Have you ever seen a completely iced watch from Rolex, Patek Philippe, Audemars Piguet or Cartier and wondered if the watch brand made it or if it is custom made? Well, most of the time, it's customized... and that's abreak the clock– a watch completely covered in diamonds that shines like the sun… even better, like a diamond, literally.
For those looking for an icy watch or anyone wanting to learn about the broken watch trend, you've come to the right place. In this post, we are going to answer the most common questions about Bust Down watches, how they are made and how the trend is evolving. We are also going to share with you 4 watch masterpieces that are available and for sale now at Diamonds By Raymond Lee.
FYI - We have a highly qualified Master Diamond Setter on staff at all times and he works out of our state of the art watch shop located at Diamonds By Raymond Lee in Boca Raton.
Enter the glacial times... the Ice Age of Clocks
Be careful, you are about to see some larger than life iconic specimens.
What is a Bust Down watch?
A bust watch is a wristwatch completely covered in diamonds, typically a Rolex, Audemars Piguet, Patek Philippe or Cartier watch. These are extremely expensive watches that have been "crushed" (disassembled) and then encrusted with high quality diamonds and/or gemstones. This includes the bracelet, case, bezel and dial.
Other names for a breakdown watch (or "downed bus wake") are "fully flooded wake" and "frozen wake".
Broken watches require an incredible finish, so they should be done by a highly skilled diamond setter. It is painstaking work that takes many hours.
It should be noted that there are a lot of cool replicas and fake watches out there and those arenoconsidered broken watches. Also, watches with factory diamonds (meaning the actual brand/manufacturer did the diamond work) are not broken watches. A broken watch refers to genuine and high-end watches, completely covered byafter salesprecious stones
What is a Plain Jane watch?
A Plain Jane watch refers to a gold or platinum Rolex, Patek Philippe or Audemars Piguet (though mostly Rolex) that does not have any diamonds. It's a watch from one of those brands that hasn't been touched by any aftermarket customization.
"Plain Jane" does not have a negative connotation. In fact, Plain Jane watches are as highly regarded these days as Bust Down watches are in the rap game.
How are Bust Down watches made?
First, the watch is carefully disassembled (broken). Then, using a specialized metal digging tool, each piece is carefully drilled according to the diamonds dimension. This is called tuning. Once the settings are made, the pieces are cleaned and set with diamonds. The diamonds will stay so tight and tight that they won't fall out.
Note: In some cases, a chamfer will be created from scratch. The bezel is forged from the chosen metal using CAD (Computer Aided Design) and a wax mold and then set with diamonds. You can see an example of this here:custom frame setup.
In short, this is extremely scrupulous work that can only be done by the most competent diamond setters.
Can you put diamonds in stainless steel?
There are no rules that say broken watches can't be stainless steel. In fact, stainless steel is one of the best metals for diamond setting as it is highly durable and can securely hold any gemstone or diamond in place.
Do Bust Down watches work?
If you have a diamond setting specialist to do the job, they will work on absolutely every front. If done correctly, your watch's water resistance and of course the timing will work the same as before.
All of our bust watches at Diamonds By Raymond Lee in Boca Raton are in perfect working order. Our after-sales customization will not affect the functionality of the watch.
Do Bust Down watches lose value?
Generally, if you add secondary market diamonds to a watch, it will lose value... and that goes for even the best diamonds. However, this really only matters if the watch is highly collectible and you plan on reselling it one day.
Since diamonds less than 1 carat are not in such demand in the market, and most broken watches use a lot of small diamonds that are far from 1 carat, the intrinsic value will not increase either.
So flooding a collector's watch (rare and highly sought after low production number watches) with aftermarket diamonds is not recommended if you plan on reselling it... But that's the point, it really only matters if you're concerned about the resale value .
In general, Bust Down watches are for people who don't consider a watch a "value investment". Rather, it is an "emotional investment". They buy it because they love the watch and the craftsmanship... and of course DIAMONDS, ICE, BLING. It's something for those with purchasing power, where money really isn't an issue. And when it comes to craftsmanship, you have to appreciate it, as it's really amazing what a good diamond setter can do. It can and should be considered as special as the watch itself.
Note: if you buysecond handBust Down Watches, you are not losing any value when purchasing. You can resell it for the same price or more if there is a buyer. The demand for the watch will not have changed. This is very different from buying a collectible watch and customizing it.
Are Bust Down watches popular? Are Bussdown watches going out of style?
With much of hip hop culture showing appreciation for "Plain Janes" these days, people are asking "are broken watches going out of style?"
As an industry expert and luxury watch retailer who deals with sophisticated customers on a daily basis, we believe we are the right people to answer this question.
Bust Down Watch the evolution of the trend
Let's first understand how the trend evolved. It really started 15 or 20 years ago with Master P and the Cash Money team. They were freezing 36mm Rolex President watches. From there, things got bigger, much bigger. The most eye-catching aspect was the fully iced oversized watches. We are talking about 48mm watches drilled and filled with diamonds...
Then things started getting smaller, with 42mm Offshore and 41mm Presidential as an option. This was crazy for many people, as these are some of the most prestigious watches. At that point, the trend really exploded and just kept growing. Watches like the Yachtmaster and Royal Oak Offshore were some of the best as they also offered that extra size (44mm).
Then people started flooding Pateks and even Richard Mille watches. Again, people thought it was crazy, but the trend only grew.
Today, the hottest look for the fully iced bust watch trend is the honeycomb diamond setting and baguette-cut diamonds. This is a big change from traditional bust-down settings, as the pavé diamond settings offer a more fully covered look as the settings are closer together.
So, as you can see, the trend didn't go anywhere, it just evolved, like most fashion trends. They are like phases and things often come back.
We expect to see the paved round diamond trend get stronger than ever for some time to come, with special diamond settings offering contrast (different sizes and uniform cuts). It all boils down to people wanting something different, wanting to stand out. The ice age is not going anywhere, people are just going to buy different watches and try new things.
Aftermarket Rainbow Rolex identical to the real deal
Diamond setters have their work cut out for them as more and more people want broken watches. You really have to respect and appreciate these skilled diamond setters as they are doing incredibly impressive work.
This trend remains as icy as ever and we don't see it "melting" any time soon. People will always want to stand out and be more attractive.
People have loved diamonds and gemstones for centuries. So we have a feeling this is a look as timeless as the stones themselves. As long as there are diamonds, people will buy broken watches.
For anyone who has never seen a broken watch, it is understandable that they have doubts. Pictures don't do a broken watch the justice it deserves. When you see one in person, it's like moths on fire. They're ridiculously impressive and it's hard to compare them to Plain Jane in that regard. The response you get when you wear a fully matte watch is very different. It's like "hey, what a cool watch" vs. "WOW".
Should you buy a Bust Down watch?
The best thing to do right now is to take advantage of pre-owned diamond pavé watches (like the ones we show in this post) as the price is too good. They look like a million bucks, especially at the club. This kind of environment is what we expect people to continue to demand in the long term. And more and more people who are into the baguette trend will come back to this one, as the honeycomb look is by far the most impressive setting. After all, no diamond has as much sparkle and brilliance as the round brilliant.
All in all, if you're wary of broken watches but love the icy look, the second-hand market is your best bet for your money.
If you likepersonalizeWhether you fancy a new watch or a pre-owned Plain Jane, Diamonds By Raymond Lee will take care of that too. we have the bestdiamond setter in south florida, and is in our state-of-the-art workshop.
Why Bust Down Clocks and not factory ones?
With factory-set clocks, there are some issues.
First, you may not get them exactly to your liking. You get what you get.
Second, most of them are not completely covered in diamonds. They make watches with diamonds as some models don't come with diamonds. So, if you want your favorite watch to look completely icy, then you should go down the path of customization.
Thirdly, the most diamond-studded Rolex, Patek and AP watches are rare and incredibly hard to find. And if you can, the price will be MUCH more than customizing it with aSpecialist and independent diamond cutter.
The main reason why people opt for broken watches is that people want watches that are as rocky as possible. Broken clocks provide that.
Are the diamonds in Raymond Lee Bust Down watches real?
Each of the diamonds in our Diamonds By Raymond Lee underbust watches is natural. We test each diamond to ensure they are real and not lab-made. We have a state-of-the-art high-tech machine that will tell us if any diamond is lab-made or fake. It is a very expensive machine, but we have invested in it to ensure that all our diamond watches and jewelry are natural. These days it matters more than ever as lab-grown diamonds are flooding the industry.
Furthermore, we use only the finest diamonds in our bust watches. So look for high-quality gemstones in every watch you find at Diamonds By Raymond Lee in Boca Raton.
See more broken watches at Diamonds By Raymond Lee
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