How to buy a watch with a stone dial

In recent years, stone dials have been popping up seemingly everywhere. More modern brands make them. At the same time, vintage examples have become increasingly sought after and their prices have risen significantly.

But stone dials are still a relatively undiscovered area of ​​watch collecting. They are not understood in either vintage or modern style.

That’s why I wanted to cover them on Hodinkee. Normally we would do this by talking to a few experts and compiling those conversations into a detailed article. But I decided to try something different this time and record three conversations to learn more about modern stone dial making, collecting vintage pieces, and everything in between.

Our first conversation is with Pierre Biver, who founded JC Biver with his father Jean-Claude Biver last year. Each of their releases features a stone dial option. Then I talk to two dealers. The first is Jasper Lijfering of Amsterdam Vintage Watches, a vintage dealer and trained gemologist. Second is Erik Gustafson of Hairspring Watches, who has helped expand the science surrounding stone dials. We delve into the current debate surrounding Rolex “Obsidian” dials; As we will discuss, this name is not entirely accurate and shows how much there is still to learn about vintage watches and stone dials in particular.

I hope all three conversations give you a better understanding of stone dials. Note that I have tried to include links to an example of all the stone dials mentioned in the audio. So check out the show notes below if you’re not sure what a particular stone looks like.