I am fine with how the stem ends. I remember when I saw pictures of the new design, I had the same feeling that the new design feels a little unfinished compared to the old design. But it was more because of the way the leaves toward the flower, less because of the way the stem ends. But when I put it on yesterday, I did not feel unfinished at all. That said, I have never tried on the old design myself and it could be just that I was overwhelmed by the beauty of the ring overall so paid less attention to the details.
So I think the truth is, the new design is less pretty than the old design. However, it is still a gorgeous ring that can wow tons of people. And for people who do not know about the old design, it won't be a problem at all to them. (My DH saw the ring the first time yesterday and he was also intrigued and thought it was the best in VcA! However we probably will not get it this year because of certain reason...).
In terms of your decision... I personally I don't buy watch as jewelry (I wear Rolex or Breguet without diamonds) so I would never consider the watch. But I admit that after seeing your picture of the van cleef watch I can understand why you compare the watch with the ring. Now I actually think they can serve the same purpose and probably same cost per wear. So I think you need to ask yourself if you think the watch itself is "perfect" and the ring is less so. Because you might focus on the imperfection of the ring every time you look at it, and that's not good feeling and you should def get the watch. If not, then I'm stil for the ring!
)
