Romancing the Stones
The London jeweller Graff has brought its expertise with precious stones to the world of watches
The house of Graff, which was founded in London in 1960 by the young jewellery maker Laurence Graff, fast developed a reputation for outstanding jewellery design and manufacturing that was cemented when it won a prestigious international competition organised by the De Beers company in 1966. From its modest beginnings with a single shop, Graff has since grown into a globally recognised high-jewellery brand, famous not only for the quality of its diamonds but also its jewellery-making expertise, with a network of almost 60 boutiques in 23 countries on four continents.
Although notable for its stunning bracelets, necklaces, brooches and other jewels, Graff also creates timepieces for men and women, which it presents in several collections. New in 2020 are four additions to its high-jewellery Butterfly Motif collection, featuring white-gold cases, diamond-set butterflies that appear to float above dials paved with emeralds, rubies, sapphires or diamonds, and matching satin straps in green, red, blue or black. The designs are completed by diamond-set bezels, lugs and crowns.
An inveterate traveller, Laurence Graff was captivated by the sights, sounds and scents of Asia, all of which have provided inspiration for his creations. Among them is the peony flower, which appears in paintings and engravings ancient and modern, and whose allure is named “most beautiful” in Chinese. Literal and abstract interpretations of the flower are also depicted in many Graff pieces, including the Peony Collection of secret watches. With hidden dials, these gorgeous jewellery timepieces are fashioned from diamonds – total weights vary from 19 to 31 carats – and can be worn strapped to the wrist or as brooches.
A further eloquent example of Graff craftsmanship and expertise can be found in the Yellow Diamond High Jewellery watch, shown on these pages. Designed to highlight the allure of the precious yellow jewels and created by two teams working simultaneously in London and Geneva using CAD technology, the watch has as its centrepiece 14 cushion-cut Fancy Vivid yellow diamonds. These surround a miniature yellow diamond-pavé dial, the latter overlaid by a matching yellow sapphire crystal. From this focal point, a contrasting bracelet of precisely matched yet graduated round white diamonds streams out in both directions and tapering towards the clasp. Although working with digital files simplified the teams’ ability to work together, this precious ladies’ watch is nonetheless a testimony to the painstaking craftsmanship of artisans working by hand, with each stone individually cut and polished exactly to the shape and dimensions required.
An inveterate traveller, Laurence Graff was captivated by the sights, sounds and scents of Asia, all of which provided inspiration