Audemars Piguet’s Haute Joaillerie Sapphire Orbe Is a Literal River of Diamonds

The Haute Joaillerie Sapphire Orbe from AP resembles a galaxy far far away, at first sight. It’s a women’s watch that dazzles through complicated design and even more complicated gem-setting. And yes, it dazzles because it’s packed with diamonds and sapphires, too.

It might not stand out that much as a piece for time-telling, other than the fact that it’s a secret timepiece, but as the saying goes, something’s gotta give. The Sapphire Orbe is a stunning piece that can be worn as a bracelet or a watch, and whose color changes depending on the angle you look at it.

The Sapphire Orbe is actually named after the river that crosses Le Brassus in Switzerland, Audemars Piguet’s hometown. It’s meant to replicate the image of the river and the surrounding outdoors as night merges into day, hence the need for all these stones.

And boy, they sure are many. AP says the Orbe contains over 12,000 stones, clear diamonds, and blue and orange sapphires, but it stops short at going into specifics as to the weight of these gems. There are 20 different sizes for the stones, from 0.5 mm to 1.5 mm, and 6 graded shades, meant to create a water-like effect.

Each watch is made by hand, requiring 1,050 hours to put together: the stones are individually cut by hand and then set into the watch, covering every inch of it, from bracelet to bezel and dial.

“Named after the river that crosses Le Brassus, home of Audemars Piguet, Sapphire Orbe embodies a glittering river of diamonds and sapphires in graded hues of blue and orange, as night merges into day,” Audemars Piguet says in the official description of the timepiece.

It wouldn’t be too much of an exaggeration to say the Sapphire Orbe is a literal river of diamonds, given the sheer number of stones on it, and the play of light and colors they create. The piece stands out for more than just that, though: it’s shaped like a teardrop surrounded by petal-like rings, covered in diamonds and sapphires. It sits somewhat sideways on the wrist and may take a little adjusting to after that first look.

At the heart of the teardrop is a domed center of about 2 centimeters, the secret timepiece. Invert the dome and you uncover a little watch protected by sapphire glass, powered by a tiny quartz caliber, with an 18-carat white gold dial displaying graded orange sapphires.

Since the focus in making this piece was clearly on gem-setting, the watch is minimalist in the extreme. It doesn’t feature hours and minutes markers; just the hands in matching blue and the AP logo on the gem-encrusted dial. If you think about it, adding anything more would have made this piece overkill.

The bracelet is also set in clear tiny diamonds, and there are no details on its clasp. The rings around the dial transition seamlessly into zig-zagging lines in the bracelet.

As noted above, the Sapphire Orbe can be worn as a statement bracelet with the watch cover on, or as a timepiece. Chances that anyone would notice the tiny watch without knowing beforehand what to look for are slim to none, though.

With everything going on, this statement piece takes some getting used to. But once you take it in, it becomes clear that this is luxury watchmaking at its best, with an outrageous design and gem-setting stealing the spotlight from horology work. As AP says, “to break the rules, you must first master them.”

The Audemars Piguet’s Haute Joaillerie Sapphire Orbe retails for $904,000, so it comes with a price tag fitting for such a work of art.