Century combines contemporary design with a modern flair to create products of supreme quality,“Philip Klingenberg, the President of Century explains.”Every one of our watches is hand-finished and therefore one of a kind. Our creative synthesis of classic gem-cutting with the traditional art of watchmaking has been constantly reinterpreted by our specialists. The result is jewelled watches in perfect harmony."

Century was founded in 1966 in Biel, Switzerland by Hans-Ulrich Klingenberg, Philip's father. His vision was to produce an exceptional timepiece that combined beauty with a technically perfect construction. Under the direction of his son, Klingenberg's vision and objectives haven't changed as the company continues to both innovate and create unique time gems.

The technique
In 1977, after eighteen years of research and development, Hans-Ulrich Klingenberg's quest for perfection led him to a completely new method of making watchcases using the 'megalith' - a sintered sapphire with a hardness surpassed only by diamonds. This innovative concept is the basis for all the company's watches and remains an integral part of their originality.

“Our watches are not simple cases that are just stamped out in their thousands,” Roderich Hess, Century's Marketing and Sales Director underlines. “Our gemstone cutters take a piece of sapphire and create the scratch-resistant sapphire bezel and the crystal. This megalith is so hard that it can only be cut with tools made from diamonds. Every single cut of the sapphire case is facetted and polished by hand and only the finest materials - sapphires, diamonds, platinum and gold, Chinese lacquer and mother-of-pearl are used. What this means is that each and every watch that emerges from our workshops is, by definition, unique.”

Using its sapphire technology, Century manufactures up to 12,000 sapphire time gems annually. The lapidary craftsmen cut up to 156 different shapes on the sapphire which creates not only an incomparable watchcase, but also offers a jewel of captivating brilliance.

Matching jewellery
Century has now launched its first piece of jewellery, the Nocturner Ring. Fashioned from 18 carat gold, each ring is set with 39 diamonds and has 9 settings, each with 2 diamonds, 3 of which act as supports linking the two sections of the ring. The remaining 6 gold settings are moveable.

The matching Nocturner watch has an octagonal-shaped sapphire case with a dial ring set with 40 diamonds. It has a white mother-of-pearl dial set with four diamonds and a white gold double bangle bracelet inlaid with 88 flawless diamonds with moveable brilliant settings at the centre. The watch is water-resistant to 100 metres and is equipped with a Swiss quartz movement.