Cover Serpenti Misteriosi Cleopatra by Bulgari (Photo: Bulgari)

You’ll need deep pockets and good connections to get your hands on these exclusive timepieces

Not all of us get the opportunity to own a truly unique timepiece. But for those of you who can, and for the rest of us who love to dream big, these one-off creations from Watches & Wonders 2021 are the only watches of their kind in the whole, wide world.

(Related: Watches & Wonders 2021: Rolex’s 3 Big Themes For the Year)

Tatler Asia
Regulator perpetual calendar – Moonlight Jewellery Sapphire	4007C/000G-B709
Above Les Cabinotiers Regulator Perpetual Calendar—Moonlight Jewellery Sapphire by Vacheron Constantin (Photo: Vacheron Constantin)
Regulator perpetual calendar – Moonlight Jewellery Sapphire	4007C/000G-B709

Les Cabinotiers Regulator Perpetual Calendar—Moonlight Jewellery Sapphire by Vacheron Constantin

Known in horological circles for its breathtaking Les Cabinotiers timepieces, which are crafted by guilloché experts, enamellers, engravers and jewellery setters, Vacheron Constantin's mechanical movements have long been combined with extraordinary dials. This single-piece edition, presented at Watches & Wonders 2021, boasts a delicate guilloché dial and a diamond-set bezel. Powered by the self-winding Calibre 2460 RQP, this timepiece is unusual because of its regulator-type display. The minutes are read with the central hand while the hours on the dial are positioned at 12 o’clock.

Tatler Asia
Above Limelight Gala High Jewellery by Piaget (Photo: Piaget)

Limelight Gala High Jewellery by Piaget

Piaget made its first foray into jewellery watches in the 1960s, which was a fabulous era for the watchmaker that saw its pieces worn by icons including Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, Elizabeth Taylor, Sophia Loren, Andy Warhol and Salvador Dalí. The Limelight Gala model, in particular, perfectly depicts this maison’s timeless aesthetic. The pictured one-of-a-kind high jewellery creation is no exception. Crafted from 18-karat white gold, this new Limelight Gala comes with an exquisite dial set with black opal from Australia.

(Related: Watches & Wonders 2021: Why Green is the Most Underrated Colour in Watches)

Tatler Asia
Above Arceau Pocket Aaaaargh! by Hèrmes (Photo: Hèrmes)

Arceau Pocket Aaaaargh! by Hèrmes

The Arceau Pocket Aaaaargh! by Hèrmes is a one-of-a-kind pocket watch powered by the house's Manufacture H1924 minute-repeater and tourbillon movement. An elegant white enamel dial is protected by a detailed cover adorned with the T-Rex from an Hèrmes silk scarf designed by English artist Alice Shirley. The domed eye of the dinosaur is made using Grand Feu enamel, which is fixed onto a head and scales made in leather mosaic.

Tatler Asia
Above High Jewellery watch by Chopard (Photo: Chopard)

High Jewellery watch by Chopard

Bejewelled timepieces that also boast complicated mechanical movements are always worth the wait. For Watches & Wonders 2021, Chopard has unveiled three one-of-a-kind high jewellery watches that are mounted onto matching grey, blue or pink satin straps. This ethical 18-karat white gold watch is fitted with marquise-cut sapphires that weigh a total of 13.65 carats. Brilliant-cut diamonds are also set onto the bezel, in addition to the five that freely move on top of the dial underneath the sapphire crystal.

(Related: Chopard Steals the Show in Hit Korean Drama, Crash Landing On You)

Tatler Asia
Above Serpenti Misteriosi Cleopatra by Bulgari (Photo: Bulgari)

Serpenti Misteriosi Cleopatra by Bulgari

Suitably extravagant, Bulgari’s sophisticated settings and creative designs make its extraordinary watch and jewellery collections among the world’s most desirable. Part of the brand’s Colour Treasures series, this high jewellery cuff watch is about daring colour combinations and exquisite craftsmanship. Named after Cleopatra, the Serpenti Misteriosi also pays tribute to the 1963 Cleopatra film that set in motion Elizabeth Taylor's on-again-off-again relationship with Richard Burton. Taylor wore Bulgari's Serpenti jewellery for the film and was a Bulgari collector her whole life.

(Related: Bulgari Collaborates With Mary Katrantzou For a Reimagined Serpenti Capsule Collection)

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Annie is the executive editor of Tatler Asia’s fashion, beauty and watches and jewellery content. Before moving to Hong Kong she lived among the palm-shaped islands of Dubai, where she wrote about all things luxury and first discovered her interest in high jewellery and haute horology. Follow her @itsanniedarling.