“Black is black, I want my baby back”, goes the 1960s pop song. And for those wanting full black watches, PVD and carbon have been the best way for watchmakers to ensure black is indeed black. Keeping full black watches readable can be a challenge, but their contemporary look has been all the rage for the past 20 years.
Render unto Caesar that which is… Chanel’s: the full black J12 was one of the first all-black cheap fake watches, in ceramic, with three hands or chronograph – and intentionally unisex. However, the sheen of the material in question, a real innovation in the year 2000, did not meet with widespread acceptance, and matt black prevailed.
Swiss made Breitling replica watches, a pioneer in this area, produced black PVD versions of most of its standard collections, including its Avenger, Super Avenger, Avenger Hurricane, and Avenger Blackbird.
In 2006, Hublot took the same direction with its ‘All Black’ Big Bang models. The collection is still in production, and regularly celebrates its anniversary dates with new models in response to a demand that shows no signs of waning.