Aventurine in watchmaking!

Aventurine, this sparkling stone which seems to contain thousands of stars in its heart, is much more than a simple ornament. In the world of watchmaking, it represents a bridge between ancestral craftsmanship and innovation, where its use dates back centuries. Today, we invite you to discover the history, colors, and uses of aventurine in the fascinating field of watchmaking.

History and origin

First of all, it is important to clearly distinguish aventurine glass from aventurine stone.

Aventurine glass, today called aventurine, owes its name to an “adventurous” discovery in Italy in the 17th century.
According to legend, a glass artisan from Murano accidentally dropped copper filings into a vat of molten glass, thereby creating this sparkling material by chance. As always, its origin is disputed in addition to not being true. Indeed, filings and glass cannot give this result, it would be a legend of craftsmen to cover their tracks. In addition, it seems that the Egyptians created a flat glass with metallic inclusions called “aventurescence” long before.

The stone called “Aventurine” is a variety of quartz found naturally in nature. It was used 4000 years ago in China and was then associated with royalty.

Colors and varieties

Whether natural or artificial, aventurine comes in many shapes and colors.
For stone, there are three main families: green which are the most common, brown, orange, red and finally, blue. Their colors change depending on the minerals they contain.

For aventurinated glass, there are several creation processes specific to each brand or manufacture. One of the most common techniques would consist of putting hematite or mica in a molten glass paste. The colors can then vary even more.
Each color offers a palette to create pieces of exceptional beauty, where the play of light highlights their complexities as well as their depths.

Uses in watchmaking

In watchmaking, aventurine is mainly used for making dials. Its ability to capture light and create an effect of spatial depth makes it an ideal choice for luxury watches and fine watchmaking pieces. 

Indeed, watchmakers appreciate aventurine not only for its beauty but also for its singular character: each aventurine dial is different and therefore unique. An element of randomness in a piece of fine watchmaking that leaves no room for chance is a contradiction that does not leave one indifferent.

Luxury watch brands have explored different ways of integrating aventurine into their creations, ranging from dials made entirely of aventurine to subtle details incorporating the aventurine stone.
We can cite the 3-axis tourbillon Planetarium from Girard-Perregaux and the Cartier Rotonde mysterious hours or even the Rendez-vous Celestial from Jaeger-LeCoultre in purple aventurine.

Conclusion

Aventurine has a mysterious history and a unique appearance and the element of myth is always an important point in fine watchmaking. It is surely this reason that pushes watchmaking companies to use it so much, whether it is stone or glass for its sparkling appearance.

It is now up to smaller, daring watchmaking houses to follow suit. This is how we unveil our first watch with an aventurine dial: the Paul 24H.

OUR WATCH SELECTION

SOURCES:

• Photo van cleef : https://www.masculin.com/montre/599415-horlogerie-et-astronomie-7-belles-montres-pour-avoir-la-tete-dans-les-etoiles/
• Glassblower: https://gvoggettistica.it/fr/les-grands-ma%C3%AEtres-verriers-de-Murano/
• Stone photo: https://cristaux-bien-etre.com/couleur-des-pierres/
• Photo Girard Perregaux : https://www.girard-perregaux.com/row_fr/99290-53-653-ba6a.html