Sapphire crystal is the most expensive element in luxury watches, even higher than gold. Due to the difficulty and cost of manufacturing sapphire, the case made of sapphire has become a rare species in the watch industry. However, several brands have joined the sapphire watch bandwagon in recent years, each with their own unique style. List 6 watches that made their debut.
1. Blancpain L-Evolution One Minute Flight Sapphire Carrousel
This Blancpain avant-garde L-Evolution watch not only has a sapphire dial, strap and case back, but also the sapphire components in the Calibre 22T hand-wound movement. One of the highlights of this movement is the nanotechnology-inspired finish on the upper bridge, its 120-hour power reserve, and the use of the Carrousel adjustment system that has become the hallmark of Blancpain Haute Horlogerie timepieces. Combining sapphire parts with a tantalum bezel and white gold earrings, it measures 43.5mm in diameter and is water-resistant to 30 meters. Comes with a Mississippiensis alligator leather strap.
2. Greubel Forsey Double Tourbillon 30º Technical Sapphire
Produced in just eight pieces, the Greubel Forsey Double Tourbillon 30º Sapphire is crafted from a single sapphire crystal. The aim is to provide an all-round visual experience to appreciate the multi-layered structure of the movement, where you can see the two tourbillons in action from every angle. At 49.95mm in diameter and 17.15mm thick, the case is slightly larger than previous versions in rose gold, white gold, platinum and titanium. The crown is engraved with the GF logo and is also made of sapphire. In four tandem barrels, which give it a power reserve of 120 hours, it uses a patented system with an internal tourbillon inclined at a 30º angle, making one revolution per minute, and an external tourbillon made every four minutes A more unusual spin. The price of the watch is about 7.6 million yuan.
3. Hublot Big Bang Unico Sapphire
The Hublot Big Bang Unico Sapphire, launched at Baselworld in 2016, is a limited edition of 500 pieces, and the collection is the brand’s first major collection of watches. The entire case is made of cut sapphire except for the screws, the crown (overmolded with silicon) and the folding clasp of the watch, which is made of titanium. The skeletonized dial is made of transparent resin, revealing the watch's movement, the Hublot calibre Unico Calibre HUB1242, which includes an integrated flyback chronograph function with a cylindrical wheel and double clutch visible on the dial side. The movement has a black PVD treatment and a 72-hour power reserve; in addition to the hours, minutes, small seconds and chronograph functions, it includes a date display in a window at 3 o'clock. About RMB 380,000.
4. MB&F Watch Machinery No. 6 SV
MB&F Horological Machine No.6 SV is abbreviated as " SV " for "Sapphire Vision". The watch is a fully transparent version of MB&F's HM 6 Space Pirate released in 2014. There are sapphires on the top and bottom of the watch. Nine sapphire domes are glued to these plates; five on the front of the watch and four on the back. Four of the domes cover the rotating minute and hour indications, which are made of aluminium machined into thin paper. Four additional turbines are driven through a gear system (visible by the back of the watch) designed to multiply the number of revolutions. The purpose of a turbine is to slow down the rotation of the rotor by increasing air friction, preventing it from starting to spin too fast and reducing wear on the rotor. The central dome covers the flying tourbillon. The tourbillon has a retractable titanium shield to prevent UV damage to grease. The shield opens and closes via the crown at 9 o'clock.
5. Richard Mille RM 07-02 Pink Lady Sapphire Automatic
The Richard Mille RM 07-02 Pink Sapphire Automatic Ladies Watch is named after a famous cocktail introduced in the 1930s, and features a triple case made of pink sapphire, the case parts are all polished from a single piece of sapphire , each complete shell has an ergonomically curved shape measuring 46.75 x 32.9 mm and required nearly 40 days of machining and sanding. Richard Mille's Calibre CRMA5 is an automatic skeleton movement with a red onyx bezel set with diamonds in the center of the dial. On the back, the rotor with variable geometry is visible through the visible caseback, made of rose gold and set with diamonds. There is a power reserve of more than 50 hours. The strap is made of alligator leather.
6. Visconti 2 Square Crystal Demo Automatic
Florence-based Visconti fountain pen maker entered the watch industry three years ago. In its watch collection, the transparent sapphire watch is inspired by the brand's "demonstration" pen, making the case transparent in order to reveal the inner workings of the watch. This year Visconti introduced a new so-called "Demo" watch, the Visconti 2 Squared Crystal Demo Automatic. Its case is made of a single piece of sapphire, so you can see the movement from all angles. Made in Switzerland by Technotime, this movement has a five-day power reserve. The power reserve is displayed between 4 and 6 o'clock. There is a retro date display between 12 and 2 o'clock. In addition to the red version shown here, the watch is also available in blue, smoke or colorless. The price is 148,500.
