Why are salmon dials so hot right now? The Vario Eclipse and its subtleness
There are many trends going around in the watch world, as mentioned in previous articles the trend big watches might disappear (for a bit) giving some space to the vintage scene. Why are vintage watches so popular? Is it the history that they represent or is it the nostalgia? I would say a bit of both but I think we do not give credit enough to patina, yes everyone talks about it but is very rare that a person buys a vintage watch for the patina only. One exception that we are looking at the moment is the Explorer 16570, some of these watches have become cream instead of white, giving a subtle but beautiful look.
Then we have all those once gold watches (and also pink or salmon) that aged beautifully like the Patek Philippe Reference 1579. Is here when a trend starts to emerge in my opinion, pink in a funny color, often looked at as a ladies choice, we often see men wearing pink accessories like ties or shirts, pink champagne is also on the upper notch so why not pink watches? Also let us not forget that not everybody loves yellow gold as it can be considered brash or sometimes tacky so we tend to go for rose gold cases making the piece more subtle, more tamed. With this in mind, I began for my quest for a pink/salmon dial, my idea was a dress piece and not a chronograph or a diver, I thought it would be too much and Vario.sg was there to help. The Eclipse was a watch that screamed class as soon as I saw it, very simple, dressy and just beautiful. Ivan and his wife Judy send me one of this bad boys and here is my thoughts on the piece.
The specifications:
The watch oozes sophistication with a 38mm case and a thickness of 8mm, the double domed sapphire crystal gives vintage look vibe by distorting that beautiful sunburst dial on the edges.
The dial is what we are here for, that brushing on the dial creates a different effect every time the sun hits the Eclipse, maybe you are outside enjoying that summer cocktail and your watch will look goldish red but inside your lovely house it will have a pale pink that reminds you of a delicate pair of ballerina shoes on an evening at the ballet. The very thin12 black markers make a beautiful contrast without jumping too much and the white minute track is visible only when you really need to, believe me when I tell you that the result is perfection. There is minimum writing on the dial and 3 simple hands like a dress watch should be but to complete the package we have a manual high-beat Miyota 6T33 mechanical movement, how cool and old school is that? This to me the is a package that a vintage luxury watch should have.
On the wrist:
As mentioned the watch is very slender in size and thickness, it sits perfectly on my 6.25 inch wrist and that is due to the elegant tear drop lugs, they almost touch my wrist making it a prefect fit for anyone who is willing to try it, I have to say that the side profile of this watch is one of the classiest I have tried no matter the price category I compare it to, the bubble domed and signed crown help the overall effect, it’s a visual masterpiece.
The watch is very legible at a glance and from the top those lugs start to make you imagine that this is not a new watch is but 60 years old one and that is a good thing. The leather strap (there is a whole article coming on Vario's strap) is as good as the watch itself, a very soft Italian leather that tappers to 16mm on the buckle side, it just fits like a glove on my wrist and on to the aesthetics of the watch.
Conclusion:
Salmon dials are hot, there is no discussion on this but a dial alone cannot make a trend, it has to be the whole package, in the Eclipse we have all the right things,the lugs, the case and the proportions are spot on, they make me think that Ivan (the founder of the brand) must have a great love for vintage watches and that his idea on what a watch should be is translated to perfection on this piece.
The Eclipse is a hidden gem on Vario's catalogue, there are not many left so if you would like to savor that vintage aged feeling I would suggest to go over to their site and check it out, its not only a great addition to any collection but also to any wrist.
More information at www.vario.sg
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