Picture a river of sapphires and diamonds flowing across your wrist, shifting from the deep blue of night to the fiery orange of dawn. This is the vision embodied by the Audemars Piguet Haute Joaillerie Sapphire Orbe, a unique timepiece that pushes the boundaries of both gem-setting and watchmaking. Unveiled in January 2019 at the Salon International de la Haute Horlogerie (SIHH) in Geneva, the Sapphire Orbe (officially Ref. 67705BC.ZS.9192BC.01) exemplifies the Swiss maison’s commitment to superior craftsmanship and innovative design. As a diamond and gem expert examining this creation, one is immediately struck by the volume of precious stones required to compose such a piece. Valued at approximately $1 million, the Sapphire Orbe is more than a watch: it is wearable art.
Design Inspired by Nature
Audemars Piguet drew inspiration from nature in crafting the Sapphire Orbe, naming it after the Orbe river that winds through Le Brassus, manufacture’s home in Switzerland. The design moves away from the sharp, angular aesthetics of AP’s earlier high jewellery watches and instead embraces soft, flowing curves. The entire piece is shaped like a sculpted teardrop or orb encircled by petal-like rings of gems, creating a multidimensional form that captures light from every angle. The unique-shaped case is crafted in 18k white gold and adorned with a gem-set bezel composed of concentric rings fully pavé with stones. Despite its bold form and substantial presence, the design maintains an elegant fluidity.
Notably, the actual timepiece is hidden discreetly within this sculptural jewel. At the centre of the Sapphire Orbe sits a globe set with dark blue sapphires, a focal point that initially looks like a solid sapphire sphere. This globe, evocative of a midnight-blue planet, can be manually inverted or rotated to reveal the secret watch dial concealed on its underside. The design’s overall is minimalist in terms of traditional watch elements: there are no hour markers or numerals cluttering the display, and the dial is a seamless expanse of gemstones. This absence of indices emphasises a clean, unbroken canvas of jewels, allowing the rich colours and sparkle to take centre stage.
An Array of 12,000 Gemstones
The Sapphire Orbe’s most jaw-dropping feature is its extraordinary gem setting, comprising over 12,000 precious stones meticulously set across every visible surface. As a gem enthusiast, it is hard not to marvel at the artistry and precision in this execution. Audemars Piguet’s craftsmen employed a complex snow-setting technique on the central rings, creating a naturalistic gradient of coloured sapphires mixed with diamonds. In total, the piece combines a wide array of brilliant-cut diamonds alongside blue and orange sapphires in varying sizes. The colour gradient is carefully arranged to evoke the transition from night to day: deep blue sapphires cluster on one end of the bracelet, gradually fading through softer blues into warm sunset orange sapphires and finally into clear colourless diamonds that glow like morning light. Six distinct shades of blue and orange sapphires are used, each shade subtly blending into the next. To achieve this effect, each stone was individually selected, cut and set by hand. The result is a beautiful tapestry of colour and sparkle, with no harsh boundaries between hues, only a smooth flow reminiscent of twilight skies reflecting on a river’s surface.
According to Audemars Piguet, the gem-setting work alone took roughly 1,050 hours, a number that underscores the incredible level of dedication and skill involved. In terms of gem count, diamonds and sapphires total is over than 66 carats. The diamonds themselves, over 6,000 of them, are all top-grade brilliant cuts, providing a crisp icy sparkle that complements the vivid glow of approximately 3,000 blue sapphires and 2,700 orange sapphires. To support such an abundance of gems, Audemars Piguet built the Sapphire Orbe with a robust yet refined structure in 18-karat white gold. White gold provides an ideal backdrop: it is strong enough to bear the weight of over 12,000 stones and secure their setting, yet its colour remains neutral, allowing the gemstones to take the spotlight.
In Audemars Piguet’s esteemed Haute Joaillerie collection, the Sapphire Orbe stands out as one of the most striking creations to date. It took vision and audacity to conceive a watch that is essentially hidden inside a bracelet of gems and immense skill to bring that vision to life. From its 12,000 hand-set stones to its secret timekeeping core, the Sapphire Orbe exemplifies what can be achieved when master gem-setters and master watchmakers collaborate without compromise. It is a masterpiece of design, gemmology and engineering, destined to be remembered.
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