Baselworld 2014, the biggest and most important watch and jewellery show of the year, is just around the corner. I will be there to report back and review all that is wonderful and noteworthy. But we don't have to wait until 26 March when its vast doors swing open, as I have had a small preview of some of the jewellery watches that will be on display.
Following the trend for ever-more ornate and bejewelled timekeepers, from what I have seen so far, it looks like 2014 is set to sparkle with the fire of thousands of diamonds and coloured gemstones.
Graff sets its pretty diamond, emerald, sapphire and ruby butterflies fluttering over watch dials. The effect is feminine and very much a jewel in the house style. Bulgari's Diva watch takes the fan shape of the Diva jewellery line, which evokes the glamour of La Dolce Vita, and swathes it in diamonds. This model has no less than 302 baguette-cut diamonds, 16 round-cut diamonds and 394 brilliant-cut diamonds adding up to 22.62 carats, enough to please even the most demanding of divas.
DeLaneau brings the beauty of its hand-painted enamel and precious stone dials to life with its intricate attention to detail and flair for colour, while Chanel introduces the art of a couture house to a watch face with an embroidered camellia flower on the dial of the Mademoiselle Prive Décor Camélia Brodé. The case is set with diamonds to add an extra touch of glamour to this pretty watch.
Corum has embraced the world of colour, and two of its watches caught my eye with their original use of coloured gemstones. The diamonds and pink and purple sapphires on the 12-sided Admiral's Cup Legend 38 for women are set to create a tightly packed geometric floral motif. A spectacular version of the Corum Golden Bridge, with the watch mechanism reduced to a thin strip, is further enhanced by a cross-hatch pattern of sapphires that fades from deep to light blue.
With these original and captivating designs giving us a taste of what is to come, I expect to see many more original and very opulent jewellery watches at BaselWorld 2014.
