The Ambani affluence is no secret. It has always dazzled with a level of extravagance that only seems to grow bigger and better with time. More recently, the Ambani flamboyance was on display on the wrist of Radhika Merchant, wife of Reliance scion Anant Ambani. Stealing the show at a fashion show (Ace Indian designer duo Abu Jani and Sandeep Khosla’s 40th-anniversary celebration), was the 31-year-olds, gem-clad, Patek Philippe Twenty~4 Haute Joaillerie “Foliage”, created in 2012. It is utterly rare, utterly extravagant and tailor-made for that Ambani wrist. The timepiece was one of a five-piece artistic series.
Other iterations used the motifs Lilac, Flowers, Hearts, and Dragonflies. The Foliage version is an 18-carat white-gold, cambered rectangular Twenty~4 cuff watch with a sapphire-crystal exhibition caseback. The real treat here is not the manually wound Patek Philippe calibre 16-250, but sheer visual beauty. 864 baguette-cut diamonds, 855 additional diamonds, 54 marquise-cut emeralds and 241 additional emeralds, come together to flaunt almost 40 carats of dazzle with 1719 diamonds. The amalgamation of geometric diamonds forming an uninterrupted base with the undulations of emerald foliage creates a mesmerising effect. Marquise emeralds are particularly effective as leaves because their pointed outline already resembles a botanical form making them a clever choice.
A haute joaillerie watch through and through, it gave a new flamboyance to the Twenty~4, which began in 1999 as Patek Philippe’s first collection designed exclusively for women. Not only is the movement remarkably compact, but the craftsmanship is also commendable. Setting more than 2,000 matched stones across the bracelet, case and dial, including extensive invisible setting, is no small feat. Add to this, the setting of nearly 300 emeralds, stones that are notoriously demanding to set because of their comparatively brittle nature. Radhika Merchant’s timepiece is truly a mechanical high-jewellery masterpiece, and a Patek Philippe that’s noticeably different from her husband’s choice of mechanical complications.
On the wrist of the Vantara founder, one would ordinarily find Patek’s technically audacious watches, including the double-faced Sky Moon Tourbillon Ref. 6002R, which has 12 complications. Radhika’s Twenty~4 Foliage replaces the lack of mechanical complexity with gem-setting excess that could demand a price of nearly $500,000. Speaking of diamonds, and mighty price tags, this stunning Patek Philippe was outshone by another objet d’art flaunted by Merchant, her sterling-silver Kellymorphose Sac Bijou. The four-inch wearable sculpture, that commands close to $100,000 is made from 925 sterling silver. Nita Ambani owns the even more breathtaking $2 million Hermès Sac Bijou Birkin, one of only three in the world.