5 watches to scratch the Patek Philippe ‘Tiffany blue’ itch (and won’t cost you $6.5m)
Published on Apr 25, 2022 at 11:51 AM (UTC+4)
by Alessandro Renesis
Last updated on Apr 25, 2022 at 11:53 AM (UTC+4)
Edited by
Kate Bain
It’s hard to say exactly when and how the trend started, but Tiffany-signed watches and timepieces with a Tiffany Blue dial are the hottest things on the streets.
Just a few weeks ago Patek Philippe released a Tiffany Dial and Tiffany-signed Nautilus that made collectors and enthusiasts go mad.
Jay-Z was the first to rock the Patek Philippe Tiffany, Drake was spotted wearing one recently, and Mark Whalberg was casually flaunting one on his wrist in an Instagram video only a few days back.
For a watch that can sell at auction for $6.5 million, it’s got a lot of fans.
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Tiffany & Co was founded in 1837 in Connecticut and the iconic ‘Tiffany Blue’ hue was first popularised in the mid-1800s, when Tiffany published the ‘Blue Book’, a mail-order catalogue.
Fast-forward to 2022 and Tiffany Blue – a light, almost ‘aquatic’ shade of blue – is sought after by collectors, who are always looking for Tiffany-signed dials – as in, watches that are sold at the Tiffany & Co. boutique in NYC and boast a distinctive ‘Tiffany & Co’ inscription on the dial.
There’s only one slight problem: Tiffany dial watches are not only expensive but they’re also often unattainable because demand exceeds supply, by a considerable margin, and that means watch brands can cherry-pick their customers.
The good news is you don’t have to spend eleventy trillion billion to get a nice watch with that specific shade of blue if the visual effect is all you’re after, which is why I thought it’d be nice to put together a list of 5 (in descending order) timepieces you can buy to scratch that particular itch without breaking the bank.
Or selling your lungs.
1. Doxa Aquamarine 300t ($1,850)
Doxa is a diver’s delight. Doxa and ‘divers’ go together in the same way that wine and Italy go together.
It was founded in Switzerland in 1889 and around 70 years later, in the 1960s, Doxa began collaborating with the US Navy as well as with Jacques Cousteau, a renowned French Naval Officer and explorer, to produce wristwatches that could withstand water pressure in the depths of the ocean.
After a few decades in the dark, Doxa has resurfaced (pun intended) with modern dive watches, coming in with colourful dials, including a light blue dial.
The Aquamarine 300t, for example, was first launched in the late 1960s… just in time for the quartz crisis which nearly killed the Swiss watch industry, but it didn’t
And this timepiece survived and it is now a flagship product for Doxa, as the brand combines the cult-like following it always had with a modern approach which makes the brand successful and relevant today.
This watch is a proper (and certified) diver, water-resistant up to 1200m, and powered by a Swiss-made automatic movement with a 38-hour power reserve.
It ain’t cheap, with a price tag north of $1,800, but it is at least attainable, as in you could actually go out and buy it with no waiting lists and no crazy markups, and it’s guaranteed to retain its value.
2. Halios Universa Pastel Blue (ca. $700)
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Halios is a highly respected microbrand founded in 2009 by Jason Lim, who wanted to create a brand to maximise what you get in terms of spec, while keeping the overall costs (and price) relatively low.
The Universa is available in different colourways and one of them is this ‘Pastel Blue’.
The 38mm brushed and polished stainless steel case houses a SW210-1 Sellita manual-winding movement (no date) with a 40-hour power reserve.
It’s a sports watch but it can also go in the water, and even though $700 isn’t exactly pocket money, it’s a good deal for this watch gives you in terms of spec and build quality.
3. Undone Stellar Tiff Blue ($349)
Undone is a Hong Kong-based brand that specialises in customisable watches as well as timepieces inspired and dedicated to pop culture figures such as Popeye or Mickey Mouse. This particular piece is based on the Urban model, which they often use as a base to create different timepieces, and called ‘Stellar Tiff Blue‘, so the inspiration for the dial is clear.
The movement is a Japanese meca-quartz flyback chronograph: in simple terms, it’s powered by a battery but it vibrates at a higher frequency, which means the chronograph hand doesn’t tick, it sweeps.
Even though it’s a chronograph, I’d still call this a dress watch, partly because of the elegant and understated case and design and also because of the leather strap.
It could be yours for $349.
4. Seiko 5 SNK 791K1 (ca. $300)
This is one of many Seiko models that are part of the ‘5’ family, ref. SNK 791K1, and it is a compact (38 mm) automatic watch with a quickset day-date function and an ice blue dial. It is powered by Seiko’s 7S26 automatic movement with a 48-hour power resistant.
Some would call this a sports watch, which it is except for the fact that water resistance is only 30 mt (basically just splash-resistant), and it is fitted with Seiko’s proprietary hardlex crystal, a type of scratch-resistant glass that Seiko invented and patented.
It was discontinued a few years ago but it is still relatively easy to find in the pre-owned market, usually priced around $300.
5. Waldan Heritage Professional ($299.99)
Waldan is a US-based microbrand. They like to keep things simple in terms of complications – most of their watches don’t even have a date function – but they certainly don’t shy away from colourful dials.
The Heritage Professional (ref. 0196BL) features a pastel blue dial – they call it ‘Sly Blue’ – with a 40 mm case and a small sub-dial for seconds hand (in red) located at the 6.
It’s discreet and understated, but at the same time, it pops and shines with the bright dial.
It’s powered by an American-made quartz movement and it retails for $299.9.
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