This document summarizes watch industry trends from January 25th to February 7th, 2017. It found that black dial watches gained significant buzz during this period, as many brands unveiled new models with black dials at the SIHH trade show. Black dials provide higher legibility and complement colored watch cases. The document also discusses how black dial watches align with the fashion trend of minimal black styles seen on the runways. It analyzes social media conversations and influencer posts mentioning "black dial" watches during this period.

1. BACK TO BLACK:
A DIAL TREND
THAT’S
HERE TO STAY
25th January - 7th February 2017

2. TABLE OF CONTENTS:
INTRODUCTION.........................................03
SNAPSHOT OF THE PERIOD
TrendingTopics...........................................05
Volume of Conversations......................07
ANALYZING THE SOCIAL BUZZ
Among Influencers...................................10
Beyond Influencers....................................12
THE BACKGROUND...................................13
BEHIND THE TREND.................................16
READ THE TREND.....................................21
THE METHOD...............................................22
THE FOUNDATION’S MISSION...........23

3. INTRODUCTION
This series of trend reports are a collaboration
between London-based agency RE-UP and
the Fondation de la Haute Horlogerie. They
will look back over the past two weeks and
discover what’s been ‘trending’ online.
We aim to discover which watches, stories
and industrial developments in the world of
horology gain the most amount of coverage
on the digital sphere - uncovering why these
trends are important.

4. SNAPSHOT
OF THE PERIOD

5. TRENDING TOPICS AND STORIES
FROM 25TH JANUARY TO 7TH FEBRUARY
Percentage of conversation about Fine Watchmaking* brands penetrated by the topic on a sample of 1,000 articles
*Fine Watchmaking defined by the parameters set by the Fondation de la Haute Horlogerie in their White Paper report
The aftermath of SIHH and the event was
still trending
With several black dial watches being unveiled
at SIHH a new trend started emerging
At SIHH Richard Mille unveiled the RM 50-
03 Tourbillon Split Seconds Chronograph
Ultralight McLaren F1, the lightest mechanical
chronograph ever
At SIHH Cartier re-introduced the Panthère
collection, revamping the 80’s classic
Glashütte released the Original Sixties
Square, a set of five colourful limited edition
chronographs
13.3%
8.65%
6.65%
3.27%
1.89%

6. #1 #2 #3 #4 #5

7. VOLUME OF CONVERSATIONS
ON HIGH-END WATCHES

8. ANALYSING
THE SOCIAL BUZZ OF
THE BLACK DIALS

9. @carmatmx

10. Among Influencers
12.42%
Penetration of conversations
by the expression ‘black
dial’ in Swiss watch related
conversations
0.92%
Penetration of all
conversations by the
expression ‘black dial’
11.11%
Decrease of ‘black dial’
mentions against the previous
two weeks

11. @ iwcwatches

12. Beyond Influencers
8,810
All online mentions of
‘black dial’
6.53%
Increase of ‘black dial’ mentions
against the previous two weeks
88.27%
Of mentions of ‘black dial’ in
relation to Swiss Watches

13. THE BACKGROUND
Black dials are a welcome edition to any collection, but
SIHH saw black dialed watches take centre stage.
In a SIHH which saw the extension of entry-level ranges
and useful complications taking precedence, it was
almost predictable that the utilitarian black dial would
become more prominent, due to its use with contrasting
coloured cases for higher legibility.

14. @baumeetmercier

15. From the Montblanc Timewalker to the Panerai PAM
684 Luminor Submersible 1950 3 Days Automatic,
almost every brand exhibiting at SIHH 2017 had a black
dialed watch within their collections.
Black dialed watches have always, and will always be
a part of Fine Watchmaking. However, in a landscape
where sales are dropping it’s important to see these
brands reaching out to new consumers and listening
to what the people want: classic forms and subdued
materials for a longer lasting, hard-wearing timepiece.

16. BEHIND
THE TREND

17. A prominent fashion trend in AW16, black took back hold
of the catwalks with embroidery and different materials
added to spice up standard pieces. Brands such as Dior
which even included black lipstick at their show, Alexander
McQueen’s embellished coats with fuchsia embroidery and
Givenchy’s all black show with a smattering of red to bring
vibrancy, all took hold of the trending black.
The trend has followed into Fine Watchmaking with black
dials watches being given a facelift like no other during
SIHH. A prime example of this is the Richard Mille RM 50-
03 Tourbillon Split Secs Chronograph Ultralight McLaren
F1. Despite being a skeleton watch, almost all its elements
are black, however being hailed as the lightest mechanical
watch ever at just 40g and with dash of red, this can be
seen following the fashion trend by taking a black dialed
watch and adding more features to accentuate the colour.

18. @panerai

19. The use of a utilitarian black dial opens into a wider
trend of Fine Watchmaking last year and this year, one
which sees brands trying to open the doors to a newer,
younger audience. These luxury ‘world explorers’ need
their functionality to be key and their timepieces to be
hardwearing, hence the concurrent trend at SIHH this
year of practical complications.

20. @montblanc

21. Panerai’s quiet
revolution
Panerai showcased
several new
innovations during
SIHH 2017 hidden
within black dialed
watches
READ THE TREND
Baume & Mercier –
Join the Club
Baume & Mercier’s
Clifton Club collection
showcased a black
dialed version during
SIHH 2017

22. THE METHOD
We use two key social listening tools to gather the raw
data we have analysed for this report.
The first, an in-house bespoke database of 2000+
influencers and online sources within luxury and
watches - with the ability to gather insight into six
month’s worth of online buzz.
The second, a social (and media) listening tool that
looks at multiple keywords. This allows us to measure
and examine all online conversations over a set period.

23. THE
FOUNDATION’S
MISSION

24. The mechanical watch is a wonderful instrument and
the guardian of craftsmanship, creativity
and of course, time.
Our objective here at the Fondation de la Haute
Horlogerie, is to take our wealth of expertise into
the world through our four missions: to inform, train,
recognise and organise.
Since 2005, we have promoted values of excellence and
tradition within an organisation that has the support of
many Fine Watchmaking brands.

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