A Gem of a Watch – Our Favourite Gemstone Designer Watches

 Whilst Apple and Microsoft launch their new smart watches, we take a look at some of the most beautiful gemstone designer watches on the market. These watches span through various timelines and their gemstones and artwork make them invaluable for year to come. Some of our favourite watches include the following:

Bulgari Astrale

Bulgari, a watch and gemstone specialist was founded by Sotirios Voulgaris in 1884 and now owned by LMVH launched the Astrale watch this year with a combination of  brilliant cut diamonds and coloured gemstones, set in a back dial and a  36 mm 18-ct yellow gold curved case.

Chanel, never one to disappoint also a L&G favourite have made creating watches into an art form. This striking diamond watch is living proof of their superior technical mastery. “Lion Mosaïque” is a true painting in gemstones with white gold and diamonds,  it features a lion’s head seen in three-quarter view. The dial is paved in diamonds and the designer watch is set with baguette-cut diamonds which brings the diamond watch to life, it fully expresses the breadth and extent of Chanels’s creativity – art in a watch.

Harry Winston Diamond watch with hood

Harry Winston which was founded in 1932, is amongst one of the most famous jewellers in the word. In the hit song  "Diamonds Are a Girl's Best Friend" – it includes the words "Talk to me, Harry Winston, tell me all about it!". This year THE Emerald Signature ladies watch made the short list of the GPHG. This beautifully designed diamond and gemstone designer watch named  the ‘Ultimate Emerald Signature’ embraces the fine diamond heritage of the Winston family featuring 192 brilliant-cut diamonds, 38 baguette-cut diamonds, 24 marquise-cut diamonds with, and a single 1-carat emerald-cut diamond placed at its centre. More than 100 hours were required to hand-set this exceptional creation – A rare diamond work of art.

Finally, Piaget is a watch maker who have created some of the finest watches in the world –  and this one consists of 20 baguette cut diamonds (approx. 1.1 ct) which are set within the face of the watch and 454 baguette cut diamonds which are individually set with in a 18k white gold strap -  A true masterpiece of a designer diamond watch.

Written by Rosie May Reddington