Perrelet’s Geneva Watch Days has begun with an elegant flair, as they supplement their dressy Weekend collection with 4 new renditions in natural stone.
This modern age of watchmaking has seen many unexpected brands come out of the woodwork, firing on all cylinders. I can’t possibly count how many grand complications, avant-garde interpretations, and insightful collaborations I’ve seen in the watch world. But while it’s nice to be bold and daring, by the same token, it’s also good to pare things back a little. Perrelet understands this notion more than most. Building their fame as an early adopter of the automatic winding system, the brand has since become known for its ambitious kinetic aesthetics in the Turbine line.
However, the brand has a more reserved lineup in their catalogue; The palate cleanser, if you will. Meet the Weekend collection, which is about as classically dressy as a watch can get.
In the past year, they’ve done quite a bit to bolster the roster, releasing models in aventurine and malachite, limited editions with Eastern Arabic numerals, and even collaborating with famous Middle Eastern dial designer IFL Watches. This year, Perrelet once again returns to the stone dial, unveiling four new iterations of the Weekend in a set of striking mineral faces.
Smooth As A Pebble
The Perrelet Weekend Stone Dial quartet is the brand’s latest iteration of the Weekend silhouette. Each watch still stands at that same 39mm case diameter, 47.5mm lug-to-lug, and 9.5mm thickness. This is classic dress watch territory, allowing the Weekend to slip seamlessly under a jacket or shirt cuff. Combined with a slim, polished bezel and brushed case, the minimalist frame maximises its wrist presence without disrupting the dial’s natural beauty.
The sleek Weekend line comes complete on a seven-link articulating bracelet, terminating at a butterfly clasp which ensures maximum comfort and wearability. I find that the bracelet gives the watch a little more of a sporty presence, which makes it perfect for more casual days.
Should you wish to dress it up, though, Perrelet’s straps are interchangeable, making the process a whole lot easier. Each watch also comes with its own colour-complementary alligator strap, allowing you to completely change the profile of the watch for more formal events. With 50m of water resistance, though, it’s built to take on the day-to-day whilst still providing the comfort and simplistic appeal afforded to a dress watch.
A Boulder Look
But of course, it’s not the frame of the art we’re here to talk about, but the art itself. Inside the dial of these Weekend watches are four natural stones, which join the malachite and aventurine in bringing the stone dial count up to six. Before we get to them, though, let’s talk about the familiars.
Perrelet is showing a continual commitment to the Dauphine hands in its stone dial watches. I personally love it, but I do wish it would translate across the rest of the Weekend collection. The rest of the layout is simple enough: stick indexes, alongside a white printed minute track and a three o’clock date window.
This bare-bones layout serves as the perfect canvas for artistic expression, of which the four stone dials are more than up for the challenge. The first of the four is turquoise, a distinctly bright cyan stone with shades of green veins. The second is lapis lazuli, a rich blue stone occluded with flecks of golden pyrite in a manner somewhat similar to aventurine.
Third is tiger’s eye, which contrasts the cool-toned steel with its shifting yellow, red, brown and orange striping. Finally, for a more classic look, is onyx, its glossy blackness making the hands, indexes, and other accoutrements appear as if they were floating through space.
On the metal bracelet, I would personally go for the turquoise first; light blues are the flavour of the month, after all. However, seeing the tiger’s eye on its brown alligator strap might be cause to change one’s mind.
Superb Soprod
But no matter which way you go, the heart of the watch remains exactly the same. Within the open caseback beats the Cal. P-321, an automatic movement made in collaboration with Festina Group peer Soprod. Like the watch’s features, it’s fairly simple to understand, operating a date complication alongside a 4Hz (28,800VpH) beat rate atop a 42-hour power reserve.
Though Soprod works as somewhat of a separate entity, the Swiss-Spanish Festina Group acquired the manufacture in 2008, allowing Perrelet to oversee the making of its movements. This level of detail in production underscores the brand’s autonomy in creating its own watches, enabling it to oversee every stage of the process, affirming technical independence and control even within the larger group structure. The custom rotor designed for Perrelet is handsome enough, too, featuring skeletonisation adjacent to the brand logo and typeface.
Initial Thoughts
I for one love that Perrelet is continuing to establish itself in dress watch territory. For the longest time, it seemed like the brand was constantly mired down in its own niche, pigeonholed into becoming a one-trick pony with the Turbine. However, the ever-expanding Weekend collection eschews such claims, showing that the rich heritage and tradition of Perrelet is beginning to rear its head once more.
The addition of four stone dials only helps to reinforce that sentiment, as it shows the brand isn’t just willing to upgrade, but experiment more with its horology. Even within the strict confines of the dress watch aesthetic, Perrelet manages to still find its unique touch, making the Weekend an interesting new player in that scene.
References & Specifications
| Feature | Specification |
|---|---|
| Reference | A1300/L (Turquoise) A1300/M (Lapis Lazuli) A1300/N (Tiger’s Eye) A1300/O (Onyx) |
| Dimensions | 39mm case diameter x 47.5mm lug-to-lug x 9.56mm thickness |
| Case | Stainless steel |
| Dial | Natural turquoise / lapis lazuli / tiger’s eye / onyx stone |
| Crystal | Sapphire |
| Caseback | Open, sapphire |
| Movement | Automatic Cal. P-321 with date complication |
| Power Reserve | 42h |
| Beat Rate | 4Hz / 28,800VpH |
| Water Resistance | 50m / 5bar |
| Strap/Bracelet | Interchangeable steel bracelet with butterfly clasp Complementary interchangeable colour-matched alligator leather strap with steel pin buckle |