Hours of Pleasure: Our Pick of the Season’s Best New Jewellery Watches

The world’s finest watchmakers have truly outdone themselves this season with some of the most inventive new jewellery watches I’ve seen in years. From bows tied in sapphires to an Hermès horse woven in silk, these creations blur the line between horology and high jewellery like never before. 

With the nights drawing in and the festive season fast approaching, now’s the perfect time to highlight the jewellery watch. It’s easy to forget that the wristwatch began life as a piece of jewellery. In 1868, Patek Philippe made what it describes as the first Swiss wristwatch for Countess Koscowicz of Hungary, and for decades afterwards, wristwatches were worn mostly by women, while men stuck to their pocket watches. More than 150 years on, Maisons are continuing to explore that heritage, and we were thrilled to see so many dazzling examples this year, especially the eight exceptional designs below.