Rarity, fastidious craftsmanship and good ol’ showboating has earned these colourful timepieces a solid fan base in recent years
There is nothing implicit about a rainbow’s ability to spark hope and happiness. Which is why you see it in everything from children’s cereal and pride flags to fashion and technology. Even Apple understands that its Spinning Wait Cursor is slightly less infuriating when it looks like a colourful beach ball. So, of course, the world of fine watchmaking has capitalised on this magical palette in recent years. Rainbows are delightful.
This year alone offers an array of rainbow-hued watches.
Parmigiani, Rolex and Chopard have brought the multi-coloured bezel trend to the Tonda 1950, Day-Date 36 and Imperiale models respectively. Hublot and Audemars Piguet present two each: The Hublot Big Bang Unico Rainbow and Big Bang One Click Rainbow, and the Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Frosted Gold Double Balance Openworked “Rainbow” and the pink gold Royal Oak Offshore Selfwinding Chronograph. These are flashy times indeed.