In the age of sport watch mania , it’s easy to forget that the earliest wristwatches — such as the gold and diamond timepiece Patek Philippe created in 1868 for Countess Koscowicz of Hungary, or the bracelet watch Abraham Louis Breguet made for Napoleon Bonaparte’s sister Caroline, Queen of Naples (later giving rise to Breguet’s Reine de Naples collection ) — were bejeweled pieces, delicate, small and reserved for women of means. By all accounts, however, the jewelry watch is currently enjoying a renaissance — and not simply among the ladies. If you watched the Met Gala , you know this to be true because the boldest and blingiest watches belonged to the evening’s leading men, such as Barry Keoghan, who accessorized his Burberry “Mad Hatter” suit with a diamond-faced Omega De Ville Prestige in yellow gold, or Usher, who went for broke with a Jacob & Co.
Billionaire watch swathed in 147 carats of rubies. In honor of the category’s increasing relevance, both on and off the red carpet, we’ve highlighted 11 of the finest jewelry watches introduced this year, most of them from brands that have mastered both haute horlogerie and haute joaillerie in equal measure. But make no mistake: The emphasis here is on fantastical displays of jeweled artistry.
Timekeeping is incidental, which explains why most of the movements that power these flights of horological fancy are either quartz or manual wind, as well as why some of the faces are a little difficult to read. Now.
