The Bite Magazine - Spring/Summer 2020 - Issue 27

bite watches side, you will see that it has an all-white pavé-set dial and from the other, the dial reveals the century-old symbol of love elegantly depicted with red rubies. Available in two sizes of 33 mm and 37 mm, the Piccadilly Mystery Red 18-karat white gold case and buckle are me- ticulously set with 311 and 30 diamonds respectively. The display consists of hours, minutes, and seconds, and as with the Piccadilly Lucky Mystery, it has the trademark Ideal Cut diamond set into the crown, known as the Jewel in the Crown. It also has an alligator leather strap and an automatic movement with Platinum Rotor. Taking us back to the effervescent spirit of youth and exud- ing the distinguished grace of a modern young lady, Backes & Strauss introduce Miss Victoria Emerald Green and Miss Victoria Fancy Canary to the intrinsically feminine Victoria collection. The natural beauty of the mother-of-pearl dial is complemented by scintillating diamonds set in an 18-karat yellow or white gold case. For that cocktail party or distin- guish event, why not allow the bright hues and juice gem- stones of Miss Victoria watch to help you make your mark? Miss Victoria Emerald Green and Fancy Canary are both designed with an 18 mm size case in an 18-karat yellow gold and white gold set with 212 white and fancy intense yellow diamonds respectively. The mother-of-pearl dial is set with four diamonds, with sword-shaped hands and a display of hours and minutes. It also has a strap in a choice of satin or leather with a buckle in 24 white diamonds and a Quartz movement. The first model has the addition of two and 12 green emeralds in the case and buckle. For gentlemen, the 45 mm Berkeley Emperor Total Tour- billon is the latest model to join the fervent Emperor Tour- billon collection of timepieces crafted with a Bespoke Man- ual-Winding Skeleton Tourbillon movement. The case is finished with brushed titanium making it lighter in weight than its rose and white gold counterparts. It has a carriage set in a bespoke rotating frame decorated by Backes & Strauss’ signature arrows motif, which stems from the arrows pattern when viewing the diamond from above the crown. Interestedly, the tourbillon carriage does a complete rotation every 60 seconds and is attached to the case at each of the odd numbers on the dial whose indexes are set with six spe- cially-cut tapered diamonds. The central inner frame has the same shape as the case and a polished Ideal Cut diamond in the profile is set at twelve o’clock on the outer bridge. The display shows hours and minutes, while the crown is the sig- nature The Jewel in the Crown and is completed with the strap in alligator leather. Before the United Kingdom officially departed from the Eu- ropean Union at the end of January 2020, Backes & Strauss decided to mark the occasion by rechristening its John Bull collection as the Brexit Collection. Available in all three of the brand’s classic designs: the square-shaped Berkeley, the round Piccadilly, and the oval-shaped Regent, the first two styles are designed with an 18-karat white gold case with 106 and 124 diamonds respectively, while Regent has a stainless steel case with 320 diamonds. They all have automatic Platinum Rotor movement, alliga- tor leather strap with 30 diamonds buckle, except for Regent which has stainless steel, and a display of hours, minutes, and seconds. Piccadilly and Berkeley are 40 mm size, while Regent is 40x47 mm, designed with a Union Jack dial with variating quality of gems: Piccadilly with 182 diamonds, 40 sapphires, and 186 rubies; Regent with 208 diamonds, 104 sapphires, and 212 rubies; and Berkeley with 202 diamonds, 92 sapphires, and 198 rubies. Backes & Strauss timepieces are available online and at their London flagship boutique, House of Backes & Strauss, in Grosvenor Street, as well as authorised retailers around the world in Africa, Asia, Europe, the Middle East, and North America. www.backesandstrauss.com Images courtesy of Backes and Strauss