Decompression dials were almost lost to horological history, a bygone relic of the 1960s golden age of recreational diving. Then, in the early 2020s, the quirky, colorful feature made a big comeback.
Brands like Vulcan and Mido dusted off archival designs, while younger indie brands like Christopher Ward and Héron adopted decompression dials for the first time. While the tool’s function is now antiquated, long ago replaced by dive computers, its intriguing look and historical context appeal to modern watch collectors.
Héron’s vintage-faithful decompression dial was such a hit that the small Canadian indie brand created a sequel with a much brighter disposition. The black top layer of the sandwich dial is replaced with white, while retaining the pink, yellow, green and blue “rainbow” scale intact below.
The dial is an homage to the 1961 Mido Rainbow Diver, with the color order shuffled around to avoid any legal confrontation. However, the handset and 39mm case are pulled directly from Héron’s flagship diver, the Marinor.
The faceted steel big arrow hour hand, obelisk minute hand and lollipop seconds hand are fitted with blue-emitting Super-LumiNova inlays. The dial matches with lume set into the Héron star logo, cardinal points on the center section and along the minutes track encircling the dial.
