Time Out of Mined? Luxury Watch Brands Explore Synthetics

In the last few years, synthetic diamonds have gained ground as a staple in fine jewelry. In luxury watches, experimentation with man-made stones has been far slower. But a recent spike in conversation about their creative possibilities has seen several timepiece brands start using synthetics in their collections — and a select few are phasing out mined stones entirely.

Luxury watchmaker Breitling caught the industry by surprise back in 2020 when it announced that it would be switching exclusively to synthetic diamonds by the end of 2024. The move makes it the first major Swiss watch brand to convert entirely to synthetics.