The Finest Hours:
The Best Natural Diamond Watches of the Season

As the time remaining before the holidays ticks down, perhaps the best solution to gift-giving is the most obvious: a watch. There’s lots to recommend for delightfully analog timepieces: They’re accessories! They’re practical! And, let’s face it, using a smartphone to tell time will never be as chic, no matter how fabulous its case is. We’re in the midst of a watch renaissance, so take advantage of the moment to find a gift that will become a permanent fixture on someone’s wrist. Whether the person wants a rugged sport watch or one they’ll reserve for black tie events, there are more covetable diamond-set watches than seconds in a day and at any and every budget.

Take a Little Time

They may be tiny, but there’s a lot to love about itsy-bitsy cocktail watches. Where one of these goes, a party is sure to follow; they’re for occasions where the mood is as buoyant as a Champagne bubble. Falling squarely in the category of necessary indulgences, no one thinks they need a mini evening watch until they own one. Whoever gets one of these watches will be eternally grateful to know what they’ll wear on their wrist whenever it’s time to get fancy. Every cocktail watch requires a bit of natural diamond glitter to catch the light by night, whether from a candle, moonbeams or a disco ball spinning overhead. The magnitude of sparkle is up to you and your budget. Graff’s is wrapped up in diamonds down to its coquettish bow and is undoubtedly a splurge, while many vintage watches that have seen a party or two are an accessible choice. For the romantic, opt for a watch on a satin ribbon or dainty leather cord or go modern with a style that mixes precious materials and graphic patterns like the new quilted 2.55 watch from Chanel. The gift of a little party watch is ultimately hopeful; it comes with the promise of good times to come.

Yeprem Watch, $37,000, yepremjewellery.com

Chanel Quilted 2.55, price upon request, chanel.com

Dior La D My Dior, $50,000, dior.com

Graff Tilda’s Bow Diamond Watch, $263,000, graff.com

Boucheron Serpent Bohème, $7,950, boucheron.com

Beladora Art Deco Diamond Watch in Platinum, $2,450, beladora.com

Play to Win

Do you think the athletes on your gift list have no use for diamonds? Think again. There’s a deluge of new watches designed for the sporty set and embellished with diamonds. It makes sense once you learn a little more about diamonds. They’re the hardest substance found in nature. And that’s one of the reasons they’re called into action for watches designed for the most rough and tumble of activities—racing, diving, running and the rest. Natural diamonds give a refined dressed-up spirit to sporty watches, even when matched with a heavy-duty rubber strap. There’s a deep roster of athletes who’ve worn diamond watches as they chalked up victories; Serena Williams won one Grand Slam after another in diamond set watches from Audemars Piguet, and Gabby Thomas won gold in the 200 meters at the Olympics in a diamond-studded Omega watch. Armchair athletes should feel free to look sporty and sparkly, too. (Anyone can have gold medal style.) The main takeaway is that diamonds should never be stuck on the sidelines. 

Hermes Cut Watch, $13,075 hermes.com

Alpina Alpiner Extreme Quartz, $4,487 alpinawatches.com

Bell & Ross BR-05 Diamond, $21,000, bellross.com

Hublot Classic Fushion King Gold Green Diamonds, $23,300, hublot.com

Rolex Cosmograph Daytona, $64,000, rolex.com

Ulysse Nardin Diver Atoll 39mm, $17,000 ulysse-nardin.com

The Finest Wines

Know someone who fancies a seductive merlot? What about a lush Burgundy? Now is the time to indulge them with a gift that will tantalize their taste for color that’s fresh from the vineyard. Delectable wine tones exude a sultry sense of finesse that’s the perfect foil for diamonds; the brilliant stones stand out against a deep, dark background. Those black cherry tones are in the midst of a resurgence, whether it’s on the runway—see Gucci, Bottega Veneta or Saint Laurent for pointers—or on the wrist. What might sound like an unusual color choice for a watch isn’t as far out as it may seem. Wine is a neutral with potent visual impact. It’s a can’t-miss color across the style spectrum, from preppy Americana to Left Bank louche. There’s variation within the color family, too. Choose from hues that span from warm reddish hues to saturated near-purple tones. On a classic angular watch, like Jaeger-LeCoultre’s Reverso, a flash of red wine injects a sense of fun, while on muscular, sports watches, like the Audemars Piguet Royal Oak, the color gives a dash of elegance. Three cheers to that.

Jaeger Le Coulter Reverso One Duetto, $26,500, jaeger-lecoultre.com

Cartier Pasha de Cartier, $20,200, cartier.com

Omega Constellation Steel Chronometer Watch, $13,000, omegawatches.com

Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Perpetual Calendar, price upon request, audemarspiguet.com

Citizen L Archly, $595, citizenwatch.com

Patek Philippe Twenty4, price upon request, patek.com

Blue Skies Ahead

Surveys say it’s the most beloved color in the world, so don’t rule out blue when choosing a watch to give during the holiday season. It’s no surprise that a color associated with clear horizons and boundless optimism is a favorite among watchmakers, too. The full spectrum of blue was prominent among the most recent round of watch releases. Deep tones of marine bring to mind the mystical world of underwater depths and a meditative and dreamy mood. Meanwhile, soft, cerulean hues feel serene and lighthearted (and might tickle the fancy of The Devil Wears Prada fans). Traditional watch designs awash in azure, cornflower or navy suddenly feel unexpected and new, and natural diamonds bring fire and sparkle to the equation, whether they ride the vast waves on an Arnold & Son watch or emphasize the sculptural details in a jewelry timepiece from Buccellati. When someone opens a gift box with one of these watches, they’ll experience the best possible spin on feeling blue. 

Buccellati Tulle White Gold Watch in Blue Enamel with Diamonds, $93,000, buccellati.com

Arnold & Son Perpetual Moon 38 Night Tide with a white gold case set with 80 diamonds, a dial composed of mother of pearl and ruthenium and an alligator strap, $72,500, arnoldandson.com

Baume & Mercier, Riviera 10765 with a stainless steel bracelet and bezel set with 44 diamonds, $4,300, baume-et-mercier.com

Beauregard Lili Bouton Rose Topaz Bleu, price upon request, Beauregard.ch

Breguet Marine 9518, price upon request, breguet.com

Chopard Happy Sport, $16,900, chopard.com

Vacheron Constantin Overseas Quartz with 33mm pink gold case set with 78 brilliant-cut diamonds, $51,500, vacheron-constantin.com

Double the Fun

Even during the holiday season, when frivolity is in the air, some people cannot resist the pull of practicality; the gifts they love most have a certain something that makes life a little easier and slightly more orderly. They’d be thrilled to find a label maker or vacuum under the tree, but you can do better than that. A watch is a spot-on gift for the preternaturally organized who would never consider abandoning their schedules for a second. Choosing a model with enough versatility for day in, day out wear is an even bigger bonus. For simplicity’s sake, look to two-tone styles that remove any question of whether it matches the other elements of any outfit. Even in our no-rules fashion era, some people break a sweat if all their jewelry doesn’t share the same metal. A bi-color watch will soothe an anxious Type A soul. And if you haven’t been taking notes on whether someone on your gift list loves white gold or yellow, rose gold or stainless steel, a bi-color watch is always a winner. Elevate the look with a flourish of natural diamonds. It’s a style that had its heyday in the 1970s and 80s, and like so many throwback looks–shoulder pads, bodysuits—it’s primed for a comeback.

Charriol Navigator Cruise, $7,974, charriol.com

Glashütte Lady Serenade, $14,200, glashütte-original.com

Omega De Ville Ladymatic with 34mm case in steel and SEDNA gold with diamond bezel and bracelet in steel and SEDNA gold, $27,100, omegawatches.com

Piaget Polo Date Watch, $29,000, piaget.com

Rado HyperChrome Automatic Diamonds watch with 42mm case and bracelet in plasma high-tech ceramic, $5,450.00, rado.com

Wild Kingdom

Nature is always among the chief inspirations for creative minds. Artful, almost abstract, interpretations of extraordinary flora and fauna—from the multicolored majesty of birds of paradise to the striped fur of a zebra—are the current fascination of designers who blur the lines between watches and jewelry. Whether someone special on your gift list identifies as a cat person, a dog person or none of the above, they’ll find lots to love in Damiani’s diamond-set masterpiece with two secret faces and pops of fancy yellow diamonds and emeralds,or a swirl of diamonds and opals from Piaget reminiscent of a peacock feather. While the red carpet is the natural habitat for ultra-extravagant watches, there’s room to wear a wild-at-heart watch at any hour. To translate the idea for everyday wear, a streamlined Bulgari model that spirals around the wrist like the most seductive of snakes does the trick; its diamond-set bezel lights up a vivid jungle-green dial.

Cartier Animal Jewelry Watch, price upon request, cartier.com

Jaeger Le Coultre Reverso One Precious Flowers, Price Upon request, jaeger-lecoultre.com

Precious Emerald Harry Winston, price upon request, harrywinston.com

Damiani Margherita Desert Garden secret watch in white and yellow gold with white, brown and yellow fancy diamonds and emeralds, Price available upon request, damiani.com

Bulgari Serpenti Tubogas Watch, $16,800, bulgari.com

Piaget High Jewelry Watch, price upon request, piaget.com