection was first launched more than 90 years ago in 1932, and has remained a strong pillar for the manufacture. The brand is the oldest, and only, remaining family-owned watchmaking company based in Geneva. In 2025, Patek introduced a platinum Calatrava with a salmony dial that the brand describes as having an “opaline rose-gilt decoration.” The watch’s white gold hands and hour markers provide a contrast that enhances visibility and coordinates with the color of the watch’s case. The 6196P has a small second hand at 6 o’clock, and its exquisitely finished manually wound movement can be viewed through a sapphire crystal caseback.
Over the Moon
Jaeger-LeCoultre is known for its movement craftsmanship, perhaps especially for its mastery of very slim movements. This year, the brand introduced two new watches in its Master Ultra Thin collection, the Master Ultra Thin Date and the Master Ultra Thin Moon. Both the date and moon phase versions are equipped with what the brand describes as a “grained copper-colored dial” and are housed in a stainless steel case. The Master Ultra Thin Date and the Master Ultra Thin Moon (pictured left) are equipped with slim self-winding movements with a thickness of just 7.9 millimeters and 9.3 millimeters, respectively.
An Iconic Design
IWC added a salmon-dial watch to its iconic Portugieser collection in 2023. The Portugieser Automatic 40’s dial follows the design codes of all of the brand’s watches in this line, which it describes as “clearly organized and open.” The watch features the brand’s iconic minute scale design, which encircles the edge of its dial, and has a small seconds display at 6 o’clock. The IWC Portugieser Automatic 40’s self-winding movement, which has a power reserve of 60 hours, can be viewed through its sapphire crystal caseback.
Royal Legacy
Tudor “has endeavoured to produce the best possible watches at the best price” since its founding in 1926. The brand, known for its robust timepieces, introduced the Royal collection in 2020. The name Royal was first used by the brand in the 1950s to emphasize the high quality of its watches. The sporty-chic watches are available in a variety of metals and case sizes. The salmon-dial timepiece pictured left features eight diamond-set hour markers and a date display.
1950s Inspiration
Vacheron Constantin’s Patrimony collection is “inspired by the ultra-thin, round timepieces crafted by Vacheron Constantin in the 1950s, [and] has embraced minimalism and subtlety for more than two decades,” according to the brand. The Patrimony Retrograde Day-Date displays the day of the week and the date in its dial with two additional hands at the 6 and 12 o’clock positions, respectively, and is powered by an in-house self-winding movement. Measuring just 5.4 millimeters thick, the slim movement allows the watch to be just 9.7 millimeters high.
Functional Elegance
Breitling’s Premier B01 design is inspired by a 1940s chronograph designed by Willy Breitling, the grandson of founder Léon Breitling. He wanted to create a chronograph that was “functional but also undeniably elegant and infinitely wearable,” according to the brand, and he called it the Premier. Like the original, the Premier B01 has two subdials at 3 and 9 o’clock and features Arabic numerals. The watch is powered by the brand’s in-house self-winding Breitling 01 movement with 70 hours of power reserve.
At Phillips’ New York Watch Auction XII in December 2025, Boutros cited an Urban Jürgensen timepiece as the most noteworthy salmon-dial watch that was presented for sale. “Our sale included a superb 18-karat white-gold Urban Jürgensen, the reference 1140WG with a salmon dial. Fitted with applied white gold Breguet numerals for the hour markers, this simple, time-only watch captures the ethos of Urban Jürgensen, uniting traditional craftsmanship with a refined, modern look.” Indeed, the watch is decidedly modern, having been made just four years ago in 2021.
Will this trend of salmon-dial modern watches continue? The future looks rosy.