Diamond-Set Watches: Who Knew Fine Craftsmanship Was So Complicated?

Personal preferences aside, a diamond-set watch is a work of art, especially when we move away from the simple diamond hour marker or gem-set bezels and into the territory of more elaborately set pieces The yield of each diamond mine is different, but in general to find one carat's worth of diamonds - a mere 0.2 grams - 200 kilograms of rock need to be mined and processed The diamond cutters are not the only ones facing challenges; the diamond setters do as well.

In either case, to secure the diamonds the diamond setter needs space/volume and does so by drilling and carving into the case Just like watchmakers, clever diamond cutters and setters also enjoy a good challenge As if setting a watch with diamonds isn't complicated enough, they raise the stakes by putting a pavé setting on an ultra-thin watch.

Cutting away even more to accommodate the diamonds is like walking a haute horlogerie high wire - and further proof that diamond-set watches are a complication of their own. . Source