The History Of the "California Dial"

...California Dreaming...

The History Of the "California Dial"

Rolex Myth Buster

On The Curious Case Of The California Dial

Rolex used to make watches with Art-Deco styled dials that were really distinct. These dials featured an upside down triangle for the 12 indices, and rectangular indices at 3, 6, and 9. The 1, 2, 10 & 11 markers used Roman numerals, and the 4, 5, 7, and 8 markers used Arabic numerals.

For years, people have referred to these unusual dials as "California dials" and people as me all the time why the  California Dial is called the "California" Dial. In other words, what does it have to do with California? The photo below was taken by Harsam of his 1943 Rolex Bubbleback, which has an original Art Deco "California" dial.

I think I might have recently figured it out, but I am not certain. I came across the image below which shows what appears to be a patent or trademark application filed by Rolex in 1941 for the dial design. The application does not refer to it as a "California" dial.

The person who showcased this image shared it on the Paneristi forum, and their name is Vincent Yeh. Vincent also said it is called a California dial because a California based dial company named Kirk Rich used to refinish a number of these art-deco dials in the 1980s. Vincent also pointed out that he believed that nobody beside Rolex sold a dial with mixed Roman numerals with Arabic numerals.

I don't know how much of this is true, but it is a good starting point. I will look into it and as I learn more, I will update this story. If you have anything to add to the history of the California Dial, please send me an email.

(Update: It appears the patent number for the Rolex watch dial is 221.643, and it was originally filed on April 30, 1941).

1941 Art-Deco Rolex Viceroy

This is a World War II circa Rolex Viceroy with an Art-Deco California Dial. The California dial has Roman numerals on the top and Arabic numerals on the bottom.

Photo Credit: Padi56


Update #1

A reader named Tommy wrote in response to this story a few hours after I published it:

Jake,

I think the "California" dial may have it's origins with the Melrose Avenue shops in L.A.

The dials became very popular during the bubbleback craze of the 80's.  Many of the refinished dials being done for watches that these shops sold were half-and-half dials because they were so "deco" and were so popular with the people buying bubblebacks. 

I think L.A. dealers were seeking those dials ON bubblebacks that they were buying and selling in their shops and so they became known as "California" dials because the California dealers were looking for them at shows elsewhere in the country.  The people at the shows began referring to them as "California" because it's what the guys from California were looking for.

All is speculation but of course the term is only showing after the 80's.

The dial is really a half-Roman and half-Arabic dial, and that is how I have always referred to it. I never liked the term "California" because it was really irrelevant.

Another interesting variant is the all arabic with the triangle 12 marker. This is often referred to as...of all things  "semi California".

Cheers,

Tommy

Update #2

I came across somebody who quoted James Dowling as saying:


"The dial was patented by Rolex in 1941 and used by them on manual and automatic watches for about 7 or 8 years. It was known by Rolex as the 'High visibility" dial, as it used quite large luminous numbers. 

In the 1970s, when the vintage watch boom started, a LA based dial refinisher, Kirk Rich, did some dials with this design. They became popular & many vintage watch stores in California sent their dials to KR. So dealers in the rest of the US & the rest of the world began to call them the 'California' dial."

Update #3

I came across somebody who said:


Rolex created the “Cali Dial” for it's various distributors and it became a fashion icon of high demand in California in the 30's-40's – hence the name.