Wooden dials, and why they should come back

Borna Bošnjak

Like many other weird and only sometimes wonderful designs and material choices, wooden dials were a true product of the 1970s, even though they trace their origins further back. If you spend any time at all scrolling through vintage watch listing, you’d have undoubtedly come across a wooden-dialled Datejust or two, perhaps even a Day-Date. But all of these models date back to the ’80s, which left me wondering – how about a modern watch with a wooden dial? Surely, that has to exist?

Wooden heyday

Before delving into current happenings, I wanted to recap some of my favourite wood-dial watches from the past. As is often the case with collectible vintage watches, Rolex is king here, with a multitude of dial options across three main model lines. By far the most appreciated is the Day-Date, and there are few vintage Rolex models that I like more than the Oysterquartz, and this walnut-dialled 19018 is particularly great.

If you wanted something a touch less flashy, you could always go with a Datejust, namely the ref. 16019 and its stunning dark burl dial. What’s especially cool about this particular reference is that it’s not actually steel, but rather white gold. There’s just something about a white gold watch, especially a rare vintage one, that screams IYKYK – but does so quietly, of course. To turn up the quirk to the max, there were also Rolex Cellini and Cellini Midas references with wooden dials, complete with geometric case and lugless design.

In my likely everlasting search of a real lapis-dialled Cartier Tank (not the blue-painted one – if you know of such a thing, please contact me), I’ve come across a bunch of strange models. The Tank Organic definitely tops that list, though. Sporting wooden panelling akin to a 1980s Chevy station wagon, these are extremely rare, reportedly produced for as short as a year in the mid-’70s, their production run of 3,000 ended by a merger of the two historic offices, and eventual unification under Cartier Monde in 1979. Cartier being Cartier, the signature blue cabochon was replaced with a brown spinel to match the Brazilian rosewood (palissandre de Rio, if you will) panels and dial.

Until researching this article, a brand I was sort of disappointed in for their lack of unique wooden dials was Universal Genève. Sure, there were a couple of round models here and there, but nothing nearly weird enough to warrant further searching, which in my opinion, is a must when it comes to something like a wooden dial. Then I stumbled across this – the reference 111010. The elliptical case and butcher’s block dial pattern are just… awesome. Jeez, as a writer you’d think I’d come up with a better description. In any case, the seller states that this is the only example of this watch they’ve ever come across, and a semi-thorough Google search reveals it to be true. Just like with the Cartier – UG experts, please do weigh in with your thoughts in my DMs.

Finally, I have to give a quick, honourable mention to the Bulova Accutron Woody. I won’t lie – it’s not a design that I find particularly beautiful, but the sheer audacity of creating something different, and ultimately, kind of cool – I have to applaud. If I ever end up picking one up, it’ll definitely get an Unholy Grail write-up.

Fit for a comeback

With more elaborate dial colours and materials (need I remind anyone of how many meteorite dials seem to be coming out) increasingly popular in micro/independent and established brands alike, I see no reason for wooden dials not to have a moment in the sun once again. That being said, wooden dials – or wood, more broadly – never really went away, but they’ve been largely reserved for two distinct watch categories. Exotic materials could always be found in high(er)-end pieces. Urwerk and Ralph Lauren have used wood to accent their bezels, Ulysse Nardin and Patek Philippe often make wonderful wooden marquetry mosaics, and brands like Piaget and Jaquet Droz don’t shy away from a more simple wooden dial. That’s all well and good – but what if you don’t want to spend five figures or more to see whether you’re a fan of the look?

These days, more affordable wooden options have often been reduced to being the material of choice for inexpensive, drop-shipped watch cases and bracelets, fitted with a low-cost quartz movement. If that’s your thing – who am I to judge? But surely, with so many microbrands popping up with amazing quality and fresh designs, there has to be one that makes a great wooden dial, right? I thought so too – but struggled to find any. Granted, wood isn’t the most durable material for something that experiences lots of shock, changing moisture conditions and so on – that’s why the wood-cased stuff doesn’t sit right with me – but surely a brand could step up and offer something new with a cool walnut burl dial?