Leica expands its burgeoning watch range with their first green dials (and Milanese bracelet!)
Jamie Weiss- The Leica ZM 1 and ZM 2 get an ‘Urban Green’ makeover, sporting beautiful green fumé dials.
- Both are powered by manual-winding, modular movements with playful complications inspired by the operation of Leica cameras.
- Three strap options are available: black calf or alligator, or Leica’s first Milanese bracelet.
When you’re getting a watch brand up and running, there are two common mistakes I see businesses make. The first is that they don’t do enough. It’s no good to just have one model that you endlessly pimp out and hope that the hype will last – because it won’t. The other mistake (and one that’s even worse) is to overextend. Fledgling brands think they need to do everything everywhere all at once: they’ll have a dive watch, a chronograph, a pilot’s watch, a field watch… And they all end up being same-y and pleasing nobody. It’s an admittedly extremely fine line between doing too much and not enough, but it’s one you’ve got to walk.
Thankfully, this is a line that Leica has walked perfectly. The German firm, best known for its exceptional cameras and formative role in the development of photography and optics, is increasingly also being recognised as a bona fide watchmaker. Their range of watches now encompasses 4 models across 2 families: the complicated, hand-wound ZM 1 and 2, and the integrated bracelet-sporting, automatic ZM 11 and 12, the latter of which launched earlier this year in February. Now, Leica has expanded the range with a tasteful new dial colour for the flagship ZM 1 and 2 – but like every step they’ve taken so far on their watchmaking journey, this is a considered, well-balanced move.
These ‘Urban Green’ models represent not only the first green dials for any Leica watches, but also the first standard-production coloured dials for the ZM 1 and 2 (there was a brown-dialled, 18kt red gold-cased limited edition ZM 1, but other than that, other ZM 1s and 2s have featured black dials). Again, the temptation would be for Leica to offer a rainbow of different dial options for every model they make, and spin each new shade as some grand new offering. They haven’t done that. We’ve seen the ZM 11 and 12 play with colour, now it’s the ZM 1 and 2’s turn.
Of course, green dials are very on-trend at the moment, so these Urban Green ZM 1 and 2s arrive at the perfect time. But they also offer something sufficiently different from other timepieces in the Leica range. They debut green, sure, but are also the first fumé dials for the brand, as well as the first dials with a vertically brushed finish.
Green isn’t the first colour we immediately associate with photography – that’d be red, in no small part thanks to the legacy of Leica’s red logo – but Leica explains that green was chosen to “make a statement about nature’s elegance in form and function”, as well as to reflect how nature is one of the most common subjects and inspiration for photographers.
Green has also traditionally been used in the watch industry to mark notable anniversaries, particularly by brands like Rolex and (Grand) Seiko, and indeed, Leica is celebrating a big anniversary this year: the 100th anniversary of the Leica I, the first mass-produced 35 mm still camera, which revolutionised and democratised photography. So there’s a nice through-line there for celebrating with green – although I suspect this isn’t the last watch release we see from Leica this year…
The other notable feature this release debuts is Leica’s first-ever Milanese bracelet, which complements the clean design of the ZM 1 and 2 perfectly. It features robust links and a large deployant clasp with 10 points of micro-adjustment (7 on one side, 3 on the other, although sadly not on-the-fly adjustable). Three strap options are available for these Urban Greens in total; the aforementioned Milanese, plus a black calf or alligator leather strap with a steel pin buckle and dial-matching green contrast stitching down one side, both of which are backed with Alcantara.
If you’re not familiar with the ZM 1 and ZM 2, they’re effectively the same watch, with the latter boasting an additional GMT function made possible by their modular manually-winding movements. Their core conceit is that their different functions are inspired by photography: for instance, rather than pulling out the crown to adjust the time, you push in a shutter release-like red-topped button on the crown, which then releases the crown and hacks the watch. And, when you press in the crown, a small aperture changes from white to red to visually identify that time’s stopped.
Other design flourishes include a power reserve indicator with closing blades that indicate remaining power, again resembling a shutter release; the ZM 2’s AM/PM indicator, which resembles a camera dial; pushers and crowns that evoke camera dials and hardware, as well as an almost fisheye-like domed crystal. You can read more here about these different design cues, but they’re all very cool, with the contrast of a tasty green dial adding extra appeal.
Leica ZM 1 and ZM 2 Urban Green pricing and availability
The Leica ZM 1 and ZM 2 Urban Green will both be available globally from 28th May 2025 in select Leica Stores and via the Leica Online Store. Price: A$16,900 incl. GST (ZM 1), A$22,900 incl. GST (ZM 2)
| Brand | Leica Watch |
| Model | ZM 1 Urban Green ZM 2 Urban Green |
| Case Dimensions | 41mm (D) x 14.5mm (T) x 48.1mm (LTL) |
| Case Material | Stainless steel |
| Water Resistance | 50 metres |
| Crystal(s) | Domed sapphire |
| Dial | Green fumé |
| Strap | Black calf or alligator leather with green contrast stitching, steel pin buckle Steel Milanese bracelet, deployant buckle with ‘Leica’ engraving |
| Movement | Leica ZM 1 and ZM 2, made by Lehmann, manually wound |
| Power Reserve | 60 hours |
| Functions | Hours, minutes, small seconds, hacking indicator, power reserve, date (ZM 1) Hours, minutes, small seconds, hacking indicator, power reserve, GMT, AM/PM indicator (ZM 2) |
| Availability | From 28th May 2025 |
| Price | A$16,900 incl. GST (ZM 1) A$22,900 incl. GST (ZM 2) |