2020 Green Dial Watches Part 1: Top 15 Time Only Watches

Green is the new blue. 

Previous years there has been a few splatter of green dial watches. Nothing dramatic and most of the time paired to a bronze case. But 2020 seems to be the year where being seen to be green is in fashion. 

Green is a symbol of hope, luck, growth, and nature in many cultures. Today, it also symbolises environmental protection. There is nothing more eco-friendly than a watch that is powered either by the movement of your wrist or a simple wind up of a mainspring which stores energy in a barrel, which will continue to run (with careful maintenance) for decades?

Now, stop being green and think the grass is greener on the other side. Here are a wristful of green watches that will surely make others green with envy. Go ahead. You have the green light. 

The following is a list of the top 15 green mechanical/automatic simple 2/3 hand watches with/without date we could find that were launched in just 2020 alone. In alphabetical order: 

1. Ball AWF Limited Edition

The Ball Engineer III Mavelight AWF watch was designed for the Australian Watch Forum, the largest Facebook group for watch enthusiasts. 904L grade stainless steel, 40mm case size.

2. Bell & Ross BR03-92 HUD limited to 999 pieces

The collection is directly inspired by the navigation tools of aircraft cockpit. The new BR03‑92 H.U.D (Head-Up Display) gets inspiration from the avionics displays of fighter jets equipped with the most cutting-edge technology. The case is matte black ceramic, 42mm, green sapphire crystal and water resistant to 100m. Power reserve of 38 hours.

3. Blancpain Bathyscaphe Mokarran limited to 50 Pieces 

A special watch dedicated to protecting the great Hammerhead shark. This model will be available exclusively in Blancpain boutiques in New York and Las Vegas. A total of $50,000 will be added to the brand's regular contributions to promoting, respecting and protecting the fascinating world of the oceans. Case is in black ceramic, measuring 43.6mm x 13.8mm. Water resistant to 300m, powered by in-house calibre 1318 with 120 hours power reserve.  

4. Bovet Miss Audrey

It features a green guilloché dial inspired by the lotus flower that reflects sumptuous shades. This timepiece is also housed in the Amadéo® convertible 36mm stainless steel case. The bezel and the iconic bow are set with diamonds.The case's convertible feature allows the timepiece to be worn on the wrist, transformed into a table clock or turned into a pendant without tools. Total of 1.04ct diamonds. Water resistant to 30m.

5. Eberhard Traversetolo Hope

The green dial was chosen as it symbolises hope. Stainless steel 43mm case, water resistant to 50m

6. Frederique Constant Vintage Rally Healey

The Vintage Rally "Healey" limited editions were created as a result of a partnership between the Frederique Constant Manufacture and the Austin-Healey car brand. Established in 2004, the bond has never been broken; seventeen years of allegiance and fellowship between watchmaking and mechanics, punctuated by rallies, meetings, races and a shared passion for retro design. 40mm stainless steel case, water resistant to 50m. The caseback has been engraved with an Austin-Healey and powered by Frederique Constant caliber FC-303 with a power reserve of 38 hours. 

7. Kurono Anniversary Green ‘森:Mori' Limited edition of 288 pieces.

To commemorate the first anniversary of Kurono, made by watchmaker Hajime Asaoka. Stainless steel case with a high curvature sapphire crystal, powered by Miyota's calibre 90S5, with a 42-hour power reserve. Proudly made in Japan and hand assembled. 

8. Laurent Ferrier Classic Origin Green

Housed in the Classic, pebble-shaped case, this new version is cased in grade 5 titanium. The hand-wound Calibre LF 116.01  is equipped with a free-sprung balance and a Breguet overcoil. 

9. Longines HydroConquest Green Boutique Edition

41mm stainless steel case, with sapphire crystal and water resistant to 300 meters. Green ceramic bezel insert. Powered by Longines caliber L888.5 (base ETA A31.L11) with a silicon balance spring and a power reserve of 64 hours.

10. Montblanc Heritage Automatic

40mm case in 18kt yellow gold, a steel caseback with Minerva Manufacture engraving, water resistant to 50 meters. Powered b by Montblanc caliber MB 24.27 (base Sellita) with a power reserve of 42 hours. It features a flat hairspring and a flat hoop balance. 

11. Norqain Independence 20 Limited to 200 pieces

We mentioned the brand Norqain before, and this is the first piece to use the Kenissi movement. Stainless steel case, 42mm diametre, Kenissi movement with 70 hours of power reserve. Water resistant to 100m.

12. Omega Seamaster Aqua Terra 41

41mm stainless steel case, AR-coated sapphire crystal, a sapphire display back, and it is water resistant to 150 meters. Powered by in-house caliber 8900 with a power reserve of 60 hours. Co-Axial escapement. Certified Master Chronometer by METAS, and resistant to magnetic fields reaching 15,000 gauss. Free sprung-balance with silicon balance spring.

13. Oris x Momotaro Divers Sixty-Five

This special steel and bronze version of the Oris Divers Sixty-Five is made in collaboration with the independent Japanese company Momotaro Jeans. Named after a Japanese folklore hero, Momotaro was launched in 2006 by Hisao Manabe. Its roots lie in his textile company, which he established in 1992 with just three employees in the small coastal town of Kojima in Okayama. Stainless steel 40mm case, rotating bezel with bronze edge. Water resistant to 100m, powered by Oris calibre 733 (base Sellita SW200-1) with a power reserve of 38 hours.

14. Rado Captain Cook Diver Green 42

Stainless steel case measuring 42mm x 48.6mm x 12.3mm, water resistant to 300m. Steel bezel with polished green ceramic insert. Powered by ETA caliber C07.611 with a power reserve of 80 hours. 

15. Urban Jürgensen Big 8 "London Edition" Limited to 10 pieces  

This limited edition watch will donate all profits to the Wellcome Trust COVID-Zero Research Fund.

Stainless steel case 40mm x 10.8mm, water resistant to 30m. Soldered tear-drop shaped lugs. Powered by Urban-Jurgensen caliber FP1160 (base F. Piguet) with a power reserve of 48 hours. It features a 21kt gold rotor with guilloché decoration. 

Talking Shop: New Kids On The Block - Kenissi, Norqain, Fortis

When we talk about the major players in the Swiss watch movement manufacturing, certain names come immediately to mind - ETA is generally the first, mostly followed by Sellita (keeping in mind that Unitas and Valjoux are part ETA). However, there could soon be a third vying for attention, once their new factory is fully operational sometime in 2021-22.

If you guessed Kenissi, you’d be correct. If your reaction is “huh?” then keep reading.

Not much is known about Kenissi’s founder, only that the owner is an industrial supplier of sapphire crystal across the industry. It moved into movement manufacture, managed by Eric Yvon Pirson (head of Tudor), Jean-Paul Girardin (formerly of Breitling), and Philippe Jacques Dalloz. They are constructing a new movement production site (within a building that will be 150m long) in Le Locle, (home of Zenith, UN, Tissot, Mont Blanc and others) on land owned by Rolex, but with ownership shared between Tudor, Kenissi and Chanel.

Kenissi already produces movements for Tudor as their “Manufacture” movement, which debuted in the Tudor North Flag (2015), followed by Breitling in 2017, and then in a highly finished form for the new Chanel J12 in 2019. 

Tudor Manufacture Calibre

Breitling Calibre B20

The movement itself is well known, and the specs are nothing to sneeze at. It features a full balance bridge with two fixed points for added structural rigidity and shock resistance, COSC-certifiation, and with a very practical 70-hour power reserve. The GMT version features a jumping hour which allows the wearer to easily set the local time as well as changing the date backwards and forwards at any moment.

Chanel Calibre J12.1

The new ‘Manufacture’ will mean a massive increase in production capabilities and will allow ease of continued supplies to Tudor and Breitling as well as simultaneously expanding their client base, which already includes Norqain and more recently, Fortis. Given the trajectory, it is not farfetched to consider that more brands will look to Kenissi as a possible alternative to ETA/ Sellita, with Bell & Ross a strong contender to be next (possibly due to its Chanel connections).

Norqain Calibre NN20

Who is Norqain?

Norqain is an independent, family-operated business that was founded in 2018 by Ben Küffer (formerly of Breitling), who brought on his father, Marc Küffer, as Chairman of the Board. Marc was the owner and CEO of Swiss luxury watch producer Roventa-Henex (a private label watchmaker since 1959 - making watches for the likes of Farer), member of the Board of Directors of the Swiss Watch Industry Association for 25 years and also being on the board of Ulysses Nardin. Ted Schneider, from the family that owned Breitling for nearly 40 years, and Mark Streit, the Swiss ice hockey legend and Stanley Cup winner, are also part of the management and board. It also has close ties to Breitling via Kenissi in the form of Jean-Paul Girardin, who oversaw the development of Breitling’s manufacturing capacities, moving there after it was sold to CVC Capital in 2017. Norquain’s dedication to quality, design, and value for money quickly made it a favourite amongst industry insiders.

Fortis are still around?

Yes. They had financial difficulties back in 2017/ 2018, and were taken over by Jupp Philipp, who was a big fan of the brand, but with a background in the food industry. It took him nearly eight months to assess the company and analyse the business before signing on the dotted line in September 2018. Since then they have devised a roadmap for Fortis, and with Kenissi on board, they hope to develop the brand into a contender for the likes of Breitling, Tudor and IWC.

The attraction of the Swiss watch industry may be that of the shiny new products being released every year, but behind every flowery PR prose, there are not just the watchmakers that assemble the watches, the artists who decorate them, but also the parts suppliers, without whom there would be very few watches produced.

The possibility of a third significant player in movement supply is also interesting because it means more competition, and competition is always good for an industry, and this could possibly lead to better pricing. There is a lot of uncertainty in the watch industry at the moment, and there are also concerns about possible job losses in the coming 12 to 18 months, a firm who will probably be taking on more employees is also a welcome thing.