Which Says Luxury: Specialty Work or Gobs of Gems?

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Brands still pile on the glitter, but skills such as enamel and miniature work have become the real distinguishing characteristics of high-end watches.

Jeweled timepieces typically dazzle with sparkling gemstones set on glittering surfaces.

But some brands now are prioritizing artisanal collaborations — so their jeweled watches showcase not just extravagant stones but also the craftsmanship behind the creations. The fusion of diverse skills and materials has been driving the fabrication of intricate jewelry timepieces that combine several métiers d’art, fields where precision and artistry outshine carat weight.

“The trend to integrate artistic crafts into the design of jewelry watches started over a decade ago,” said Corentin Quideau, an independent consultant and global jewelry brand strategist in Paris. “In watchmaking, brand expertise and prestige have shifted from being focused on complex technological complications to a more artistic orientation. Brands like LVMH, Hermès and Chanel, to name a few, actively take over or buy stakes in specialist ateliers, which brings their know-hows into the fold of the brand.”

As a result, he continued, “creativity and ingenuity are where top brands are competing” for the interest of the rising number of wealthy potential buyers.

“Today, with developments in crafts combined with new technologies, it is possible to achieve the most eccentric of ‘creative follies’ in jewelry watchmaking from every perspective — formal, functional, material or stylistic,” Mr. Quideau said, “which is why we see brands focused on creating truly exceptional pieces.”

Louis Vuitton’s Escale à Asnières pocket watch. The dial was painted by a master enameler, and went through 20 firings.
Dick Steenman, who recently began working at Louis Vuitton’s specialist watchmaking center, engraved the caseback of the pocket watch.

The trend has been evident inside the workshops of La Fabrique du Temps, Louis Vuitton’s specialist watchmaking center in Geneva, where a team of skilled métiers d’art artisans is dedicated to creating intricately crafted timepieces in-house.

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