A California dial refers to a

clock face A clock face is the part of an analog clock (or watch) that displays time through the use of a flat dial (measurement), dial with reference marks, and revolving pointers turning on concentric shafts at the center, called hands. In its most basi ...

that consists of half

Roman Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of Roman civilization *Epistle to the Romans, shortened to Romans, a letter w ...

(usually 10 o'clock to 2 o'clock) and half

Arabic numeral The ten Arabic numerals (0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, and 9) are the most commonly used symbols for writing numbers. The term often also implies a positional notation number with a decimal base, in particular when contrasted with Roman numerals. ...

s (usually 4 o'clock to 8 o'clock). A dash is often used for hours 3, 6, and 9, and an inverted triangle for hour 12. The use of this style dates back to the 1930s, and was featured in early

Rolex Rolex () is a Swiss watch brand and manufacturer based in Geneva, Switzerland. Founded in 1905 as ''Wilsdorf and Davis'' by German businessman Hans Wilsdorf and his eventual brother-in-law Alfred Davis in London, the company registered ''Rolex ...

and

Panerai Officine Panerai (also known simply as Panerai) is an Italian luxury watch manufacturer, and a wholly owned subsidiary of Compagnie Financière Richemont S.A. Officine Panerai designs, manufactures and markets watches through authorized dealers ...

watches. Originally called the “high visibility” or “error proof” dial, it was created during

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

to aid legibility in low-light combat conditions. After the war, the style faded away until it was popularized in the 1980s economic boom in Japan.A Brief History of the California Dial
. Timepiece Chronicle. January 2017. Zuletzt aufgerufen: 8. Juni 2019. Rolex could not keep up with demand, leading to a California-based company refurbishing Rolexes in the style, hence the name "California" dial. Modern examples of the California dial include the

Nomos Glash%C3%BCtte NOMOS Glashütte is a economy of Germany, German watchmaking company based in Glashütte, Saxony, specializing in artisan manual-winding and automatic mechanical watches. It was founded by Roland Schwertner in January 1990, two months after the ...

Club Campus, and the California watch face on the

Apple Watch The Apple Watch is a brand of smartwatch products developed and marketed by Apple Inc., Apple. It incorporates activity tracker, fitness tracking, Health (Apple), health-oriented capabilities, and wireless telecommunication, and integrates wit ...

. The California Dial has also been used in collaborations between the Fears Watch Company and California based retailer Topper Jewelers. Their series II edition was inspired by geographical landmarks in Northern California.

References

See also