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Sketches by then-lead designer link Bernd Meyrspeer show that early designs included Arabic numerals. Others resembled what would become a later titanium version. By August 1977, the team landed on a matte black minimalist dial with large white hands, white minute hashes, larger luminous dashes as the hour markers, and a color-matched 3:00 date window. link Finally, quadrisecting the dial are lines reminiscent of the hunting crosshairs link that inspired the compass watch.

Cerrato found inspiration link for the watch's affichage or display imparting information on layers of sapphire. There's the link curved outer sapphire crystal but there is also below it the sapphire dial. "The glass is cut around the large central bridge as much as around the hands for the small seconds and the power link reserve indicator."