Curated: Nature’s Influence

For the die-hard horological aficionado, the idea of the pièce unique — a one-of-one creation — holds a particular sway. Who, after all, wouldn’t want to own a watch that only he or she would ever have the opportunity to possess? 

While the pièce unique can be an inordinately expensive proposition, there is another avenue toward ownership of one-off watches that is significantly more accessible: Namely, those that use natural materials in their construction. While one metal dial is largely indistinguishable from the next, stone dials such as those made from malachite or tiger’s eye feature striations distinct to each slice, yielding watches that are each visibly special. These stones and other materials, shaped by nature into beautiful designs, have become increasingly popular lately as different maisons mine their archives in order to revisit models from the 1960s and 1970s. 

Perhaps no historic manufacture embodies the embrace of stone dials and natural materials quite like Piaget, the Swiss firm founded in 1874 and headquartered in Geneva. In 1964, Piaget launched a series of watches with dials machined from onyx, turquoise, lapis lazuli, and other natural stones, expanding its offerings when it debuted its famous Polo model in 1979. These pieces proved extremely popular — Andy Warhol, who owned a gold Piaget cuff watch with a tiger’s eye dial, was a fan — and came to define the look of high-end watchmaking during the 20th century’s grooviest decade. (The Rolex Day-Date with “Stella” dial, another popular natural-stone model, was also born in the 1970s.) 

These stone-dial watches, exclusive and colorful as they were, largely faded into the background as the luxury sports watch craze of the past few decades took hold: For many years, it seemed like collectors only had eyes for chunky, stainless steel models with integrated bracelets and octagonal bezels. However, a noticeable change took hold in the early 2020s as collectors began taking an interest in vintage references from the likes of Piaget and others. When celebrities such as Usher began wearing vintage Piaget on the red carpet, there was no turning back: Stone-dial watches were officially back, baby. 

At Watches and Wonders 2025 in Geneva, Piaget launched a new series of its beloved Andy Warhol, a cushion-cased dress watch based on the Black Tie model favored by the famed American artist. While the maison has reissued this watch before in various guises, it significantly expanded its offerings this year, debuting a hero reference with an opal dial and a white gold bezel set with a triple row of baguette-cut blue sapphires. Alongside this sparkling timepiece, Piaget introduced references with tiger’s eye as well as green and white meteorite dials cased in different types of gold. Perhaps most exciting, however, is a program that allows customers to personalize their Andy Warhol watch via the selection of different stone dials, hand types, strap styles, and more, offering a path to a true pièce unique — and a tiny slice of natural history.

Zenith Chronomaster Sport Meteorite 

In 2021, Zenith’s Chronomaster Sport proved that the Le Locle-based maison had more to offer than just handsome reimaginings of its historical back catalog. Offering modern sports watch aesthetics and modern proportions with the brand’s signature El Primero automatic movement, the Chronomaster Sport has since been produced in myriad guises — perhaps none more arresting than a new version with a meteorite dial. Featuring a naturally-occurring Widmanstätten pattern that gives each example a special structure and striations, the watch is complemented by tri-color chronograph registers in silver, light grey, and anthracite. 

Gérald Genta Oursin Fire Opal 

While on a trip to Corsica in the 1990s, famed watch designer Gérald Genta found horological inspiration in the shape of a sea urchin. Genta’s eponymous brand began reimagining this unique design through several stunning creations beginning in 2024, but 2025’s iteration elevates the Oursin — French for “sea urchin” — to new heights: The fresh version, housed in a 36mm 3N yellow gold case in a glass-blasted finish, features 137 fire opals, each of which is individually secured via the use of a yellow gold pin. Paired with an orange cornelian dial, the exquisitely creative look is like nothing else on the market. 

Bulgari Serpenti Aeterna  

Though diamonds and other precious stones may not provide the visual differentiation of stone dials, these naturally occurring materials nevertheless offer beauty, rarity, and a pop of color to the otherwise more restrained look of an all-metal watch case or dial. Several new Bulgari Serpenti Aeterna references in rose and white gold offer an inspired riff on the maison’s sumptuous Serpenti Tubogas through the combination of precious metals and an abundance of diamonds in different sizes: While the former offers snow-set stones, the latter features diamonds in pavé setting along the case, bracelet, and bezel; both, meanwhile, feature an incredible snow-set dial. 

Moser & Cie. Pop Collection

Consisting of no fewer than 18 references, the Pop Collection from eternally adventurous H. Moser & Cie. finds the maison adding a bright and colorful stone dial to the small seconds, tourbillon, and minute repeater tourbillon models within its Endeavour Concept collection. 

With lapis lazuli, turquoise, coral, Burmese jade, pink opal, and lemon chrysoprase on offer, the choices are widespread, and when combined with Moser’s beautifully finished in-house movements and steel and precious-metal case designs, these watches positively jump off the wrist. The only trouble? Once you’ve tried one on, you’ll invariably want all of them.