Associated with positive vibes, pretty to look at, and stunning in their variety, gemstones and crystals are having a moment in the watch world. While several high-end brands have utilised these hard stones in dials, some others have used them in more unexpected ways. Read on to learn more about our favourite stone-cool launches this year.
Related: 20 top timepieces from Watches & Wonders Geneva 2023
Crystals and gemstones have been exceedingly popular with the younger generation for a while now. Just ask Pierre Biver, the 22-year-old son of industry veteran Jean-Claude Biver and also the co- founder of Biver Watches along with his dad. Silver obsidian and sodalite dials are used for the brand’s first timepiece, the Carillon Tourbillon. Says Pierre, “We chose these stones for their spiritual attributes — for the energy they radiate.” Sodalite is associated with courage, while silver obsidian is linked to positivity and dynamism.
Some of Piaget’s most flamboyant historical watches have featured stone dials, and the brand celebrates this colourful legacy this year. Along with high-jewellery timepieces with dials made of opal and turquoise, Piaget also unveiled a Piaget Polo Perpetual Calendar with a blue obsidian dial. The deep-blue dial features unique inclusions that give it a certain iridescence. This sparkle is further enhanced by the 56 brilliant-cut sapphires set in the bezel of this 42mm white gold timepiece.
Taking a different approach to the use of stone in watches, Zenith uses blue chalcedony for the bezel and pusher protectors in the Defy Extreme Glacier. The semi-translucent, light blue stone is meant to evoke the appearance of glaciers, and each piece is individually cut and polished by hand for the 50-piece limited edition. This is not the first time Zenith has used natural stone in its watches; in 2021, the Defy Extreme Desert used Falcon’s Eye for the watch’s 12-sided bezel and pusher guards.
Another brand that has taken an unusual route with hard stone is Cartier, which uses three different stones to form the Roman numerals on a trio of Santos-Dumont XL timepieces. The colour of the stone used for the numerals matches that of the cabochon on the watch’s crown: Green jade is matched with a jade cabochon in the rose gold model, blue dumortierite complements a blue sapphire cabochon in the yellow gold edition, and red jasper goes beautifully with the ruby cabochon in the platinum version.
Turquoise has been a popular hue in watchmaking in recent years. What’s even better than the soothing blue-green colour? An actual turquoise dial, perhaps. Inspired by its own tradition of stone dials — which thrived between the late 1960s and 90s — Audemars Piguet endows a 37mm Royal Oak in yellow gold with a dial made from Mexican turquoise. The turquoise is cut into discs measuring just 0.75mm in thickness before being ground, sandblasted and polished.
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