Baselworld – While the jeweller Graff is above all known as the master of diamonds, men are the focus of its 2013 collection.
On a technical level, the youthful (five year-old) watch company unveils its new proprietary movement, the Graff Calibre 4, developed in collaboration with MHC, founded by Pierre-Laurent Favre. It is used for the first time in the Master Graff Ultra Flat Tourbillon, which the brand describes as “probably the world’s thinnest tourbillon”, while aware that other brands may have some surprises in store.
Above and beyond this technical evolution, Graff has mainly focused on offering aesthetic variations on existing models. The GraffStar Grande Date model appears in various combinations of pink gold, white gold and DLC. “The latter is a matt black finish that we tested in 2012, but it’s the first time we are offering a model featuring such a large surface with this coating”, says the company.Nonetheless, it is of course in the field of precious materials that Graff shines most brightly. The MasterGraff Minute Repeater comes in blue or white mother-of-pearl versions featuring shimmering reflections accentuating the gentle sound of this timepiece. As regards the other major complication from the House, the tourbillon, the MasterGraff also welcomes a model now adorned with a new bracelet featuring the fascinating invisible setting technique. It is precisely in this type of specialised diamond craftsmanship, when a bracelet must be full set while remaining supple and reasonably light, that Graff expresses the full measure of its expertise.
For ladies, a new butterfly model makes its appearance in two quartz-driven versions soberly named Butterfly 1 or 2, depending on whether they feature one or two of these sparkling, fluttering insects.
Meanwhile, the Lace was hitherto a purely jewellery creation that has now been given a horological expression in a watch bearing the same name.
For 2013, Graff is thus offering a collection reflecting its dual nature that encompasses a jewellery headquarters in London and a watchmaking site in Geneva. The company makes the most of its numerous talents in presenting a range of subtle timepieces that are as richly gemset as they are technically complex.
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