Some watches tell the time. Others make you wonder whether that was ever the most interesting thing about them. Think of the latter as the horological equivalent of a beautifully cut dinner jacket. The details keep you looking. A flash of diamonds, an unexpected turn of the case, a dial that reveals more than it first lets on. The finest names know how much to reveal. Knowing when to leave a little mystery is considerably more stylish.
Dressed to Impress
Graff, naturally, starts with diamonds. The Classic Butterfly Diamond Watch places the house’s winged icon at the centre of a 33mm white-gold case, with pear-shaped and marquise-cut stones arranged across the pavé diamond dial as though they might take flight.
Approximately 9.34 carats of diamonds are used throughout, including the crown and clasp.
Turn it over, and another cluster of butterflies appears on the reverse. It is a detail that rewards curiosity.
The quartz movement keeps a low profile. Presented on a black satin strap and crafted in Geneva, it is Graff in its comfort zone: high jewellery with a watch attached, and an argument for wearing something spectacular before cocktail hour.
Patek Philippe takes the opposite tack with the Grand Complications 5304/301R-001. The jewellery draws you towards what is happening beneath the surface.
The 43mm rose-gold case has a transparent sapphire dial, revealing the perpetual calendar and retrograde date. A minute repeater chimes the hours, quarter-hours and minutes when called upon.
A 22K gold off-centre mini-rotor carries a leaf motif, while 58 baguette-cut diamonds frame the bezel and lugs and 22 more sit on the clasp.
The whole thing is technically formidable without behaving as though it knows it.
Confidence, after all, rarely needs a press release.
Chopard’s Happy Diamonds Icons is more playful. In 204292-1301, five diamonds move freely between two sapphire crystals, dancing across the dial as the wrist moves.
The 26 x 29mm case is in 18-carat ethical white gold, with a guilloché mother-of-pearl dial and a total diamond weight of 0.91 carats.
WORTH KNOWING
- Chopard’s Happy Diamonds concept dates to 1976.
- Five diamonds move freely between two sapphire crystals.
- The quartz movement is just 2.50mm thick.
Most diamonds are expected to sit still and look expensive. Chopard felt they could have a little fun.
A Little More Under the Cuff
Breguet’s Tradition GMT 7067 appeals to a different instinct: the pleasure of seeing how it works. The platinum version measures 40mm and houses the manually wound 507DRF movement, whose architecture is laid open to view.
The second time zone appears on an off-centred dial at 12 o’clock and can be changed using a pusher at 10.
Another off-centred dial at 8 o’clock shows reference time, with a day-and-night indicator alongside it.
Grand Feu enamel, hand-satin finishing and a sapphire case back complete the picture; the movement measures 32.8mm across and offers a 50-hour power reserve. Breguet has no interest in making the watch feel like homework. It makes a statement and looks good doing it.
In an age of screens, an object quite happy to show its machinery has appeal. Jaeger-LeCoultre’s Reverso One ‘HIBISCUS ROSA’ has a different reveal. Turn the case over, and the watch changes personality.
The 18-carat pink-gold case measures 40 by 20mm, with a mother-of-pearl dial framed by Art Deco brackets.
On the reverse, Grand Feu champlevé enamel brings an Akialoa and vivid red hibiscus to life, with 24K gold-leaf paillonnage and snow-set diamonds in nine distinct sizes. The case is set with 645 diamonds weighing 2.37 carats, with around 100 hours devoted to their placement.
The enamel is fired in successive layers at temperatures reaching 800°C, while the manually wound Calibre 846 is 2.9mm thick and provides a 50-hour power reserve. There is a lot of patience concealed inside this apparently small object.
Yet the watch never feels as though it is asking for applause. It simply gives you another reason to look. The Reverso has always had a talent for making an entrance twice. This one has better wardrobe options.
The Clever One
Rolex’s Sky-Dweller is the watch for the person who likes their complications discreet. The 42mm white-gold Reference 336239 displays local time alongside a second time zone, while its annual calendar accounts for different month lengths.
It needs correcting only once a year, on 1 March, after February’s shorter turn.
The Ring Command bezel selects the function before the crown adjusts. It is an unusually civilised solution. The dial keeps the information legible without turning the wrist into an instrument panel. Self-winding Calibre 9002 provides approximately 72 hours of power reserve; Rolex specifies precision of -2/+2 seconds per day after casing.
The Oyster case is waterproof to 100 metres and certified as a Superlative Chronometer.
Put them all on the same table, and their personalities become obvious: Graff has arrived dressed entirely in diamonds. Patek Philippe would like you to look under the bonnet. Chopard, meanwhile, has let its diamonds loose. Breguet is perfectly happy with the workings on display, while Jaeger-LeCoultre has quietly turned its watch inside out. Rolex, characteristically, has made the complicated business of doing all this look easy.
Different watches, different temperaments, and not one interested in being ordinary. For collectors, the pleasure is knowing the trick and still enjoying the surprise. For everyone else, there is the pleasure of wondering why more things are not made this well.
The specifications matter. They are not necessarily what makes you fall for a watch. It is the weight on the wrist. The way the case catches the light. The pleasure of turning it over for no reason. The small discovery that rewards a closer look, and the knowledge that someone spent hours perfecting something most people will never notice.