If you are planning to spend five or six figures on a watch this season for someone very special (and very lucky), you will probably want that watch to have a high intrinsic value. If so, your best investment is a jewelry watch. A high complication with an equally high price, like a minute repeater or a tourbillon, is also valuable, but if you were to take it apart piece by piece, you would be left with a pile of tiny metal wheels, plates and pinions. Dismantle a jewelry watch, though, and you are left with a pile of diamonds and gemstones which, unassembled, have a high intrinsic value. Here are 10 jewelry watches to invest in this season for the person you value most.
Hublot Big Bang Tourbillon Croco High Jewelry. This million-dollar stunner is set with 380 tapered baguette diamonds totaling 13.5 carats, all custom cut and set to resemble the pattern on a crocodile hide. The watch is a tourbillon with a five-day power reserve. The dial, case, horns and bezel are set with diamonds. The red arc at 9 o’clock is a power reserve indicator. Bonus: It comes with a custom Karmaloog-made jacket out of real crocodile leather. Here is some more information, and here is where to get it.
Harry Winston Premier Automatic Candy. As a diamond and jewelry company, Harry Winston is well positioned to create high jewelry watches, with access to some of the world’s best gems. This fearless jewelry watch is completely paved with rare, electric-blue Paraiba tourmalines, orange spessartite garnets, red spinels, pink and yellow sapphires, green tsavorite garnets and diamonds. Here is some more information, and here is where to get it.
Omega Seamaster Aqua Terra Jewelry. This is essentially a great a sports watch dressed up with a few gemstones and a lot of imagination. The horizontal wave motif engraved in gold on the dial is a nod to the watch’s 150-meter water resistance. It is set with diamonds in graduated sizes, and 12 marquise-cut rubies to mark the hours. The red leather strap is color matched. It contains Omega’s caliber 8807, part of the Master Chronometer series. Here is some more information, and here is where to get it.
Jaquet Droz Lady 8 Flower. This watch has a built-in mechanical lotus flower with 3-D gold petals that open and close on demand. When open, the flower reveals a pistil represented by a .25-carat briolette diamond. The flower is poised under a domed crystal on the upper dial. The lower dial is mother-of-pearl carved in a floral motif. It is set with 249 diamonds on the bezel, flange and buckle, in 18k rose gold. Here is some more information, and here is where to get it.
Bulgari Lucea Tubogas Skeleton. The Lucea Skeleton is openworked, with bridges carved to spell out the brand name. The automatic BVL 191 skeleton movement is hand engraved. The colored hands are covered in red lacquer to match the red cabochon set in the crown. The Lucea collection, originally launched in 2014, takes its name from the word for “light” in Italian. Here is some more information, and here is where to get it.
Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Concept Ladies’ Flying Tourbillon. The dial plate of this flying tourbillon is cut away to resemble broken ice, revealing angled bridges and an openworked barrel. The bridges, bezel, case and strap attachments are set with diamonds. The case is 18k white gold, and there are two versions: one with 459 round brilliant diamonds totaling 3.65 carats (pictured); and the other with baguette-cut diamonds. It is the brand’s first flying tourbillon. Here is some more information, and here is where to get it.
Rolex Datejust 31 Papillon. The mother-of-pearl butterflies on the dial of this decked-out Datejust are positioned against a background of 262 pavé-set diamonds. The bezel is set with 48 larger diamonds. The case, made of 18k Everose (Rolex’s proprietary rose gold alloy), is water resistant to 100 meters. The movement is the Rolex Superlative Chronometer rated caliber 2236, accurate to within -2/+2 seconds per day, which exceeds the industry standard. Here is some more information, and here is where to get it.
Chopard L’Heure du Diamant. The dial of this limited series is made of high quality Australian opal. The bezel of the 18k white gold oval case is surrounded by an impressive halo of large, brilliant-cut diamonds totaling 4.9 carats. The movement is quartz. The bracelet is alligator leather, colored to match the blue tones in the opal. It is also available with a diamond-set bracelet. Here is some more information, and here is where to get it.
Van Cleef & Arpels Lady Arpels Zodiac Lumineux Gemini. This four-piece edition employs an electronic module to light up enamel beads placed on the dial to represent the star points in a constellation. The Gemini is 18k white gold with a glitter-blue enamel dial and translucent blue enamel beads that light up on demand. The Gemini twins are depicted in white gold, diamonds and opaque blue enamel. The movement is the automatic Valfleurier caliber Q020. Here is some more information, and here is where to get it.
Backes & Strauss Berkeley 43 King Tourbillon. The bridge of this Franck Muller-made tourbillon movement bears the Backes & Strauss signature arrow motif, inspired by the hearts and arrows pattern that is visible when viewing the table of an ideal cut diamond. The dial, crown, back plate and buckle are set with over 300 ideal cut diamonds. The 18k white gold case is set with a further 136 round brilliant diamonds, for a total weight of 13.26 carats. Made to order, by appointment. Here is some more information, and here is where to get it.
Panthère De Cartier High Jewelry. Cartier’s signature panther motif is interpreted here on a jewelry watch designed as two panther heads meeting at the ends of a watch dial. The watch is 18k white gold, and set with emeralds, onyx and 2,256 brilliant-cut diamonds totaling 18.90 carats. The movement is quartz. Available by appointment only at select Cartier boutiques nationwide. For more information please contact 1-800-CARTIER.
