As one would expect, all kinds of creations, innovations and variations were revealed at Watches & Wonders 2023. New materials, new technologies, new designs… one could not stop taking notes and writing down article ideas while queuing to access Palexpo.
At the risk of sounding superficial, I chose this year to focus on jewelled timepieces. What at first may sound as an easy and lazy way to dress up a watch or increase its retail price, the truth is that these watches often reveal the true savoir-faire of the maisons. It is not just about gem-setting or enamelling, or about how to include complications in the movement; it is about knowing when to apply restrain and when to let go, when less is more and when more is more.
Starting with the former, I would pick the new Tudor Royal in stainless steel and yellow gold with a chocolate satin-brushed dial and diamonds as hour markers except at the cardinal points. The date window at three o’clock stands out thanks to its white background, as do the hours and minute hands, coated with Super-LumiNova. Still a sporty watch, but one that you can wear well into the evening. The chic effect of the diamonds is amplified by the geometrical motif on the bezel that alternates ridge and simply polished gold squares. It is also available with a salmon dial, all in stainless steel. The case size ranges from 28 to 41mm, and the prices from £2,890 to £3,680.
If you are after something that truly punches above its weight, you need to look no further than the new Oris Aquis Date Diamonds. This is a day-date stainless steel watch with an automatic winding date movement and set with 48 lab diamonds (1,2cts) for just £4,700. It even has a folding clasp with extension. If this is not a steal, I don’t know what it is. And it also looks great. The intense red of the dial makes the diamonds on the numerals and bezel stand out like crazy. It is also available with a rubber red strap for £4,500.
With quite an adventurous yet classic design, we find the Spirit of Big Bang by Hublot in a 32mm tonneau case. There are many variations to suit all preferences. My pick is the King Gold White Diamonds model (£23,500) encrusted with 44 diamonds (0.7cts) on the bezel certainly makes a statement. The white rubber strap adds a certain “casual” air to it, so the watch works as well as a sport piece as it does with formal wear. It is equipped with a self-winding movement and water resistant to 100m. However, I am not sure taking it to the beach club would be a smart idea.
Still with a less is more frame of mind, the new Jewelled Cartier Tank in yellow gold and black onyx (Euro75,000*) catches the eye with its 1920s case and 1980s tones – black and gold was big at the time. The onyx beads roll over each other to the hinges of the bracelet, all articulated to feel supple on the wrist. The dial has been cut from a single onyx stone and is adorned with a diamond at 12 o’clock. The bezel is embellished with a further 101 diamonds totalling 2.28cts.
Hermès presented a delightful Arceau Petite Lune (£39,670) that reminded me of Saint-Exupery’s illustrations of The Little Prince. Following the three principles of the maison: colour, geometry and materials, an opaline star shines amid a diamond-studded aventurine sky, combined with a mother-of-pearl moon and planets carved from aragonite. Modern cutting technology with CNC machines allows for extreme precision when cutting stone, which makes this kind of perfection in dial composition possible. This evocative piece is powered by the Hermès H1837 self-winding movement and the Petite Lune module. Completed with a sapphire alligator strap.
The first Arceau was the creation of Henri d’Origny in 1978. Its round white gold case set with 70 diamonds rests on a stirrup, creating a very singular shape.
Moving on to the Grande Dames of Haute Horlogerie, but still keeping it simple, we have the Vacheron Constantin’s Overseas in steel with a nude-pink dial and diamond-encrusted bezel (POA). The Geneva-based brand keeps showing its panache and expertise in bringing elegance to sport watches. The 35mm case is ideal for a slender wrist and to better reflect the light on the gems. Like with all the Overseas collection, this new model comes with an integrated steel bracelet and two more straps, one in leather matching the colour of the dial, and another made of rubber, in a lighter hue. The straps are complemented with an equally interchangeable clasp buckle, a first for the brand.
The other Grande Dame, Patek Philippe, revealed two enchanting gem-set pieces. One was the Gondolo Serata ref. 4962R (£32,380) which returns to the Patek collection with a slightly larger case in rose gold set with 94 brilliant-cut spessartites (2.02cts), arranged in a colour gradient ranging from darker cognac at 12 and 6 o’clock to light orange at nine and three o’clock. The brown lacquered dial is adorned with a matt floral motif and complemented by a’chocolate brown satin-finish calfskin strap.
The second is the self-winding Calatrava ref. 4997R (£30,960). The rose gold case and diamond-encrusted bezel (76 stones, totalling 0.55cts) encloses a dial made of more than fifty layers of translucent lacquer over a base embossed with a concentric waves pattern. The optical effect is mesmerising, accentuated by the choice of colour, a deep purplish-pink that brings extra warmth to the rose gold. The same tone has been chosen for the satin-finish calfskin strap. At its heart we find the ultra-thin self-winding mechanical movement, calibre 240.
Dialling up the gems, a model that embodies the eternal pull of Art Deco: the Cartier Clash [Un]Limited in pink gold, with black spinels, red coral, chrysoprase, tsavorites and diamonds. The chromatic contrasts of the gems emphasise the geometric motifs, while the different forms and volumes of beads, studs and clous carrés, accentuate the kinetic properties of the watch. It is limited to 30 pieces, at Euro105,000*; but unfortunately, by the time you read this, they will all be gone.
Another watch that often finds inspiration in the 1920s -1930s is Jaeger-LeCoultre. This year was not different and among the novelties it brough to market, there were two new additions to the Reverso One Precious Colours line, one in blue and the other in green tones. The Art Deco-inspired geometric pattern covers the entire case-back and wraps around its sides framing the mother-of-pearl dial. Diamonds cover the gadroons, lugs and edges of the case. The gems can also be found adorning its grand-feu enamel pattern. Its hand-wound Calibre 846 is shaped to follow the contours of the rectangular case.
Also reminiscing of the past, Bvlgari’s Serpenti Tubogas Infiniti has reinvented the way the springy bracelet is constructed. In the classic tubogas technique, strips of gold are wrapped around a wooden form, interlocking in a continuous, sinuous band that doesn’t need to be soldered. In the Infiniti, the rings are moulded and polished one by one and then assembled on a titanium blade. This modular construction allows the links to be wider for gem-setting. The result is a watch with a diamond-studded single or double tour bracelet (£65,100 and £81,200 respectively), a 35mm curved rose gold case and bezel – also covered in diamonds – and a dial paved with 262 diamonds. In total, 486 of the precious gems (approx. 5.85cts) are used to make each of these stunning timepieces.
Probably as mystic as the snake is the figure of the fairy, to which Van Cleef & Arpels often returns to for inspiration. In this case, it takes the form of the Lady Féerie Or Rose watch (£105,000). The self-winding mechanism, jumping hours, and retrograde minutes, is fitted within its 33mm Lady case. A curved sapphire glass facilitates the placing of the three-dimensional fairy and optimizes the entrance of light. Its mother-of-pearl dial features a gradient of colour from pearly white to deep plum. The fairy’s dress is made of diamonds and pink sapphires and painted with gold. Her wings are coated with pink plique-à-jour and opaque enamel to create a translucent effect. Her wand points at the minutes while the setting sun marks the hours in a window above the clouds on which the fairy sits. Visible from the back, the oscillating weight is engraved with a night sky, showing a full moon sprinkled with stars. This design is covered by a sapphire glass adorned with enamel-contoured clouds. Presented with an interchangeable alligator strap and a gold and diamonds bracelet.
Also in the territory of complications, we find a new version of the Bovet 1822 Récital 23 in green (CHF120,000*), a colour that many maisons favoured this year for their novelties. Bovet’s signature “writing slope” case is made of red gold and covered in diamonds, as it is the bezel. The off-centre green lacquer-like dial at six o’clock leaves space for a three-dimensional moon phase on its upper section. The hours are marked by diamonds and every hour, the hands form a perfect heart. I dare you not to smile a little at the romanticism of this detail. The base dial is hand-chiselled and features a shooting star. The watch is completed with an alligator strap.
Bovet’s Récital 23 beats at the rhythm of the Calibre 11DA17-MP self-winding movement with 62 hours power reserve and water resistant to 30 metres.
Gucci’s G-Timeless line marked the beginning of the fashion house’s journey into haute horlogerie. Its Dancing Bees Tourbillon is as much a triumph for its horological value as it is for its aesthetics. On its dial, 12 golden bees flutter and shimmer with the slightest movement of the wrist. This remarkable collection has introduced two exceptional stone dials for 2023. The first in an intense turquoise that recalls the colour of the oceans as seen from space. The second (shown here), in a vibrant pistachio-green galvanised opal, reminds of lush and verdant lands. In this watch, the fragile stones are first polished to a thickness of only 0.45mm before being cut into small, individual rectangles, which are then painstakingly laid on a mother-of-pearl plate just 0.15mm thick. The star-studded tourbillon rests within a diamond-set crescent at 12 o’clock. The case, bezel and crown are also adorned with diamonds.
The sheer technical achievement and visual enchantment of the moving tourbillon cage has led to it being displayed as an exquisite decoration, too.
There were many more incredible jewelled time pieces presented the week of Watches & Wonders in Geneva, but I couldn’t possibly feature them all here. I invite you to have a look around online and discover them by yourself.
Words: Julia Pasarón
Opening Image: Van Cleef & Arpels Ludo secret watch in rose gold and pink sapphires.
(*) Prices in sterling pounds were not available at the time of publication.
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