22-04-2025
Shades of Purple Are the Latest Craze Among Elite Watchmakers
Although purple is the color of royalty, for decades it was rarely found on watch dials—a victim of retrograde ideas of masculinity that long dominated the industry. Happily the hue has been creeping into the mainstream. When you broaden the spectrum to include lilac, lavender, indigo and violet, well, purple timepieces are on the march.
Rolex has had an aubergine Datejust since 2018. Brands such as Audemars Piguet, MB&F and Patek Philippe started embracing the color around 2022, when the Pantone Color Institute named a periwinkle shade, Very Peri, as its color of the year. And in 2024 we saw Patek release its Twenty-4 in rose gold with a lacquered dial in plum and De Bethune unveil its DB28xs Purple Rain, a bold watch with matching case and dial made of heat-oxidized titanium.
