Diamonds, rubies, emeralds, tsavorites, sapphires, opals, hematite and more... Whatever the stone, the right setting technique brings its secret beauty to light. Chosen to fit with the shape of the watch, the surface to be covered and the brightness desired, the setting—medium, invisible or pavé—enhances these precious stones. Catching the light in dancing reflections, the watch they adorn becomes a precious and intimate companion that exerts an almost carnal attraction.
 

The snow setting has an extra flourish of originality conferred by a seemingly haphazard arrangement of the stones. Like the random flashes of snowflakes in the sun, this technique provides such a scintillating effect and a natural brilliance.
 

Set side by side, directly on the selected material, the stones of differing sizes are held only by slender prongs drawn out by the craftsman, completely blanketing the surface. The difficulty of this setting resides in the selection and arrangement of stones, playing on their varying diameters from 0.5 to 1.6 millimetres. The gems must snugly fit to a micron’s precision, while maintaining the illusion of a random pattern. The snow setting thus sets pride of place to the daring and experience of the individual gem setter. Every snow setting is utterly unique, just like each stone.
 

By embracing the volume of the watch to enhance its sensuous curves, this setting emphasises an artistic dimension that permeates the women’s collections, particularly on various interpretations of the RM 07-01 and the RM 037. To highlight this technique, the brand presents today a full snow set version all in white gold that sparkles a pavé of diamonds on the bezel that is continued across the entire dial. Both the gem-set caseband pillars and open-link bracelet complete this breath-taking picture. The beauty of these round diamonds, combined with the gleaming metal, make for a dazzling winter display.
 

(Images © Richard Mille)