Porcelain, enamel, carbon fiber, meteorite, mother-of-pearl, onyx, aventurine… boring! They all sound exotic and have attractive applications but are, in fact, relatively common watch-dial materials.

If you wanted a clock during the Renaissance, you were getting one with an enamel dial. You lucky duck. Enamel dials are stunning. Not that you would’ve known from Adam — back then, watchmakers didn’t ...