Sunshine yellow puts summer on the wrist
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Mathilde Binetruy
Freelance journalist
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It’s Dorothy’s brick road, it’s the Beatles’ submarine, it’s sunshine on a rainy day. Buttercup, canary, lemon, mustard, straw, honey or saffron, a splash of yellow brings laidback style to the beautiful mechanics on our wrist. “Hey, chicken! You got the time?”.
Vitamin fix
Don’t be fooled by the “All Black” name – this Spirit of Big Bang has colour aplenty. Yellow’s the word, from the alligator strap to the chronograph hour counter at 6 o’clock, the varnished hands and the mat rhodium-plated indexes. Before Hublot aficionados see red, the dark side is still very much present in the micro-blasted black ceramic and black PVD tonneau case. This colour-pop watch comes with the Haute Horlogerie endorsement of the HUB4700 skeleton automatic movement.
Generation game
Move over Millennial Pink, it’s time for Gen Z Yellow! Somewhere between lemon and honey, this warm hue is all the rage with Generation Zers (that’s anyone born after 1998). The zesty colours that dominated the runways at the SS 2018 fashion weeks in New York and Paris are taking over our wrists. You’ll find it at Audemars Piguet, one of the most popular brands among millennials. This cheery Royal Oak ticks all the digital native’s boxes, delivering both values (chronograph and tourbillon complications) and pertinence (44mm diameter). And of course, canary is so much better than pasty salmon pink.
Giddy up!
If you grew up in France, chances are you’ll have played “Petits Chevaux” (that’s “Little Horses” en anglais), a kind of Gallic Ludo. It’s tempting to imagine a young Henri d’Origny (designer of the Arceau watch in 1978) trotting his horse around the board. In true equestrian style, Hermès has released a Casaque version with a sunny yellow dial and strap. As refreshing as a tall glass of lemonade on a scorching hot day, the dial execution – an association of champlevé enamel and lacquer with a transferred chevron motif – is worthy of such a thoroughbred watch. This is yellow in all its glory, symbolising light, warmth and, by extension, energy, life and joie de vivre.
Colour coded
Not many people know it, but there’s a reason Aston Martins are green and Ferraris red. Back in the 1910s, countries competing in international car races were assigned a colour that would identify their cars and drivers: Rosso Scuderia red for Italy, Racing Green for the Brits, Silver Arrow for Germany, Bleu de France blue, and for Belgium the yellow of its national flag. The Mille Miglia watch in Speed Yellow is a fitting tribute to these gentleman drivers. The collection takes its name from the endurance race in which 400 classic cars travel the thousand miles from Brescia to Rome and back. Dads on the school run will appreciate the chronograph and tachymeter functions too.
Bright young thing
Fluorescent yellow (flashback to the 80s) is colour on acid, the flashing neon sign of the painter’s palette. With it, memories of schooldays and texts Stabilo-ed into a sea of yellow come flooding back to put a smile on your face. It’s also, incidentally, the colour Hautlence has chosen to highlight the three-dimensional effect of its Invictus Neon.
Foiled again!
It’s a “flying” catamaran that gets the adrenaline pumping, and one of the fastest one-design (monotype) boats in the world. “It” being the GC32 which in 2015 gave rise to the GC32 Racing Tour. For crews, this meant a watch with proven character which Anonimo imagined in the event colours, namely a black dominant with yellow accents on the Nato strap, seconds hand, flange and markings on the ceramic bezel. Water-resistant to 200 metres, this 17-piece limited-edition dive watch will continue to look the part long after vacation ends. It’s easy to see why the Nautilo is the brand’s best-selling style.
Sail away
Louis Vuitton has a thus-far unexplained power, namely to divest its customers of all sense of measure or reason. Take the example of the Spin Time Regatta, capable of inspiring serious wanderlust in even the most stay-at-home guy. GMT, vibrant yellow strap, it’s got it all. Now where did I park my boat…?
My secret love
In the (prehistoric) age before online dating, a girl would pluck the petals from a daisy in the hope that, as the last one fell to the ground, she would discover that her beau did indeed love her rather than love her not. Competing for her affection is the Marguerite secret watch by Van Cleef & Arpels which hides time beneath its vibrant yellow centre.
Fur necessities
How to wear fur without feeling the wrath of PETA or looking at least ten years older? By choosing Piaget’s Extremely Lady watch. Its textured gold bracelet, inspired by the thick swirls of fur, conjures up images of warm sunlight dappling the morning dew. Its charming oval dial, inspired by the Sixties, the decade when anything was possible, adds an exuberant touch to this archetype of modern and desirable design.
Perfectly matched
A combination of gold and steel, Rolesor has been a Rolex signature since 1933. The bezel, crown and bracelet centre links on the Datejust 36, with its redesigned lugs and case sides, are in yellow gold while the case middle and outer links are in 904L steel. Nobility on the one hand, reliability on the other for a watch that brightens any wrist.
