the making of…
the Piccadilly Princess Royal Colours
To achieve what might have been considered ‘the impossible’, required the hands of the world’s finest diamond experts, designers, polishers, gem-setters, goldsmiths and watchmakers to name but a few of the masters involved in the production of this unique royal timepiece.
inspiration
To celebrate the 225th year of Backes & Strauss in 2014, CEO Vartkess Knadjian sought to create the most astounding of jewels.
hand-setting of diamonds
Once bought, the natural fancy coloured diamonds of the Piccadilly Princess Royal Colours could not be re-polished in order to retain their 66 different colour hues.
original design concept
Once selected, each diamond was photographed to simulate the arrangement of the 225 diamonds on the watch.
dial making
Colourful stones were set as a reminder of a happy coincidence of nature, almost as if the diamonds had been casually scattered across the watch.
diamond sourcing
This meant that each sourced diamond had to be perfect, which made the sourcing process long, given the rarity of the stones.
Diamond polishing
66 different colour hues, 10 different cuts (Baguette, Cushion, Marquise, Oval, Pear, Princess, Ascher, Emerald, Heart & Round Brilliant) on the dial, case & bracelet were combined in perfect harmony.
FINAL TIMEPIECE
After hundreds of hours of skill and unwavering precision, passing through the hands of most highly skilled craftsmen, the Piccadilly Princess Royal Colours joined the pantheon of Backes & Strauss Masterpieces.