In October 2020, we launched our second chapter: a watch that adorns itself for the occasion with sparkles and light. The bezel is set with 68 diamonds of a special type, as disruptive and pioneering in watchmaking as is BA111OD. These diamonds are "laboratory grown", made by men and women, defying the nature to obtain the same characteristics, the same hardness and the same brilliance. Sixty-eight wonders on a bezel with a slightly refined diameter, going from 43 to 42 mm. The case is also evolving, its entirely polished steel becoming more curved and more feminine.
The dial is available in deep blue aventurine with starbursts or in white mother-of-pearl, surrounded by a frosted decoration that discreetly sparkles under the domed sapphire crystal. Below, BA111OD's signature double oscillator fascinates with its mechanical ballet, beating the measure of precious time. And, surprisingly, the seconds hand has preferred to retire before the eternity of the set bezel.
WHAT ARE THE DIFFERENCES BETWEEN LAB-GROWN DIAMONDS AND NATURAL ONES ?
Physical & chemical properties
They are the same, no difference. Results are equal.
Traceability
Laboratory grown diamonds are easier to trace.
Rarity of the gems
Natural diamonds are extremely rare and limited.
Age
Natural diamonds take a billion years to grow.
Cost
Natural diamonds are about 30% more expensive.
Cutting & setting
Price is the same for mine and above-ground diamonds.
A laboratory grown diamond is crafted by cutting-edge technology that replicates and accelerates the natural diamond growing process. The result is a man-made diamond that is chemically, physically, and optically the same as those grown beneath the earth's surface. It first happened in the mid-1950s, however, these diamonds were too small for jewelry. Larger sizes began to be produced in the mid-1990s. In 2018, the US Federal Trade Commission (FTC) dropped the word "natural" from its definition of a diamond to include non-mined gemstones, before rolling back and differentiating it again. It is sensitive! The same year, De Beers, who heavily invested into this new technology, launched a line integrating laboratory grown diamonds, called Lightbox Jewelry.
Laboratory grown diamonds are produced from carbon material in a technical machine that replicates the extreme heat and pressure conditions found within the earth. It accelerates the natural process of crafting a diamond, which originally takes about a billion years, kilometers beneath the ground. HPHTmeans High-Pressure High-Temperatureand it is one of the primary methods used to grow diamonds in a laboratory.
BA111OD has been launched as a laboratory concept, based on people. A laboratory grown diamond, man-made, is therefore completely coherent with our approach. Moreover, we love the idea of men defying the nature... same as we defied the watch industry by being the first brand using this special kind of diamonds. BA111OD is future facing!