What is the impact of the dial color on the value of a watch? What color is most valuable based on the transaction data of second-hand watches?

Many people often ask, how should one choose the color of a wristwatch? Should it be black, white, or one of those colorful dials? This decision can be quite challenging.

In terms of selecting dial colors, insights from the transaction data of second-hand watches have led to some conclusions.

Let's delve deeper into the impact of dial color on the value of a wristwatch.

1) The Influence of Dial Trends on Value

For brands, they price black dials and white dials the same.

However, when you take a watch from a counter to the secondary market, differences between black and white dials emerge.

Therefore, there is a certain consideration even with luxury watches when choosing dial colors.

You may recall 2021 when almost every brand released watches with green dials, which became a trendsetter.

Hence, green dials tend to be more expensive.

Perhaps you also remember the buzz caused by Tiffany Blue at auctions.

People naturally started favoring this color again, leading to significant economic repercussions.

For example, if you've always dreamt of owning a red Ferrari since childhood, the popular color of dials will definitely influence the value of watches.

2) Brand Influence on Dial Colors

Rolex

When selecting dial colors, it's crucial to align them with the brand's characteristics.

Most people aren't actually sure about the color they want, so they reference past data.

Value-retaining watches will inevitably have a classic dial color scheme. Taking Rolex as an example, let's broaden our thinking.

For instance, for Rolex's Datejust watches, the average price for black dials is around $12,000.

White dials usually fetch lower prices, with silver down by 3%, grey by 5.8%, and white by 7.7%.

Cooler tones have seen increases, with blue dials up by 0.5%, and green dials (including palm green) up by 3.1%.

The most significant increases are for colorful dials, with purple dials up by 19.7%, and pink dials up by 24.1%, due to accumulated consumer preferences for Rolex colors.

Audemars Piguet

It's not just Rolex; all renowned brands have their color preferences.

Audemars Piguet's Royal Oak dominates the brand's sales, and over the years, consumers have developed preferences for dial colors.

Silver dials have decreased by 6.2%, while black and white dials have decreased by 2.6%.

Blue and green dials have seen significant increases. Blue has surged by 26.9% in the secondary market, while green has risen by 30.9%.

3) How Regular Watch Enthusiasts Should Choose Dial Colors

Brand Color Selection

Based on the above research, we can derive a theory for choosing watches.

Firstly, understand consumer preferences for dial colors of a particular brand and then target the brand's colors.

For example, Rolex's green, Audemars Piguet's blue, Omega's black, IWC's white, Hermès's orange, and Chanel's black-and-white combination are all brand favorites with higher retention values.

Safe Color Selection

If purchasing a regular watch from a non-luxury brand that doesn't have inherent brand colors, follow the principle of selecting safe colors.

Black makes the dial appear smaller, white makes it seem larger, bright blue appears youthful, while navy blue appears mature and stable.

The popularity cycle of colorful dials is shorter and may depreciate at any time.

When choosing between black and white, if you only have one watch, go for black; if you have multiple watches, opt for white.

Try to avoid choosing black for all watches because almost every brand has black dials, which fails to highlight the brand's value.

Considering Functionality in Dial Color Selection

The more complex the watch's functions, the simpler the dial color should be.

Nobody likes an overly flashy watch.

Multi-functional chronograph watches should opt for traditional colors like black, white, or blue, while simple three-hand watches can experiment with more vibrant colors.

Sports watches are more suitable for lively and bright colors, while business leather-strap watches, black, white, and blue being safe colors, appear more stable.

The more vibrant the dial color, the easier it is to match with clothes.

For those who prefer wearing black and white, it's more suitable to choose bright-colored watches to create contrast.

Never underestimate the importance of dial color coordination.

The value and turnover speed of the same model of watch in different colors can vary significantly.

When choosing a watch, be sure to do your homework.

If you're unsure how to choose, black, white, and blue are widely accepted safe choices.