Four Sapphire Sensations That Give New Meaning To Transparency

For decades, sapphire crystal was mainly used to cover the front, and in many cases also the back, of watches. Its high scratch resistance made it the perfect material for that. While not too difficult to process into small discs to protect the dial and movement, crafting an entire watch case and more out of it, it an entirely different ball game. There the advantages that the material offers become a challenge. However, this hasn’t stopped a few brands from going for full transparency and create breathtaking sapphire sensations.

Girard-Perregaux Quasar Light Tourbillon With Three Bridges
Based on the iconic tourbillon with three gold bridges is Girard-Perregaux blending the past with the present in the Quasar Light. Here not only the case is made from sapphire crystal, but the three bridges as well. This results in a very futuristic watch, which the brand underscores with a strap made from a metallic fabric. The mainspring barrel, secured by the top bridge, seems to sparkle. This is because it is crafted from Ruthenium, a rare platinum metal that forms crystals, offering an unsurpassed play of light.

Hublot Big Bang Tourbillon Full Sapphire
Hublot enjoys a solid reputation as one of the leaders when it comes to crafting sapphire cased watches. Not only are they capable of milling them in complex shapes, but they are also a master in making them in colors, which is one of the most challenging things to achieve. Sapphire is also the perfect material to show off the exquisite automatic tourbillon movement that the brand recently launched. However, they didn’t want the transparency to stop just there, and that is why they also crafted the bracelet out of sapphire.

Louis Vuitton Tambour Moon Flying Tourbillon “Poinçon de Genève” Sapphire
While sapphire crystal may be a very innovative material, that doesn’t mean that it cannot be integrated with traditional values. This Louis Vuitton carries the prestigious “Poinçon de Genève,” or Geneva Seal, which means that the watch meets the highest standards of finishing. The watch itself is rather avant-garde with its skeletonized manufacture movement. Thanks to this, in combination with the sapphire Tambour case, can each aspect of this watch be admired in full, such as the beautiful flying tourbillon. Louis Vuitton also opted for colored sapphire, which is increasingly more difficult to make but adds another layer of character.

MB&F HM9 Sapphire Vision
One of the main challenges of creating a sapphire cased watch is not so much making the material itself but milling it in the desired shape. Sapphire crystal can only be machined at a very slow pace, and even then, the risk of damaging the material is substantial. The more complex the shape, the more challenging it gets. In that matter, it doesn’t get much more complex than the organic shape of the HM9 Sapphire Vision. The advantages are significant enough for MB&F to have done it anyway, as it allows them to showcase the sensational movement of this watch and allows owners to discover the stunning finishes from various angles. It shows the true potential of this unique transparent material, and why despite its significant challenges, it will prove to be the material of the future in Haute Horlogerie.