The eye of the tiger is back in watchmaking – and at multiple price points

Russell Sheldrake

For years now, the watch media has been proclaiming that smaller watches are back in vogue and anyone who wants a case size over 40mm would be mad. While there is a small amount of truth to that statement, one trend that has unmistakably been on the rise of late is the increased use of semi-precious stone dials. Made famous, and some say perfected, by Piaget in the ’60s and ’70s, the use of these highly coloured, decorative, and often fragile stones has been creeping back into watchmaking, and through perhaps the most creative avenue open to it: through new, young microbrands that have an abundance of creativity and a lack of shareholders restraining them.

But there is one particular stone that I want to focus on here, and it is tiger’s eye. Technically a mineral that belongs to the quartz family, it’s mainly made of silica and gets its golden-brown striations through the presence of an iron ore called limonite. While I’m unable to highlight the first use of this stone in a watch, I can comfortably say that some of its best uses came from Piaget and Rolex. Piaget’s dress watches that feature the stone on the dial and even stretching out to the bezel show how creative the designers and jewellers of that house can be, while the Rolex Datejust ref. 1601 with a tiger’s eye dial is a stone-cold killer (pun very much intended).

But what prompted me to talk about the use of this stone now is the recent release from Dennison, and how it instantly reminded me of the tiger’s eye version of the Berneron Mirage. Both of these shaped dress watches come from this new crop of brands that are leading the industry in terms of creativity and youthful energy. They also come from the minds of two of the most prolific designers working today, namely Sylvain Berneron and Emmanuel Gueit. But the main thing that separates these two is their price.

Let’s first look at the watch that came out first, the Berneron Mirage 34. After its release, it quickly became unobtainium, selling out almost instantly, with many clamouring to get their hands on one. The warped shape of the case seemed to be perfectly in proportion, with some similarity but enough difference to the Cartier Crash to draw a comparison without crying of a copy. Inside this odd shape is a movement that fits it perfectly: its Calibre 215 elevates this watch above many other shaped pieces, purely because of its consistency with the rest of the watch.

But we’re here to talk about that dial. Bereneron didn’t cut corners here either, opting for a thicker slice of tiger’s eye than you would normally find on a watch. Not only does this make it less fragile, but it allows the brand to carve out the small seconds counter, adding depth to it without altering the pattern that runs through it all. When you take all of this into consideration, along with the watch’s scarcity, it makes sense why Berneron can ask CHF 48,000 for it. This watch may not be attainable for many of us, but it is clear to see where your money is going.

Then we turn to a far more accessible example of tiger’s eye. The new collection from Dennison features a number of stone dials, but it’s the tiger’s eye that drew my eye (pun unintended) straight away. The cushion case shape forms an immaculate frame around the stone, and the dial is devoid of nearly all markings, save for a conservative Dennison marque at 4:30. This watch really is all about making the most of the natural beauty and individuality of its stone dials.

It runs on a Ronda quartz movement, and the case itself is stainless steel with gold PVD plating to match the tone of the stone. But all this does is help keep this watch to the achievable price of £543, very much the other end of the spectrum to the Mirage, but you could argue the effect that both produce is similar. They both evoke a vintage aesthetic that delivers the same feel as a classic Piaget, with warm tones and an almost rebellious streak that tiger’s eye delivers.

What does this mean for the industry though? Well, in the grand scheme of things, very little. These watches are not breaking into the mainstream, big box brands; they are not selling enough to disrupt a market; and they very much exist inside their own niche. However, for those of us who like to follow these things closely, it’s indicative that the most creative minds in our industry are beginning to turn to some of the more colourful and esoteric examples from the past. That means that we may see even more creative options from these outlets in the future as they look to develop their ideas further and search for new references to call upon. But I certainly wouldn’t complain if we start to see more tiger’s eye moving into the market now that these two have picked it up.

But when we compare the two side-by-side, it shows that the stone doesn’t need to be penned into the upper echelons of the industry. There are ways of making it accessible to a much wider audience, without losing any of its refinement. When we see brands like Baltic moving aggressively into the stone dial sector, it shows that the uptake in this style is likely to be far quicker and wider than we could have first predicted.