TIME HAS COME: “You have to have a lot of character to wear it, because it’s quite visible,” warned De Grisogono creative director Fawaz Gruosi at a preview of the Swiss jeweler’s most recent creation, the Crazy Skull, at its new Paris showroom. The cranium-shaped watch, set with more than 890 diamonds or rubies totaling 23 carats, prompted Karlie Kloss to dub it “the most extravagant Halloween accessory” you have ever seen. “I feel a little nervous though, because there will be only 10 of these ever made,” Kloss said at the Thursday night party, admiring hers done in black diamonds.
According to the jeweler, it took 12 months to develop the tricky piece, which features a playful mechanism allowing the skull to stick out its tongue, set with 66 pink sapphires or rubies and surrounded by white, baguette-cut diamond teeth. The watch’s dials are placed inside the eye sockets, fit to read two different time zones at once.
The Crazy Skull is to retail between 500,000 euros and 650,000 euros, or $632,500 to $822,250, depending on its ingredients, at de Grisogono boutiques.
France’s rock star veteran Johnny Hallyday, who was eyeing the flamboyant piece at the launch party, said, “I like it because I like flashy, but I will have to sell a lot more records to be able to afford one of these.”
Hallyday, now 71, is on fire. Having just completed his U.S. tour, he signed on for 120 more shows in Europe for 2015. His new album “Rester Vivant” (or “Staying Alive” in English) is slated to hit stores next month.