As the house brand for a Swiss manufacturing company that produces components for a variety of prestigious names within the industry, Formex benefits from direct access to materials and technologies that other watch brands would normally have to source, license, or otherwise pay to acquire. For the most part, Formex produces everything except the hands and movements on its watches, and among the resources available to the brand is a dedicated dial manufacturing workshop that allows Formex to produce all of its dials in-house. Over the past few years, stone dials have started to play an increasing role in Formex’s catalog, and for its latest release of 2024, the independent Swiss brand has announced the Formex Essence 39mm Blue Agate Automatic Chronometer, which elevates its fan-favorite model with a dial crafted from a slice of natural blue agate.

Given that Formex technically has its own in-house dial workshop, the brand has naturally experimented with a variety of dial materials throughout the years, and previous examples include the forged carbon dial found inside the Essence Leggera, the blue mother-of-pearl dial fitted to the Essence 39 Mother-of-Sky, and the gold-plated meteorite dial that is used inside the Essence 39 Space Gold. Just as you would expect, Formex has also used different types of semi-precious stones for its dials, and while the Essence 39 Malachite kicked off the brand’s stone-dial series, Formex more recently created another limited-edition version of its popular Essence ThirtyNine model that was fitted with a dial made from eisenkiesel. For its latest stone dial, Formex has opted for blue agate, and the new Essence 39mm Blue Agate Automatic Chronometer takes one of the Essence collection’s classic dial colors and renders it with a natural stone surface.

Aside from being fitted with a blue agate dial, the new Formex Essence 39 Blue Agate is otherwise identical to the standard Essence 39mm Automatic Chronometer watches, which means that it is crafted from 316L stainless steel with the brand’s patented case suspension system, and it measures 39mm in diameter by 10mm thick, with 20mm lugs and an overall lug-to-lug profile of 45mm. Similarly, flat sapphire crystals with anti-reflective treatment are fitted to both the dial side of the watch and its screw-on caseback, and while the signed crown at the 3 o’clock location operates with a standard push/pull-style action, all of the models from Formex’s Essence collection offer a solid 100 meters of water resistance. Realistically speaking, the new Essence 39 Blue Agate is all about its natural stone dial, and rather than just aiming to add a new color to the lineup, the use of blue agate intends to subtly reimagine the classic blue-dial Essence ThirtyNine in a more refined and elevated manner.

The overall design of the stone dial fitted to the Formex Essence 39mm Blue Agate Automatic Chronometer follows in the footsteps of what can be found among the standard-production models with applied baton-shaped hour markers, a minute track printed along an angled chapter ring, and a date window symmetrically placed at the 6 o’clock location. Just like the regular models, the hands and hour markers receive an application of Super-LumiNova to aid with low-light visibility; however, rather than having Formex’s usual beveled date window cut into the surface of its dial, the Essence 39 Blue Agate instead features a frame for its calendar aperture to create a metallic border between the natural stone and its color-matched blue date disc. Additionally, rather than having a horizontal line motif engraved into its dial, the natural striations of the blue agate offer a similar overall aesthetic, and the color of the stone is also slightly darker than the specific shade of blue that Formex uses for its regular Essence watches.

The blue agate used for the dial of the Formex Essence 39mm Blue Agate Automatic Chronometer naturally forms over thousands of years inside hollow spaces within volcanic rocks. As groundwater seeps into the open cavities, it deposits tightly packed microcrystalline quartz that slowly builds up in layers to form the striking blue-colored stone. The layered structure of blue agate results in the material’s distinct striped appearance, and Formex cuts the stone so that its natural striations appear horizontally across the dial‘s surface to mirror the engraved lines that characterize the brand’s standard Essence dials. Additionally, since agate is a naturally occurring material, each dial is uniquely patterned and no two examples will appear entirely identical. In the same way that Formex’s malachite dial could be seen as the stone version of its standard green-colored Essence dial, the new Essence 39 Blue Agate is very much the stone-dial version of the classic blue-colored Essence model.

Just like its standard-production counterparts, the new Formex Essence 39mm Blue Agate Automatic Chronometer is powered by the Sellita SW200-1 automatic movement, which runs at a frequency of 28,800vph (4 Hz) with a power reserve of approximately 41 hours. While the 26-jewel Sellita SW200 is easily the single most commonly used Swiss self-winding movement within the industry, Formex opts for the top-of-the-line version of this rather ubiquitous caliber, and the SW200-1 fitted to the Essence 39 Blue Agate is an official COSC-certified chronometer, which means that it is guaranteed to keep time within the stringent standards of -4/+6 seconds per day. Additionally, the Cal. SW200-1 movements that Formex uses also benefit from a higher level of finishing compared to what exists among the standard versions of this caliber, and they are adorned with perlage on their bridges, blued screws, and a custom skeletonized rotor.

While many people view the Formex Essence ThirtyNine as an integrated bracelet watch, the model actually features standard 20mm lugs (although curved springbars are required), and it is available in both bracelet and strap-equipped configurations. Formex’s bracelets are consistently very good, and the bracelet fitted to the Essence 39 Blue Agate is identical to what can be found among the standard-production models. Offering completely solid components, single-sided screws for the removable links, and integrated quick-release springbars at the lugs, the Essence collection’s bracelet is completed by an elegant butterfly-style folding clasp that includes a hidden fold-out extension system. Alternatively, Formex also offers the Essence 39 Blue Agate with both rubber and leather straps, and all of the various strap options are completed by the brand’s proprietary carbon composite deployant clasp, which includes a rather clever incremental extension system built directly into its folding structure.

Aside from having a dial made from naturally occurring stone, the new Formex Essence 39 Blue Agate is otherwise identical to the standard version of the model, and this should ultimately be seen as a positive since the original Essence ThirtyNine is already a fantastic watch (it is my personal favorite among the brand’s current/production lineup). That said, the Formex Essence 39mm Blue Agate Automatic Chronometer is a more elevated rendition of the Swiss brand’s best-seller; however, with an official retail price of $1,750 USD when purchased on a strap or $1,860 USD should buyers opt for the bracelet-equipped version, this new stone-dial variant only costs a couple hundred dollars more than the standard-production models. Due to the nature of its dial, the Essence 39 Blue Agate will be a special edition model with production limited to 100 pieces per year, and the first 50 examples are already complete and ready for the holidays. For more information on the Formex Essence 39mm Blue Agate Automatic Chronometer, please visit the brand’s website.