The Hong Kong Watch Auction: TWO | Page 411

This pendant watch is very important. In the 1920s a new focus on lady’s diamond and gem-set watches were becoming increasingly popular. The quality of gems used was always an important factor for the new female clientele that the watch manufactures and jewelery houses were catering to. Gübelin started as a family owned shop in 1855, Eduard Gübelin was responsible for buying the firm’s highest quality stones for their creations. He was particularly concerned with the quality that he was using and he wanted to be able to test the authenticity of the gems before HK_WATCHES_MAY16_390-495.indd 401 incorporating them into his designs. In 1923, Eduard Gübelin opened an in-house laboratory with a focus on testing quality. This was a revolutionary idea and really transformed the Gübelin company. Today, the Gübelin Lucerne Gem Lab is one of the most respected in the world and acts as one of the most trusted authorities when it comes to testing and checking the quality of rare gems. Eduard Gübelin is credited for establishing gemology as a science and it is considered as one of the 21st century’s most important and influential gemologists. 22/04/16 16:41