California Dials, No Logo Watches Worth a Look

Watches with California Dials are rarely fakes. No logo watches seem to mirror a number of high profile watch brands, but are typically not fakes. You can find many forum and blog posts discussing the concept of Homage (o-maj) designs.

Does the watch below seem familiar? The shape of the case resembles watches sold by Panerai. The Company claims that they released a similar watch in 1936, and they called their watch, "the Radiomir". Rolex collectors see it differently.

It's an interesting name, Radiomir, and it's an interesting company that writes remarkable stories about their history. In their narrative about their first watch, Panerai claims that they produced prototypes for the frogman of  the First Submarine Group Command of the Royal Italian Navy. The design featured a semi-cushion shaped case with similarities to Hamilton geometric models - especially the Cushion. The photo to the left exemplifies their story.

I took notice of what Panerai calls their remake of the original Radiomir (ref. 3546) also known as the Radiomir 1936, which used a 'California dial'.

They used radium luminescent hands and dial markers. Today, we refer to radium dials as "hot", because they are radioactive. Thus, the name, "Radiomir".

Some people shopping for a great watch often look on eBay and, or Amazon. They see this "no name" or sterile looking watch and become quite confused. I've seen posts on watch forums where members refer to them as fakes. At an average resale value of $10,000 for a Preowned model, that seems like a pricey fake.

Well, the so-called "no name" dial has iconic, written all over it. You know what iconic means, of course. (of, relating to, or of the nature of an icon.)

A California dial takes on a little more prominence when you associate it with a used Panerai. Don't buy into the Panerai prominences. It's built on the image of a Rolex and originally as a Rolex for the Italian Navy.

Rolex made the so called Panerai watch. Rolex's designer conceived of it during the Art Deco period somewhere between 1923 and 1931.

A California dial refers to a clock face that consists of:

• Six Roman numerals from 10 o'clock to 2 o'clock

• Six Arabic numerals from 4 o'clock to 8 o'clock

• An inverted triangle in place of the 12 o'clock numeral

• A dash at the six o'clock position

• Luminescent hands and dial markers and

• A black background without a logo 

The design of the dial originated during the Art Deco period in Europe. We can trace a number of Rolex Oyster models back to that period. Rumor has it that Rolex filed a patent on the watch in 1941, but the document floating around the Internet lack independent verification. We still don't know the designer or perhaps no one is saying.

Rolex and their "Gray Market Import Restriction" (which came into effect on March 15, 1983*) prevented anyone from bringing a new or used Rolex watch into the US. The company had the only such restriction in existence. If you're wondering how they accomplished such a feat, they made it simple: Rolex claimed they didn't own the watch, only the logo, which the engraved everywhere feasible.

That left US watchmakers as the primary source of used or preowned Rolex watches. The watchmakers used the old Rolex dial design to appear like the watch made before Gray Market Restriction came into effect. The name, California, first appeared in the 1980's as the largest group of watchmakers in the US (Los Angeles, California) used the design on refurbished Rolex watches.

You Can Own a Rolex Watch, But Rolex Still Owns the Logo

Why? Rolex wants to control the market. They claim they don't want  "just any"  jewelry store selling Rolex watches You have to qualify as a Rolex dealer.  Additionally, Rolex rationed their products. A jewelry store like my family's could only buy a limited number of units each year. That kept the supply low and the prices high when some high middle-class customers bought watches with gold bracelets as an inflation hedge.

Oh Look, Mom, at Rolex's Art Deco Dial

Aside from Rolex, we can also see the use of this dial by Panerai, Glycine, Parnis, and others Kampfschwimmer.

What About Parnis?

Parnis sells an extraordinary number of watches with California dials. Nearly every style of case used by Parnis has a "no name" or sterile dial. Unlike the Glycine above, Parnis models with California dials don't have logos. That does not make them fakes.

You can find Parnis watches on eBay, Amazon, Aliexpress (Alibaba), Tmall, DHGate and on stand alone websites. People who recognize the Panerai look, have little problem with Parnis watches - especially when Parnis dealers choose Seagull's ST-3600/ 3620 movements.

The moral of this story? Don't just to conclusions when it comes to sterile watches. They've stayed in vogue since the 1990's.


Do a search for California Dials on eBay - You can click here




Does that settle it? Probably not.


Footnote: *UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS, For the Fifth Circuit, No. 92-2266




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