We all know that diamonds are a girl’s best friend, but these dazzling timepieces have us convinced that the coveted gemstone is getting pretty cozy with haute horologists as well.
The Kalla Pampilles watch from Vacheron Constantin has a secret: The timepiece itself is hidden away beneath an asymmetrical smattering of 39 princess-cut and 184 round-cut diamonds that sparkle down the wrist. The 40mm-by-56mm white gold watch is home to a manual-wind caliber 1005 movement (about $748,440).
Don’t give up sugar entirely! de Grisogono’s Sugar collection features colorful gem-covered watches with stones that cascade gracefully off the bezel onto the wrist. The rose gold and white diamond interpretation is particularly striking and just as sweet as its namesake (price available upon request).
Daniel Morales at de Grisogono in New York
Content from our partners
(212) 434-4220
The honeycomb design of Chaumet’sBeeMy Love makes for another sweet option. The white gold quartz movement watch has a 19.5mm case, a bezel covered in 24 pavé diamonds, a dial boasting 164 pavé diamonds, and a slender bracelet and buckle with 68 diamonds—Chaumet’s gemstone setters have been busy bees indeed (about $113,226).
The 36mm Premier Glacier watch from Harry Winston has a fractal, icy beauty about it. The quartz movement timepiece (only five will be made) counts 254 baguette diamonds on its shimmering bracelet and another 130 baguette diamonds on its white gold case. The dial motif is so complex that only about half a dozen diamonds can be set a day by the house’s master gem setter ($782,200).
The serpent has long been a symbol of inspiration for Boucheron, and on the quartzmovement Ajourée Amvara watch, it assumes the role of protector, coiling around the off-center, mother-of-pearl dial. The white gold snake has scales of round-cut diamonds, while the piece’s openwork design adds 3D energy to the cold-blooded creature so elegantly guarding the passage of time (price available upon request).
Patek Philippe’s latest Nautilus Haute Joaillerie rose gold watch, the 7021/1R, uses a “gridless pavé” designed to give the gems more access to light and thus sparkle even brighter. The 33.6mm watch features a Caliber 324 S C mechanical selfwinding movement and a sapphire crystal display case back ($334,200).
The all-white Cat’s Eye Snow Tourbillon from Girard-Perregaux balances more than 1,000 snowset diamonds with the dial in a very modern way. The dial has been crafted from mother-of-pearl but cut to resemble a multitude of round pearls. The in-house designed GP09700 movement features a tourbillon at 6 o’clock and has a 70-hour power reserve ($292,500).
The Royal Oak Selfwinding watch from Audemars Piguet maintains an air of machismo. The 37mm brushed white gold case, prominent lugs, and case screws act as counterpoints to the pavé and brilliant-cut diamonds, anchoring the timepiece— complete with a 60-hour power reserve and a display case back—in a masculine universe ($78,100).
Carrera y Carrera’s latest timepiece, from its Circle of Fire collection, is dramatic yet feminine. The 38mm watch’s black backdrop is the perfect canvas on which to display a white diamond-covered dragon. The mythical creature stalks the watch, its claws ready to strike, guarding the quartz movement timepiece at its center ($42,300).
The distinctive look of the Piaget Limelight Gala collection, with cases whose bezels seem to be trying to escape by curling along the watch straps, is the perfect place to play with diamonds. The 38mm 18K rose gold version, set with 413 brilliant-cut diamonds and paired with a crisp white satin strap, has a lovely, sun-kissed freshness to it ($71,000).
