This 1970s Watch Trend Proves We Still Love A Pretty Face

• The 1970s hard-stone dial trend is back, with brands like H. Moser, Piaget, Chopard and Rolex reimagining natural materials for 2025.
• Watches once seen as disco relics — lapis, jade, tiger’s eye, coral — are now defining a new era of colour and craftsmanship.
• From Moser’s minimalist Pop Collection to Rolex’s extravagant Tiger Iron GMT, 2025 proves we’re still obsessed with a pretty face.

They say you shouldn’t judge a book by its cover, but when I first started writing about watches some years ago, I was certainly more concerned with the aesthetics of a timepiece than the inner workings beneath.

I think we all do it. We’re all immediately drawn to the rose gold accents and the sharp indices that chase each other through the day, content that a watch that looks good on the wrist is the be-all and end-all of what makes a good product.

Of course, my stance has loosened somewhat as I’ve continued my education within the horological space. But I was always struck by a particular niche within the watch world, more so than any other, in complete awe of one such model in particular.

A Rolex, that took a combination of natural stone — tiger’s eye, red jasper, and hematite — to create a dial so rich and iridescent it looked more like a work of sculpture than a functional object. It was part of a wider movement that swept through the early to mid-1970s, when the lines between jewellery and watchmaking blurred completely.

Piaget was slicing malachite and lapis into ultra-thin ovals for jet-set soirées on the Riviera. Cartier was experimenting with coral and opal, fitting them into Tanks and Santos cases that shimmered under disco lights.

Patek Philippe and Audemars Piguet joined the party too, framing tiger’s eye and turquoise dials inside precious metals that felt more Studio 54 than Place Vendôme. Even Rolex, a brand better known for tool watches and restraint, couldn’t resist the indulgence, dressing its Day-Date references in stones that caught the light with every flick of the wrist.

And in 2025, that inherently 70s obsession with natural beauty is making an unlikely comeback. Some of the world’s biggest brands are once again looking to the stones, shades, and shimmer of that era. Perhaps proof that, deep down, we’re still all a little obsessed with a pretty face.

Best Stone Dials 2025

H. Moser & Cie. Pop Collection

No brand has captured the rebirth of the stone-dial era quite like H. Moser & Cie’s Pop Collection, unveiled this year at Watches & Wonders 2025.

The independent Swiss Maison is often described as the thinking collector’s brand. It’s small, family-owned, and unafraid to poke fun at the Swiss establishment. Unlike most heritage houses that rely on centuries of backstory, Moser’s modern success comes from being smart, slightly irreverent, and absolutely uncompromising on craftsmanship.

That’s no truer than in 2025’s new chapter: a collection that has removed the logo, removed the numerals, and delivered a spectacular modern timepiece with bright, evocative dials made from Burmese jade, pink opal, coral, turquoise, lapis, or lemon chrysoprase. Confident, almost defiant, and a clear standout for 2025.

Chopard L’Heure du Diamant “The Precious Hours” Set

If we’re calling H. Moser & Cie’s approach minimalist, Chopard has arguably taken the complete opposite approach with the L’Heure du Diamant “The Precious Hours” collection, delivering a veritable kaleidoscope of ethical gold, diamonds, and gemstone dials that feel straight out of a 1970s Cannes penthouse.

Each piece in the twelve-watch series takes a different shade from the natural world and refracts it through Chopard’s high-jewellery savoir-faire, harnessing the natural beauty of opal, jade, malachite, lapis, turquoise, coral and aventurine; all with sustainably sourced materials and conflict-free stones.

Piaget Black Tie & Andy Warhol Editions

Ok, here’s a little history lesson for all of you out there: Piaget practically invented the hard-stone dial craze in the 70s. Long before everyone else jumped on the bandwagon, the maison was slicing lapis, malachite, and tiger’s eye into impossibly thin dials, pairing them with ultra-slim gold cases designed to show off colour and craftsmanship in equal measure.

Now, Piaget’s bringing that spirit back with the new Black Tie and Andy Warhol Editions, reviving the oval silhouettes and polished surfaces that defined an era.

Tiger’s eye, blue lapis, green meteorite, and opal radiate with that unmistakable 1970s glamour, each one cut and finished by hand. It’s proof that when it comes to decadence, Piaget isn’t content with just doing it first, it wants to do it best.

Zenith Chronomaster Original Triple Calendar “Lapis Lazuli”

For me, Zenith’s Chronomaster Original Triple Calendar might be the most surprising player in the recent stone-dial resurgence, and undoubtedly one of my favourite releases from this year’s Watches & Wonders.

Beneath its deep-blue lapis lazuli dial beats the El Primero 3610, a movement capable of measuring time to a tenth of a second, yet nothing about it feels overtly technical. The saturated stone surface transforms a performance chronograph into something perfectly balanced, combining lapis lazuli’s star-like grain with one of horology’s most precise (and iconic) calibres, Zenith has shown that colour and craftsmanship don’t have to compromise capability.

It’s still a chronograph; it’s still a tool. Just one that happens to look ready for the dance floor.

Gerald Charles Maestro 2.0 Ultra-Thin “Lapis Lazuli”

The enduring brainchild of the late, great Gérald Genta, the Gerald Charles Maestro 2.0 Ultra-Thin “Lapis Lazuli” houses a dial of deep, celestial blue, each one cut slightly differently, within a rogue, asymmetrical case. No two watches are the same. Each delivers natural variations of the stone that play against the crisp geometry of Genta’s unique design. The perfect tribute to the man whose sketches defined the 1970s in steel and gold.

Rolex GMT-Master II “Tiger Iron”

Last, but by no means least, there’s Rolex; the brand that started this story for me. The GMT-Master II “Tiger Iron” is a genuine surprise: a travel icon reimagined with a dial cut from tiger’s eye, red jasper, and hematite.

In many ways, it’s a full-circle moment. Bold and indulgent, the Swiss juggernaut moved beyond its recent reputation for overly safe releases while still satisfying endless demand. The use of these stones bridges the story from the dials’ inception some 50 years ago, taking one of its most iconic references and giving it a timely rerun during this unique stone dial second wind.