Tiffany & Co.’s new Tiffany Timer has a golden surprise hidden in its movement

Tiffany & Co. may be best known for its diamonds, the iconic blue box, and extraordinary jewellery creations, but the US luxury house also has a watchmaking history stretching back nearly two centuries. Its latest Tiffany Timer is a reminder that its horological credentials extend well beyond beautiful dials and precious stones.

Marking the 160th anniversary of Tiffany & Co.’s first chronograph in 1866, the new Tiffany Timer Titanium Platinum combines Swiss mechanical expertise with one of the jeweller’s most recognisable design signatures: Jean Schlumberger’s whimsical Bird on a Rock.

Limited to just 100 pieces, the new chronograph follows an earlier 60-piece platinum edition introduced earlier this year, which featured a Tiffany Blue dial. This time, the house has opted for a sportier combination of titanium, platinum and dark blue, with a delightful surprise waiting on the reverse.

A watchmaking history dating back to 1847

Tiffany & Co.’s involvement in horology began in 1847, when founder Charles Lewis Tiffany recognised the growing appetite for precision timepieces and began retailing watches.

In 1866, the company introduced the Tiffany & Co. Timing Watch, now recognised as its first stopwatch. Renamed the Tiffany & Co. Timer two years later, it coincided with the establishment of the house’s watch assembly workshop in Switzerland.

By 1874, Tiffany & Co. had opened its own watchmaking manufacture in Geneva, producing complicated timepieces including chronographs and calendar watches. The new Tiffany Timer pays tribute to this heritage while adopting a distinctly contemporary aesthetic.

Its 40mm case is crafted from satin-brushed titanium that offers lightweight durability, while a polished platinum bezel introduces a contrasting precious-metal flourish. Rounded surfaces and flowing contours give the case a sculptural quality, with curved chronograph pushers cleverly integrated into the design to double as crown protectors.

The sunray-finished dark blue dial features Tiffany Blue accents on the sub-dial markers, peripheral chronograph seconds track and date display. White gold hands complement the three-register arrangement, which displays chronograph minutes at 3 o’clock, elapsed hours at six and running seconds at 9. A navy blue alligator strap completes the aesthetics.

A golden bird takes centre stage

Beneath the elegant exterior beats a customised version of Zenith’s legendary El Primero 400, the integrated automatic chronograph calibre descended from the groundbreaking movement introduced in 1969. Equipped with a column-wheel chronograph mechanism, it offers a 50-hour power reserve and powers the watch’s timekeeping, chronograph and date functions.

Yet the most captivating feature is arguably not found on the dial. Turn the watch over and the sapphire caseback reveals a miniature interpretation of Jean Schlumberger’s celebrated Bird on a Rock, perched on the movement’s openworked winding rotor.

Measuring just 1.4cm across, the feathered beauty is individually sculpted by hand from solid yellow gold. Artisans then painstakingly polish its contours using traditional tools, including diamond abrasives and gentian wood sticks, to achieve varying degrees of lustre that accentuate the intricate form.

The result transforms a functional mechanical component into a miniature jewellery sculpture, visible every time the wearer admires the movement.

With its caseback engraved “Limited edition of 100”, the Tiffany Timer Titanium Platinum brings together two important chapters of the house’s history: its longstanding commitment to watchmaking and the imaginative jewellery artistry that has made Tiffany & Co. famous worldwide.