Graff has been synonymous with diamonds since its founding by Laurence Graff in 1960. But though luxury watches were not added to the British-based jeweler until 2008, they are no less impressive for having come later to the game.
This year, the company — whose 60 stores worldwide include a boutique within The Vault, one of The Saks Shops at Greenwich — has launched a number of timepieces with trending themes.
The GyroGraff Endangered Species Collection contains five watches whose dials depict either an elephant, a tiger, a panda, a gorilla or a rhinoceros — all of which are listed by the World Wildlife Fund as being under threat. All of the dials are set with precious stones and gold and are hand-finished using a technique pioneered by Graff called diamond-marquetry that suggests glittering stained glass.
Few countries are more prominent on the world scene at the moment than China, which Graff salutes in its painterly Temple of Heaven and Great Wall of China timepieces, crystallizing two of that nation’s most significant landmarks. They’re the latest in a series of Graff watches inspired by Asia, which has been called the continent of the 21st century.
WAG readers may recall that in our May “Fascinating Botanicals” issue, we paid tribute to the peony, a signature Asiatic bloom. Graff, too, takes inspiration from this delightful blossom in its Peony Collection, which includes a spectacular watch that looks like a diamond bracelet, arranged in a complex herringbone design. The peony “petals” glide aside to reveal white, pink and yellow pavé diamond dials.
The company — which remains entirely a family operation under the direction of CEO Francois Graff — also continues to be inspired by the late American calligraphic artist Cy Twombly in that eponymous collection. Here glistening stones swirl, squiggle and spiral in rapturous ribbons. Because after all, why merely tell time when you can luxuriate in it?
For more, visit Graff.com.
