Colour My World: Six colourful, vibrant and exciting watches for Your Collection

We all do need a little bit of colour in our lives. For watch enthusiasts, there is no better way to do so with a colourful and vibrant timepiece on the wrist.

In this week’s article, we are going to introduce six sprightly watches – across different price points – that you may consider adding into your watch collection. These watches, which are bright and bold, will certainly add some colours into one’s collection – and we do hope that it will make one’s life more spirited thereafter.

Colour My World: Six Colourful and Vibrant Watches for Your Collection

So, without any further ado, here are our selections.

Ikepod Megapod x Tom Christopher

We begin the article with an interesting brand, who have had a revival in the last couple of years: Ikepod.

Originally founded in 1994, the brand was famous for its contemporary disc-like watches. The hype, unfortunately, died down eventually after some time. But in 2017, the brand was revived by a trio of investors – this time the watch retained its signature case, but now they are fitted with Miyota movements to make it more affordable.

One of the watches made, post-revival, is the Megapod x Tom Christopher (picture above courtesy of Ikepod). The latter, being an expressionist artist, incorporated vibrant colours and motifs of a city (think, skyscrapers, people, and birds) into watch – which makes the already fascinating piece a tad more special. The 46mm watch is priced at CHF 1,500 (approximately S$2,200), and we do think it is another wonderful piece to consider if one is looking to add more quirky pieces into their watch collection.

Casio G-SHOCK Master of G Poison Dart Frogman GWF-A1000APF-1A

The Frogman, from Casio, has always been a serious diver’s watch with strong credentials and a myriad of functionality. But that has not stopped the Japanese watch manufacturer from producing something bold once in a while, such as the Master of G Poison Dart Frogman (picture above courtesy of Casio).

Produced as an anniversary piece to celebrate the 30th year of the Frogman collection, Casio had decided to create a timepiece that was inspired by the poison dart frogs of the Amazon rainforests in South America. The end result is a very captivating and cool G-SHOCK timepiece, featuring a multi-colour carbon and fibreglass bezel and a semi-transparent case. It indeed does remind one of the amphibian creatures.

Besides its aesthetics, the G-SHOCK still retains its multitude of capabilities – including the Mobile Link Features. The watch is priced at S$1,699, and it is surely a great piece to have in a collection – especially for a collector who is looking to include a casual timepiece into his or her collection.

Zenith DEFY 21 Chroma

Zenith is a brand that has been constantly breaking barriers, although it is still fairly underrated in the industry. The new DEFY 21 Chroma is one such timepiece.

The DEFY series from Zenith has been an interesting one, with its uber modern design cues that aim to attract the younger crowd. The Chroma is definitely a step in the right direction. Featuring an effervescent array of colours on the skeleton dial and a white ceramic dial, the Chroma edition is certainly a conversational piece with its artistic touches.

Limited to a production of 200 pieces, the DEFY 21 Chroma is certainly a conversational piece that is worth a spot in most watch collections. We really like the approach that was taken, and we dare say that the technical bits – such as dual escapement and high beat chronograph – are also rather compelling. The watch retails at US$14,500 (approximately S$19,280).

Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Offshore Selfwinding Music Edition

The Royal Oak is an icon in the horological scene, with its unmistakable octagon case and exposed screws on the bezel. Last year, Audemars Piguet went a step further, by introducing the “Music Edition” into the Royal Oak line-up.

Leveraging on the tapisserie dial, Audemars Piguet introduced the motifs of an equaliser on it, and added some colours onto the dial in the process. The end result is a cool, albeit polarising, timepiece that surely makes the Royal Oak a tad more youthful.

The AP ROO Music edition is available in either ceramic or titanium, in both 37mm and 43mm case variants. Prices of the watch begin at S$42,000, and we reckon it is an interesting Royal Oak that will attract the attention of deejays and lovers of music.

Patek Philippe World Time Ref. 5231

If one is looking for a dress watch with some style and character, then the Patek Philippe World Time Reference 5231 may perhaps just be the timepiece that you are looking for.

The World Time is often touted as a functional piece, but Patek Philippe had definitely injected an element of artisanship in this particular reference with cloisonné enamelling. This goes beyond the art of enamelling. The process involves soldering metal wires – gold, in this case – which are bent to the outline of a design (which are the continents in this case) and filling the cloisons with vitreous enamel paste. The result is stunning, especially with the vibrant enamel colours.

Driving the Ref. 5231 is the tried and trusted Calibre 240 HU, a self-winding movement that is fitted with a 22k gold micro-rotor. It has a minimum power reserve of 48 hours and operates at a traditional 3 Hz beat rate. It is splendidly finished, in accordance with the standards set by the Patek Philippe Seal which this movement bears. The 38.5mm watch is priced at S$122,100, and we think this is perhaps one of the nicest modern World Time watches that Patek Philippe has produced to date.

Rolex Oyster Perpetual Day-Date 36

We round up the article with perhaps the most polarising timepiece from Watches & Wonders 2023: Rolex Oyster Perpetual Day-Date 36, with the champlevé enamel with puzzle motif dial.

This particular Day-Date is probably the timepiece that one would have least expected to have come through the doors of the Rolex factory. Featuring a champlevé enamel with a colourful puzzle motif dial and matching baguette diamonds, the Day-Date also features a reworked day and date discs – replaced instead with 7 positive words and 31 different emojis. Talk about being bold.

While this Day-Date may not be everyone’s cup of tea, we certainly applaud the Geneva-based watch manufacturer with this new and refreshing direction. The watch is an “off-catalogue” piece currently, but we do not expect anything less in terms of its price point.

Concluding Thoughts

It is often said that watches are an extension of one’s personality, and the watches that we have featured today should do the job without much problem. These watches certainly have a character of their own, and we could not help but to think that these timepieces might even have the ability to make one’s day brighter, just by the virtue of being worn on the wrist of a collector.

Granted, these watches are not everyone’s cup of tea. Then again, such watches are not easy to pull off as well. But let’s not forget, at the end of the day, there is a watch for everyone. And we would like to think that there is a strong market for such vibrant and colouful watches, and that there are appropriate occasions for these watches to be worn.

Finally, do let us know what your thoughts on our selection today, as well as watches that you reckon should have made it on the list. We believe there should be some interesting watches that would have warranted a place on the list as well.

Till the next time!