The 10 Finest Backes & Strauss Watches
Backes & Strauss isn’t just the world’s oldest diamond company, it’s the creator of some downright opulent timepieces. Most of the watches from the iconic brand are dripping in lavish gems and jewels, and each one has a look that perfectly melds art, beauty, and functionality. Not surprisingly, some of Backes & Strauss’ most extravagantly designed pieces happen to be their most expensive.
Here are ten of the finest Backes & Strauss watches ever made.
1. The Harrods Princess – $391,000
The Harrods Princess is a beautiful women’s watch that contains an impeccable selection of diamonds and emeralds. Its 18 carat white gold case is studded with 28 diamonds that total 4.06 carats, and elsewhere on the watch are diamonds on the dial, crown, and strap. Twelve baguette cut Zambian emeralds of exceptional quality are on the mother of pearl dial, and square cut ones line the watch’s bracelet. Inside is an automatic movement that keeps the hours, minutes, and seconds.
2. The Berkeley Imperial – $418,240
Backes & Strauss’ Berkeley collection has a number of different iterations, but one of the most distinctive is the Berkeley Imperial. It is handsome and playful all at once, and features a squared dial that has a checkerboard pattern of alternating white and lime colored diamonds. A black leather strap adds a sleek touch to the design, and the mechanical movement in this watch is highly precise. The 44 mm 18 carat white gold case is set with 44 custom cut diamonds that total 10.81 carats.
3. Limited Edition Regent Diamond Jubilee – $117,630
Backes & Strauss is a company with a proud English heritage, and to celebrate Queen Elizabeth’s Diamond Jubilee the company released the limited edition Regent Diamond Jubilee watch. It features a gorgeous purple alligator leather strap and a face that’s royal purple with a rose motif. The indexes, case, and crown are flecked with fabulous white diamonds. This timepiece’s design is stately, elegant, and certainly fit for royalty.
4. Berkeley Black PVD – $11,763
Another standout from the Berkeley collection is the Black PVD watch. It has a modern look with a bit of a sporty edge, which sets it apart from most of the other timepieces created by Backes & Strauss. The black strap and dial are accented by polished hands, numerals, and indexes. A stainless steel 40 mm case coated with Black PVD material makes this men’s watch perfect for wearing with a wide range of attire. Its mechanical movement has automatic wiring and keeps seconds, minutes, and hours.
5. Victoria Blue Heart – $38,900
The Victoria Blue Heart watch was released in support of the United Nations Blue Heart Campaign, which fights human trafficking around the world. Proceeds from each sale go towards helping the UN combat the horrible crimes of forced labor, and it’s one of the most gorgeous watches released to support a charity by any watch manufacturer. The Victoria Blue Heart features a lovely design that combines a pearl dial, white diamonds, and sapphires, all topped off with striking blue steel hands. This model’s case is available in 18 carat white gold or rose gold.
6. Royal Jester -$750,000
The most playful watch in Backes & Strauss’ Royal Collection is the Royal Jester. It contains circles of 202 diamonds, totaling 15.78 carats, and is simply fun to look at. Compared to the other watches in the collection, this one is decidedly less formal in its appearance. It has a mechanical movement with a power reserve of 36 hours. Complementing the 40 mm watch’s black dial is a black alligator leather strap.
7. The Piccadilly Princess Royal Colors – $2.5 million
Backes & Strauss celebrated its 225th anniversary with a most magnificent timepiece: the Piccadilly Princess Royal Colours. This women’s watch is flush with colored diamonds and has 225 of them encrusting its strap, dial, and case. Most are only familiar with white diamonds, or perhaps pink and black ones, but the Piccadilly Princess Royal Colours has 66 distinct colors of diamonds in different shapes and sizes. The 37 mm case is made of 18 carat white gold and holds a total of 9.04 carats of diamonds. 3.37 carats of diamonds are on the dial, and the watch’s strap holds yet another 26.28 carats of colorful diamonds.
8. The Piccadilly Prince – $308,079.51
Being that the brand came out with a watch called the Piccadilly Princess, they naturally developed a men’s version for the Royal Collection. It’s a watch that’s both classic in its profile and stunningly luxurious. The only thing that decorates the dial, aside from a pair of stylized hands and the Backes & Strauss name, is row upon row of baguette cut diamonds. In total, the Piccadilly Prince contains 200 diamonds that weigh 7.02 carats.
9. Royal Prince Regent – $117,630
The Royal Prince Regent is another diamond studded masterpiece that’s quite luxurious. There’s a jaw dropping total of 66.24 carats of diamonds in this watch, 672 individual gems in all. The watch also has a mechanical house made movement and an 18 carat gold case. This is a limited edition piece, and only five watches were created.
10. The Prince Regent – $84,027.03
The Prince Regent is very sophisticated, but it’s also one of the more practical watches in the Backes & Strauss Royal Collection. Its dial has 388 baguette cut diamonds that total 10.89 carats, but the dial also sports distinct black numerals that make it easy to read.
The automatic mechanical movement inside this model keeps seconds, minutes, and hours. Luminova dials make the timepiece even more functional, as does its durable black leather strap. In all, there’s 505 diamonds encrusted in the Prince Regent that weigh a combined 20.93 carats.