Matching the red of the rest of the dial, Franck Muller sets it with 75 additional brilliant-cut rubies.

Where the enamel ends, more gemstones begin.

The model we had the privilege of checking out in person had a stunning display of red roses, the petals and stems hand-painted in enamel varnish. Where the Vanguard Rose Skeleton Diamonds throws subtlety to the wind is its dial. With dimensions of 35mm across, 46.30mm lug-to-lug and 10.40mm in thickness, the PVD surfaces carry a hand-brushed finish when not covered in diamonds, creating an intriguing feature line effectively splitting the case into two.Ĭolour-matched to the dial elements is the hand-sewn alligator strap with a PVD-coated, white-gold folding buckle, set with 12 brilliant-cut black diamonds.ĭespite being covered in diamonds, the case is fairly subtle due to its monochromatic finish, if that can be set for a precious metal case set with more than 400 gems.

In the case of the Vanguard Rose Skeleton Diamonds, pun fully intended, that meant Franck Muller had to treat the 422 brilliant-cut black diamonds before and after setting for them to remain as crisply embedded into the white gold of the case as expected. The complexity in gem-setting on PVD comes from the particular way the stones need to be treated before they’re placed into the case.

Black button up with red roses