Throughout the past few years the watch industry has been flooded with pink hued timepieces, resembling the Yukon river salmon run! So what is it with this spike in interest from consumers, and salmon dialled timepieces leaving the manufactures production lines?
First, we need to take a look back to the 18th century where the colour pink in fashion was seen as a symbol of power and aristocracy. A shade of colour that did not associate to a particular gender. By the 20th century, pink was strongly bonded with femininity, mainly due to the fact of gender coding newborn girls with pink and boys with blue. This colour association has stuck for decades and is still partly present in todays fashion trends, however it could be argued that pink is now widely accepted by all in fashion and never has it felt more appropriate to break down these barriers and accept a colour for what it is rather than what it stands for. Its always been a colour with a strong identity but its become more and more evident that in todays world breaking stereotypes and going against the grain is most welcome.
So how does this all tie into horology you ask? In watchmaking, shades of pink were most prominent on dials throughout the 1920’s-1950’s, Longines and Omega produced many of these timepieces as well as the holy trinity incorporating these shades into their dials. Often these timepieces were presented in precious white metals, the combination and contrast of the pink hue and white metal gives a true sense of warmth coupled with a slightly abstract aesthetic when considering traditional dial colour palettes. The use of the word ‘salmon’ is most likely preferred due to the abundance of shades we see, with some dials darker and others much lighter, I guess you could also say it sounds more appealing than ‘pink' when marketing timepieces!
The sudden peak of interest for salmon dials in the market is most likely due to the current trend of re-issuing vintage inspired time-pieces, this particular shade while being slightly unusual also gives brands the perfect opportunity to release a limited run. A recent example brought to the table, was offered by the youthful, forward thinking/past inspired brand Baltic. The team at Baltic collaborated with Worn&Wound to produce a variation of their HMS and Bi-compax with beautifully toned salmon dials, these pieces were an instant hit and sold out almost instantly with only 100 of each model being available. I was fortunate enough to get hold of the HMS version, so lets take a deeper look into the timepiece and try to figure out what it is about the salmon dial thats so appealing to collectors alike.
Housed inside a substantial 38mm case, the HMS exhibits a beautifully textured, copper hued dial. The dial itself utilises a sector theme excellently, with bold concentric circles brining the dial together towards a crosshair that balances the piece wonderfully. These details all contribute to excellent legibility and practicality for a time only watch, shielding the dial we find domed acrylic- further adding to the vintage inspired intention. I feel the use of acrylic is completely justified in this particular timepiece, it further contributes to the texture, warmth and overall aesthetic of the watch.
The HMS as a whole is built very well, and finished to a standard that certainly justifies the price point, it feels sturdy and built to modern specs. The Miyota movement, while nothing special gets the job done- not too much to talk about here, lets be honest, were not purchasing this watch for the movement! A further point I believe is worthy of a mention is its versatility, Ive seen many photos of this watch sporting a plethora of straps including BoR bracelets, with a lug width of 20mm your options are infinite! All of this contributing to changing the dynamic and feel of the watch. If strap changing isn’t your thing though, not to worry Baltic has you covered with a tastefully paired blue shell cordovan strap.
As far as vintage inspired, built to modern specification, I don’t think you can go wrong with the Baltic HMS. This particular model was limited, however Baltic still have plenty of options in the HMS range as well as their most recent HMS002 editions. If your in the market for a vintage inspired piece built to modern day proportion, without the hassle and worries of owning a genuine vintage timepiece then then Baltic is a brand worth exploring!
Cheers, Josh
Comments