Don’t look now, but it really does feel like stone dials are having a moment in the enthusiast watch space. This, I have to admit, is one of the most unlikely trends in our hobby recently, but I’m very much here for it. For a long time, stone dials were thought of by many as something rather cheesy, a bit of 1980s kitsch that time had passed by. But it only takes seeing one really nice stone dial to change your mind. Brands like Formex, Fears, and Nivada have all recently released stone dials in watches that would traditionally be defined as more sport oriented, and this mixing of formality with something more casual is also the basis for much of the appeal. The latest watches to pop up in this category come from Heinrich, a brand we’ve covered several times before, who have just unveiled a pair of stone dialed sports watches that fit right into the recent resurgence in this niche category.
The new watches are part of the Helicoprion line, which Brad Homes recently reviewed here. This platform, it seems, works well as a canvas for experimentation, as the watch that Brad looked at featured an unusual “Buzzsaw” pattern dial. The Helicoprion is a capable and well made sports watch that comes in at 40mm in diameter and measures a little over 47mm from lug to lug. Besides the dial, its defining feature is the brushed bezel with visible screws, evoking a very specific style of sports watch from the 1970s. Heinrich has built much of its reputation on the quality of their machining, and from spending just a little bit of time with these watches at last year’s Windup Watch Fair in New York, I can confirm that they are indeed very nicely finished and feel like a lot of watch for the money.
OK, onto the dials, which for anyone considering these pieces will likely be the real draw. Heinrich is using two different stones for this run: lapis lazuli and carnelian. Lapis is probably the more familiar of the two for watch enthusiasts. It’s a blue gemstone that frequently includes gold colored pyrite inclusions, and is notable for its rich color and depth. Carnelian is a stone with a color that ranges from orange to a red and can include hints of brown. It’s a little less common in watchmaking, and compared to lapis it will typically have a “cleaner” look with fewer obvious inclusions. Some carnelian dials will have fairly dramatic shifts in color, however, which may or may not be desirable. That’s one of the charming things about stone dials, though: each one is completely unique.
Specs for these stone dial editions follow previous Helicoprion variants. They are true sports watches with 200 meters of water resistance, a screw down crown, a bracelet with micro-adjustment capabilities built in, and a workhorse Sellita SW 200-1 movement. The cases have a mix of polished and brushed surfaces.
Each of these special stone dial Helicoprions is limited to 50 pieces each. Pricing is set at $912. Heinrich
