Haute Time Ladies’ Watch of the Day: Roger Dubuis Velvet High Jewelry

Roger Dubuis gets everything right with the clean, well-matched emeralds, rubies or sapphires in its Velvet Haute Joaillerie collection. Colored gemstones can often look like a confusing kaleidescope on a watch dial. A wristwatch is a small canvas, so gemstones should be used discreetly, in no more than two colors, and should be chosen from nothing less than the highest quality categories, especially with gems that are typically included, such as emerald – even the finest emerald has some “jardin,” or plant-like inclusions

The colored gemstones on this extraordinary watch, cut as cushion shapes, are highly saturated and very clean. The are framed by a full canvas of tapered baguettes and princess cuts, in one of the nicest gem layouts of any jewelry watch I’ve seen. The rows of diamonds radiate out from the center of the dial and are organized in grids into which they are invisibly set – the grids form a pattern, and become part of the overall design. This is so much harder to do than randomly setting round diamonds in various sizes around a case and dial wherever they will fit.

The 36mm cases are 18k white or rose gold, and set with 136 baguette diamonds totaling 5.99 carats. At each end is a choice of two cushion-cut blue sapphires, rubies, pink sapphires, yellow sapphires or emeralds. The dial is fully paved with 136 invisibly set baguette diamonds totaling 4.15 carats. The total carat weight is 11.25cts. The watch is constructed to Geneva Seal standards, and contains the automatic RD821 Caliber. It is water resistant to 30 meters … but really, this is not a watch to wear diving. It is made for on-land adventures.