Examples of our jewellery were shown at the Great Exhibition of 1851 and our hallmark was registered in London's Goldsmiths' Hall in 1878. A Backes & Strauss bracelet decorated with a classical Assyrian design can be found in the British Museum.
Masters of Diamonds
'Masters of diamonds' means quite simply that our diamonds are masterpieces. Every diamond is unique, and we choose only the best of the best. Backes & Strauss' obsession with perfection extends to every detail. All our diamonds are sorted into divisions of 0.025mm - less than a quarter of the width of a human hair. We also understand the demanding proportions of the perfect diamond. Up to 55% of the uncut stone is sacrificed to achieve such perfection and we take up to ten times longer in the process than less ambitious cutters. According to the GIA (Gemological Institute of America), less than 3% of all diamonds are cut to these ideal proportions.
The Making of a Masterpiece
Unique among watchmakers, Backes & Strauss combines a genius for horology with a passion for diamonds. For us, the two go hand in hand. Our diamonds are not mere added sparkle, they are fundamental to our designs. Every Backes & Strauss diamond is selected, cut and polished to perfection by us, then hand set in a watch expressly designed to maximise its fire. Every Backes & Strauss watch is entirely crafted in the Geneva workshops of Franck Muller Watchland, a house renowned for its innovative spirit and technical brilliance - and one of the few in Switzerland that still produces all its components in-house.
Our watches are a showcase for our diamonds, while the brilliance of our diamonds draws attention to the bold, graceful designs of our watches. Each complements the other. It is this remarkable combination of the crafts of watchmaking and diamond-cutting that makes Backes & Strauss the ultimate diamond watch company.
