A dial made from the iridescent inner shell layer of oysters or other molluscs, prized for its natural shimmer and the fact that no two dials share exactly the same pattern.
Mother-of-pearl, also called nacre, is the smooth, iridescent material that molluscs like oysters secrete to line their shells. Thin slices are cut and polished into dials, and the material's natural layered structure scatters light to produce a shifting shimmer that changes with viewing angle, an effect no printed or painted dial can replicate.
Colour varies naturally from white and cream through to grey, blue, and black depending on the source shell, and dial makers sometimes dye or tint the material to achieve a specific tone. Because it's a natural material sliced from an organic source, thickness and pattern vary piece to piece, making every mother-of-pearl dial subtly unique.
It's nacre, the smooth, iridescent material that molluscs such as oysters secrete to line the inside of their shells.
Its natural layered structure scatters light, producing a shimmer that changes depending on the viewing angle, an effect that can't be replicated with printed or painted dials.
Yes, dial makers sometimes dye or tint the material to achieve a specific tone, though its natural colour already ranges from white and cream through to grey, blue, and black depending on the source shell.