Mocha Mousse to Sunny Yellow: Five Colorful Watches
In recent years, all the colors of the rainbow have conquered watch design. This spring, two warm, feel-good tones stand out: sunny egg yolk yellow and a chocolate hue that almost seems culinary. These watches in the season's trendiest colors harmonize not only at Easter.
By Marianne Eschbach
If, due to this year's chicken egg shortage, you organize a cheerful Easter watch hunt instead of the traditional Easter egg hiding, you'll easily find your – admittedly somewhat costly – reward.
Colorfulness is one of the dominant themes in the new watch collections.
Broadening the Spectrum
Gone are the days when the industry understood "color" solely as elegant dark blue, which was permitted on dials and straps as a complement to black and white.
The pandemic sparked a true surge in creativity. The watch industry's response to the dreariness of the situation was: bring color to timepieces! Green led the way, dominating the post-COVID watch color trend – likely as an expression of longing for intact nature.
Pioneer Rolex
When the standard-setting watch giant Rolex introduced the dials of its "Oyster Perpetual" collection in colors like coral red, green, yellow, pink, and turquoise in 2020, there was no stopping it. Since then, colors have become part of almost every brand's repertoire. In 2025, there are notably many soft pastel tones.
Colors not only make life a bit prettier; without colors, there would be no life at all. The first colors ever were green and... pink! Green, like the natural pigment chlorophyll in plants, is essential for photosynthesis – the process that provides plants with energy from light, forming the basis of life.
No Life Without Colors
In the Sahara, fossilized chlorophyll molecules were discovered that glowed pink. Scientists explain: over time, the chlorophyll residues lost their magnesium atoms, which were replaced by nickel, turning green into pink.
Colors have evolved to convey and control the experiences and behaviors of living beings. Red in fruits, for example, signals their ripeness and thus sugar content – a crucial piece of information for survival.
Blue Relaxes Blood Pressure
Metabolism and the autonomic nervous system respond to colors. Blue relaxes blood pressure, pulse, and breathing rhythm. Red improves short-term memory. Concentration works better surrounded by warm colors, while creativity flows more with cool colors. A red down jacket feels warmer than a blue one. Yellow also evokes cozy feelings, inhibits fears, and has an antidepressant effect.
Rolf Studer, CEO of the watch company Oris, has just released a traditional watch model with modern, colorful dials. One of them in yolk yellow, which he comments on as follows: "How could one not smile at the sight of a Big Crown Pointer Date with a yellow dial?"
Color Reference System
Colors are not yet fully researched. However, more is known about how to use them correctly to benefit us – for example, to save energy or even medication.
Lawrence Herbert was a chemist at a company in New Jersey that produced color cards for the cosmetics industry. A Sisyphean task, as everyone perceives colors differently, and they present differently depending on the printing medium – paper, textile, plastic, etc. Having become the owner of the company, he developed an internationally valid reference system for colors in 1963, which he called Pantone (pan = Greek for all-encompassing, tone = English for hue).
Pantone Scale
Since then, people no longer communicate with ambiguous color descriptions when it comes to a trendy tone for fashion, furniture, or a company logo. For example, one says Pantone 17-1230 for a new mouth-watering chocolate tone. To date, there are thousands of different Pantone colors, and the company develops new tones every two to four years.
In the late 1990s, Lawrence Herbert's daughter Lisa Herbert began transforming Pantone into a brand through strategic marketing measures. Among other things, she launched the Color of the Year.
The Color of the Year 2025
The Color of the Year is not determined in a meeting room and then imposed on the world. It is identified by a global team through observations and perceptions.
For 2025, the sensors picked up on a creamy, rich, and warm brown tone reminiscent of milk chocolate, chocolate mousse, and cappuccino dusted with cocoa powder.
«Versatile Hue Full of Earthy Elegance»
Somewhat unusual, considering that the Pantone Color Institute has delighted us for 25 years – the duration of the Color of the Year – with colors as vibrant as Easter eggs. Leatrice Eiseman, Executive Director of the Pantone Color Institute, sees Mocha Mousse with the code Pantone 17-1230 as a «versatile hue full of earthy elegance.»
Mocha Mousse is inspired by our desire for small pleasures in everyday life and is an expression of mindful enjoyment. The tone is refined and opulent. From modest and down-to-earth to aspiring and luxurious, Mocha Mousse exudes a discreet, graceful touch of glamour.
Trend Recognized
Mocha Mousse is intended to evoke a global mood of connectedness, security, and harmony, says Eiseman. Well said. Watch brands have recognized the trend.
In this spirit, Happy Easter!
1 Reference: Chocolate Bunny
Beware of confusion. This watch may look like it's made of crisp chocolate, but it's not meant to be bitten into; it's a genuine timepiece. Even though its brown tone perfectly matches that of a chocolate bunny. Implementing the iconic house color in ceramic was a complex process that required a great deal of finesse.
Louis Vuitton «Tambour Ceramic» (40 mm) in ceramic and pink gold, mechanical movement with rose gold micro-rotor and automatic winding, created in-house at La Fabrique du Temps. $102,000.00 (Image: Courtesy)
2 Reference: Mousse au Chocolat
The new watch from the young family-run atelier of legendary watch executive Jean-Claude Biver (Hublot, Blancpain), created with his son Pierre, combines brushed and polished rose gold with a taupe leather strap and recalls a luxurious chocolate mousse dusted with gold powder.
Biver «Biver Automatique» (39 mm) in rose gold, featuring a newly developed automatic movement with zero-reset mechanism for precise time setting, created in collaboration with Dubois Depraz, 75,000 francs or $120,106. (Image: Courtesy)
3 Reference: Three-Minute Egg
The brand from Hölstein, in the Swiss region of Basel-Landschaft, presents its historic model – produced continuously since 1938 – with new dial colors that are as cheerful and vibrant as Easter eggs. The date is indicated by a central hand.
Oris «Big Crown Pointer Date» (40 mm) in stainless steel, mechanical movement with automatic winding, mineral crystal caseback, new sporty steel bracelet, $3,000. (Image: Courtesy)
4 Reference: Cappuccino
The «Big Bang» model line celebrates its 20th anniversary. Also joining the birthday party is the tonneau-shaped cousin, clad in ceramic and offered in ultra-trendy colors like sky blue, fir green, and creamy beige.
Hublot «Spirit of Big Bang Chronograph» (42 mm) in microblasted beige ceramic, automatic skeletonized chronograph movement, black and beige-lined rubber strap, 24,900 francs or $39,875. (Image: Courtesy)
5 Reference: Vitamin Shot
The brand revives its motorsport-inspired model line from the 1980s with a cool design, bold colors, and new innovative solar-powered movement technology.
Tag Heuer «Formula 1 Solargraph» (38 mm) in stainless steel with DLC coating, quartz movement powered by solar technology, rubber strap, $2,550. (Image: Courtesy)
