8 stunning watches featuring exquisite ornamental stones

Both unheard of in watchmaking, charoite and amber now claim the spotlight on the 37.3mm Arnold & Son Double Tourbillon grand complication as the brand continues its exploration of unprecedented materials. While charoite comes in various shades of purple, this one here flaunts a delicate mauve with fine white veins.

Instead of the translucent orange associated with amber, this creamy yet shimmery version hails from the Baltic. Complementing the white gold case, skeletonised bridges, and pure white opal subdials with their individuality, the specimens used here are so rare that only a one-off piece of each is produced.

Opal: Louis Moinet Geopolis Opal

This exceptional showpiece boasts not just one but 12 opals in different shades — a first in luxury watchmaking. Here, the mythical stone, beloved for its play-of-colour phenomenon, creates a hypnotic visual spectacle with a rainbow of hues and intense reflections.

Encased within a 40.7mm red gold case is an onyx dial set with a large central opal disc surrounded by 10 smaller ones. The last one is nestled at the back of the flying tourbillon cage. Nothing this precious comes easy, and the proof is in the 0.5mm-thick slices meticulously cut and polished by master artisan Daniel Haas.

Chrysocolla: Ulysse Nardin Diver Atoll

The spirit of boundless adventure is epitomised by striking chrysocolla on Ulysse Nardin’s Diver 39mm. Aptly named Atoll, this edition of 100 pieces conjures everything underwater explorers love — sun-drenched shores, reflections off tranquil waters, and a glimpse of coral life beyond.

Boasting a kaleidoscope of striking blues and turquoise accented with swirls of earthy browns and blacks, it is a blue-green stone whose hues are imparted by the presence of copper. In this model, 51 diamonds on the bezel and indices imbue more brilliance, while its case is made of 80 per cent recycled stainless steel.

Pink Jasper: Hublot Classic Fusion Elements II Special Edition

Staying true to its philosophy of blending watchmaking with the bold and beautiful, Hublot has selected five breathtaking decorative stones to serve as colourful canvases for its ship porthole-inspired Classic Fusion collection. Housed within a 42mm titanium case, each stone dial represents different symbolic aspects of the natural world.

The variants include lunar meteorite, nephrite jade, sodalite, turquoise, and this mesmerising, rose-hued pink jasper variant, which channels calm, stability, and healing. This exclusive collaboration with The Hour Glass is only available at the retailer’s boutiques in Southeast Asia and is limited to just 10 pieces per stone.

Pietersite: Biver Automatique Atelier Series

The first timepiece of the Biver brand, launched by horology legend Jean-Claude Biver and his son Pierre in 2023, was the Carillon Tourbillon Minute Repeater. Marking the next chapter, the duo returns to watchmaking basics with the Automatique, a 39mm three-hand watch made for daily wear.

Imbuing its simplicity with a dash of sophistication is a highly limited sub-range called the Atelier Series. It features hard stone dials central to Biver’s ethos of connecting each watch to eternity. One of two variants to inaugurate the line is this rose gold model showcasing pietersite, a dark-blue chalcedony variety bearing entrancing white and orange swirls.

Petrified wood: Piaget Andy Warhol High Jewellery

Customisation is the name of the game for Piaget, and for the newly renamed Andy Warhol watch, formerly known as the Black Tie, there are over 10 ornamental stone dials to choose from. This 45mm by 43mm high jewellery timepiece is a special edition inspired by the forest’s colours.

A stunning mottled-brown petrified wood dial takes pride of place, flawlessly matching the glitzy vintage vibe of its iconic cushion-shaped yellow gold case. Baguette-cut Colombian emeralds serve as hour markers, with three more rows of the prized gem weighing nearly 6 carats on the bezel. 

Meteorite: De Bethune DB28xs Aerolite

Sitting at the intersection of watchmaking tradition and modern science is De Bethune’s new creation, which combines stand-out elements from the previous DB28xs Starry Seas and DB28XP Meteorite masterpieces to symbolise the meeting of earth and sky. Within a 38.7mm black zirconium case sits a dial of blue Muonionalusta meteorite, which impacted our planet in northern Scandinavia.

Probably the oldest known meteorite, it displays perfectly geometric lines that harmoniously contrast with a novel random guilloche pattern. The dotting of white gold stars completes the imagery of a starry sky’s rippled surface, on which pink gold hands tell the time.

This article was originally published in The Peak.