Million-Dollar Babies: Meet Three Half-Million-Dollar-Plus Diamond Watches

Is your time worth a million bucks or more? If so, you may want to invest in one of these spectacular diamond watches.

Diamonds have long been considered a “girl’s best friend.” They also have been at the root of wars, been the symbol of wealth and power and, to this day, remain the icon of legendary ever-lasting love.

This may well be why so many top watch brands look for ways to make diamonds the absolute highlight of their watches. In fact, thus far this year we have seen three superb diamond watches make their debut – each of which retails for well over half a million dollars. Two of the precious beauties we are binging you here retail for $1 million and up.

What makes these watches so expressive is not just the fact that they are covered in gemstones, but also the fact that those stones are so incredibly matched and perfectly set that they are more a work of art than elegance. In some instances, the watch brands have taken years to assemble all of the perfectly matched size and clarity of diamonds to comprise the piece. In other instances, master gem setters have spent upwards of three months of their lives setting these scintillating stones.

Here we bring you a close-up look at three dynamic diamond watches that were unveiled to the world just over a month ago – and that will make their way to the market later this year.

This $1 million beauty from Van Cleef & Arpels represents a diamond and ruby combination that will blow you away. Highly visible from across any crowded room, this is a watch that means business. The Rubis Secret watch is a cuff bracelet watch that features a “hidden” dial.

In days gone by, watches were considered an unnecessary item for women, who – society supposed – did not need to know the time. To cater to the women and confound the men, smart luxury watch brands such as Van Cleef & Arpels, created secret watches wherein the timepiece looked like a piece of stunning jewelry, but hid a watch dial within. Sometimes the dial was beneath a lid that opened, other times it was secreted away in a sliding drawer of the bracelet.

This new Rubis Secret watch emulates those “sliding drawer” watches of yesteryear –but does so with luxurious charm and beauty worthy of the finest ball gown. The cuff bracelet is meticulously set with hundreds of diamonds and 115 Mozambique rubies weighing a total of an incredible 151.25 carats.

Van Cleef & Arpels took years to collect the hundreds of perfectly matched rubies and diamonds to be able to finally set the 18-karat gold cuff. Then, it took the brand’s master gem setter 1,500 hours to sculpt the gold and hand set the jewels. A shimmering row of diamonds outlines the rubies, created in an Art Deco motif. The diamond-bedecked watch dial slides out from the secret drawer when the wearer presses a hidden hinge. Making the watch even more dramatic – for those who love a technical twist – the drawer is fit so precisely into its spot that there is merely a one- hundredth of a millimeter of tolerance between the stones and metal.

Moving from classic elegance to bold defiance, Audemars Piguet takes the concept of the Secret diamond watch to wild new heights in the Diamond Fury cuff watch. The stunning 18-karat white gold cuff watch with superb angular appeal in the form of raised triangular studs is bedecked in thousands of diamonds. The watch dial, masterfully hidden behind a secret triangular cover, is also ensconced in diamonds – to the tune of more than 25 carats. Yes, you could actually use this beauty as a tiny weight and do a few arm lifts while wearing thousands of diamonds on the wrist.

The Diamond Fury is hand crafted via intricate geometric latticework on the inner portion of the cuff to allow the most light to filer through to the diamonds. The master artisans at Audemars Piguet spent nearly 2,000 hours sculpting the gold and setting the diamonds in each of the two versions being made. One model features diamonds with onyx inlays on the pyramids. The second version is fully set with 4,635 brilliant-cut diamonds and weighs a total of 25.60. The all-diamond adorned masterpiece carries a retail price of $637,800.

Secret watches not your thing? No worries, Roger Dubuis has an amazing new diamond watch that lays it all right out for you. Part of the brand’s exquisite Velvet line, the new Velvet Diamond Ribbon watch is crafted in platinum (in a special case) and set with more than 54 carats of baguette-, brilliant- and emerald-cut diamonds. The magnificent stones are all specially selected for exquisite color and clarity (they are all F/IF-VVS diamonds), and a host of traditional gem setting techniques are employed to offer one of the most diamond-forward watches on the market. The master gem setters have fully paved the watch in diamonds using invisible settings (wherein no metal shows through), tapered and claw settings, as well as bead and bezel settings. In typical Roger Dubuis style – a rich combination of technical prowess and daring audacity –the watch is powered by the self-winding mechanical RD821 Automatic movement with 48 hours of power reserve. Only eight of these beauties will be built and each carries the Poinçon de Genève (Hallmark of Geneva) – just like all Roger Dubuis timepieces. This ribbon of sheen retails for $1.2 million.

One last thing: While these watches are stunners, we know there are more incredibly nice ice watches coming out this month, as well, so check back, we will be bringing you a look at those soon.

For more information, please visit the official Roger Dubuis, Audemars Piguet and Van Cleef & Arpels website. Follow Haute Time on Instagram to catch all of the new releases as they happen.