The California dial is an unusual choice for a modern timepiece, whose origins are part of the ‘mysteries’ of watchmaking: nobody really knows why these types of dial are named after the West Coast state. Some theories suggest that it is so-called called this way because that particular design was exceedingly popular in the state of California in the ’30s and ’40s, others speculate that it’s because of a famous Los Angeles-based dial finisher, Kirk Rich, who made some popular dials with the design in the 1970s.