Benjamin James Watches Scarifour gets a luxurious dial upgrade

The British watch industry has had a very exciting few years. While big players like Christopher Ward and Fears might be dominating headlines, a whole smorgasbord of smaller manufacturers have been bubbling under the surface.

One such brand is Benjamin James Watches. I recently tested its Scarifour model, and was bowled over with the design and finishing quality – it is, without doubt, one of the best watches I've tested in a while.

Now, that range gets an extra boost, with a series of luxurious stone dials. Earlier in the year, the brand launched a limited production Ice Blue Mother of Pearl variant of the watch, and this new selection follows on from that.

The range consists of three dials, each cut from a natural stone. There's green jade, burnt orange agate and a stunning deep blue lapis lazuli to choose from. And of course, because each one is crafted from a natural material, no two will ever be exactly the same.

Just as with the Mother of Pearl model before it, each of the variants will be strictly limited to 100 pieces per year. That means you'll need to be quick to get your hands on one, as when they're gone, they are gone.

Specs wise, the models feature the hand-wound Sellita SW210-b movement, which has been available on other models in the range. That means that the case can be extra slim – just 8.3mm – which is certain to add a really classy feel to proceedings.

Priced at £948 (approx. €1,100 / US$1,300 / AU$1,950) these models are a little more costly than the automatic variant I tested. Still, I don't think for one second it's a bad price.

When you consider the materials used here, the uptick is certainly worthwhile. I maintain what I said when I reviewed the automatic version of the Scarifour – I believe it could easily be a watch costing a few thousand pounds and few would bat an eye. Throw some luxurious, rare stones into the mix and it's an even easier sell.

My personal favourite is the lapis lazuli. Not only is the texture of the stone absolutely marvellous to look at, the blue hue is instantly at home on this style of watch. But frankly, any of the three is a worthy pickup for under £1,000.