Tropical dial

A tropical dial is a dial, usually originally black, that has faded over the years to brown or a similar warm tone, typically because of how the paint or lacquer reacted to sunlight and age.

Genuine tropical dials can make certain vintage references much more desirable, which also makes them a target for fakery and for redials made to imitate the effect. The colour change on a real one tends to be even and consistent with the watch's other signs of age.

Price a tropical dial from sales of verified examples, and treat an unusually perfect or unusually cheap one with caution.