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THE ORACLE SPEAKS
[Bezel Setting]
The wizardry of the watch world explained Words by MAT CRADDOCK
The oldest form of gem-setting around, it doesn’t simply mean any diamonds set into a bezel. Instead, it’s a very particular way of fixing a stone in place by essentially giving it a collar of metal. In some areas, it’s the perfect setting technique as it’s the most secure, holding the stones perfectly in place, and makes a natural technique for gem-set crowns and, yes, bezels. The big downside is that it shows off far less of the actual stones. If you’ve plumped for some serious quality gems – as most watchmakers will do – it really restricts how they catch the light and also decreases the visible surface area. It’s a practical setting, not a pretty one.
[Claw Setting]
[Diamond Setting in Watches]
There are few flashier odes to excess in this world than the not-so-humble diamond. That goes double if you’ve decided to drape a few hundred carats over a Royal Oak or Nautilus. Sure, diamonds in watches are nothing new, particularly for women’s pieces, but in the last few years there’s been an explosion in everything from diamond indexes to stretches of gold fully set with a conflict zone’s worth of diamonds. While it’s easy to get side-tracked by the stones themselves however – they’re so very, very sparkly – the only way to really show them off to their full grandiose potential is to set them well. And no, not all settings are the same. At the one end you have the basic ways to fix a stone into a watch, with claws or a bezel; at the other you have cutting-edge techniques using molten metal and mosaic. It’s worth brushing up on which is which, especially if you’re planning on getting your own iced-out sports watch, so we’ve broken down the various forms of gem settings used in watchmaking.
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Pretty much self-explanatory here, claw setting is where curved metal prongs are used to hold the stones in place. You’ll have seen them in plenty of rings and jewellery pieces, but in watches they tend to look a little old-school, with few brands outside Backes & Strauss opting for the traditional look. The benefits are that it’s comparatively easy to do and lets in a lot more light than bezel settings, therefore showing off the fire of the stones. There is still plenty of metal on show however which, as you’ll see, is something that watchmakers seem to absolutely hate.
[Pavé Setting]
The baseline method of gemsetting in watches, pavé takes its name from the cobblestones it (in a very luxurious way) imitates. It’s a huge uptick in skill from bezel and claw setting in that it’s made directly from the case metal of the watch. The jeweller will make a series of holes in the watch, using the excess metal to create beads that then hold the stones in place. The rows have to be perfectly regular and the exact same size diamonds should be used across the board. There’s still a fair bit of metalwork showing through, but that’s not always the worst thing, especially if you like a bit of white diamond, yellow gold contrast. It’s also one of the best ways to make the most out of smaller stones. Provided they’re good quality, the effect of seeing so many diamonds, sapphires or rubies together is more than a little impressive. Micro pavé is the same concept, just using smaller stones (typically 0.1 carats) and smaller beads for fixing them in place. The individual stones aren’t as prominent, but neither is the metalwork.