Every year, many rising trends are spotted at Watches and Wonders. One of the industry’s most esteemed trade shows, the Fondation de la Haute Horlogerie hosts the event annually in Geneva. Many luxury brands exhibit at the event and this year it opened its doors to the public for two days. Due to the scale of the event and the prestige of its exhibitors, trends identified at the event are very influential for the industry. Publications like Retail Jeweller reported that promising trends for 2023 included “sepia watches”. Beyond just a sepia dial, the sepia watch has a top-to-toe sepia colour palette. Indeed, sepia does seem to be the natural progression of the recent brown watch trend. Its warm tone also makes it perfect for both summer and autumn. Want to get ahead of the curve? We’ve put together this Trends to Watch: Sepia Watches guide to help you out.
Trends to Watch: The Best Sepia Watches
U-Boat Darkmoon (40mm) Brown Curve Vintage / Black Silicone 9547
Italian-born and bred U-Boat is renowned for its rugged and masculine designs. An iconic feature of many U-Boat watches is their beige indices. However, this particular Darkmoon model puts a spin on this. With a sepia-bronze dial at its centre, the design is framed by a bronze ion-plated stainless steel case. This measures 40mm in diameter. Of course, the defining characteristic of U-Boat’s Darkmoon collection is the oil-filled dial. The oil enhances the dial’s readability, as does its curved sapphire crystal. The watch’s Ronda 762 quartz movement and its 50 metres of water resistance also make it the reliable everyday sepia watch choice. Finishing touches on the dial include black mixed indices and polished black metal hands. To guarantee comfort, a black rubber strap completes the design. If you’re looking for a unique and masculine twist on the sepia watch trend, the U-Boat Darkmoon is an excellent option.
Out Of Order Sand Automatico Quaranta (40mm) Sand Dial / Aged Stainless Steel OOO.001-21.SA
One of the newer brands to First Class Watches, Out Of Order is a youthful Italian brand with a quirky portfolio. For a rustic look, the sand-tone dial on its Quaranta model features a gradient design that has a sandblasted matte finish. Contrasting the dial are applied baton indices as well as luminescent hour, minute and second hands. To shield the design from unintentional damage, a flat anti-reflective sapphire crystal extends over the watch face and magnifies the date display at 3 o’clock. Framing the dial is a solid stainless steel bidirectional rotating bezel with a sand-coloured aluminium top ring. This bezel is set into a solid stainless steel 40mm case and has been finished with OOO’s exclusive ageing process. Continuing this aged aesthetic is a matching stainless steel bracelet. Practicality-wise, the Quaranta also excels. With 100 metres of water resistance, a Seiko NH35 automatic movement powers the watch.
But, beware! The inner wall of the bezel contains what the brand describes as a “very important communication” that some wearers may not agree with.
EBEL Sport Classic Lady – 8 Diamonds (29mm) Sundial Dial / 18K Gold & Stainless Steel 1216595
The eye is immediately drawn to the warm pearlescent dial on this EBEL Sport Classic. Adorning the mother-of-pearl dial are two golden hands and eight diamond-set indices, which give the watch its luxury feel. These indices contrast applied Roman numerals which replace the 12, 3, 6 and 9 o’clock hour markers. A further luxury indulgence on the model is its stainless steel and 18K gold case, which features 55 more diamonds. These shimmer gently under the light, making the watch an unmissable statement on your wrist. In addition to its effortless elegance, the model also has an impressive water resistance of up to 50 metres. Moreover, it has other quality features such as its Swiss-made quartz movement and anti-reflective sapphire crystal.
Securing the watch to the wrist is a two-tone stainless steel and yellow gold PVD-finished link bracelet. Its golden tones extend the sepia tone of the dial to the rest of the design in a subtle and versatile way. Sumptuous and tasteful, this sundial EBEL Sport Classic is the perfect luxury sepia watch for women.
Fossil Men’s Machine Brown Dial Brown Stainless Steel Mesh Bracelet FS5936
For a casual and everyday sepia watch, we recommend this Fossil model. Its champagne dial takes centre stage and features a textured inner portion for added character. Around the circumference of the dial, there are brown baton indices. The 12, 3, 6, and 9 o’clock indices are slightly thicker in order to accentuate the principal markers on the dial. Matching hour, minute and second hands, sit at the dial’s centremost position and feature champagne detailing. Additionally, a date and weekday display sits at the 3 o’clock position. Completing the watch’s design is a beautiful brown-tone mesh bracelet that joins to the 42mm brown-tone stainless steel case. With a clean, to-the-point and neutral design, this Fossil is truly delightful.
Swatch Big Bold Bioceramic Colours of Nature Desert SB03C101
Taking a break from its usual outspoken and bold colour palette, this Swatch follows a cool-tone sepia colour scheme. The dial’s deep taupe colour and its minimalist design draw attention to its chunky brown hour, minute, and second hands. However, its neutral colour scheme doesn’t stop it from making a bold statement. Its beige bioceramic case measures 47mm in diameter and 11.75mm in thickness, making it striking on the wrist. Moreover, the silicone strap features a graduated assortment of sepia tones to add some aesthetic intrigue to the design. A brilliant budget way to jump on the trend, Swatch once again delivers a reliable timepiece at a great price point.
Will you be indulging in a sepia watch this summer? If so, we hope that our Trends to Watch: Sepia Watches was of help!
