ontinuing to honour and reinterpret the remarkable design legacy of Jean Schlumberger through its timepiece collections, Tiffany & Co. introduces the Enamel watch. The new collection, which makes its debut in three variations, takes inspiration from the namesake jewelry collection designed by Jean Schlumberger in 1962.
The diamond-set dial is encircled by a rotating ring of Tiffany Blue® paillonné enamel or white enamel, together with the collection’s signature cross-stitch motif in 18k yellow gold. Produced in limited quantities, the watch is presented in a 36 mm case of 18k white or yellow gold.
Tiffany & Co.’s heritage in enamel craft dates to the 1870s, when it exhibited its first in-house enamel pieces - a magnificent dessert set - at the 1878 Exposition Universelle in Paris. Alongside jewelers, goldsmiths and silversmiths at Tiffany & Co. workshops, the House’s artisans mastered a variety of enameling techniques, including cloisonné, flinqué and grisaille to decorate a wide range of items including vases, brooches, clocks and watches.
Outstanding examples in The Tiffany Archives include a series of chatelaine and lapel watches in enamel and precious stones created during the late 19th century, the celebrated Apple Blossom lapel watch of 1889 and a collection of Art Deco table clocks from the 1920s. In 1962, Jean Schlumberger revived the almost-forgotten craft of paillonné enameling in high jewelry. The vividly colored and instantly memorable enamel masterpieces that he created are now recognized as icons of 20th-century jewelry design.
Paillonné enamel - a craft requiring great skill and artistry - was developed in the 19th century, yet despite its unique beauty, nearly vanished by the mid-20th century. Even today, many decades after Schlumberger revived the craft through his jewelry designs, very few artisans have mastered this meticulous and labor-intensive process. To begin, the enameller cuts precisely shaped fragments from sheets of 18k gold or silver leaf and lays them on the surface to be decorated. Then, a layer of translucent, colored enamel is applied, and the object is fired at a high temperature. This three-stage process is repeated multiple times to obtain the desired intensity of color.
Among the most famous of Schlumberger’s paillonné enamel designs were the Croisillon bangles, created in 1962 and made famous by global style leaders, who often stacked several of them together on their wrists. The signature Croisillon motif - defined by 18k yellow gold cross-stitches alternating with pairs of straight stitches - was inspired by the designer’s background as the scion of a prominent family of textile manufacturers in Alsace, France. Delicate yet strong, the “X” signifies the enduring bonds woven into our lives.
The dial of the Enamel watch is made in two sections: a fixed central disc set with diamonds and an outer ring that reinterprets the Croisillon bangle in miniature. The 12 cross-stitches represent the 12 hours; however, unlike normal hour markers, they are not fixed in place but spin freely with every movement of the wrist—a witty visual game that captures Schlumberger’s playful approach to design. Contrasting with the diamonds, the 18k yellow gold hands echo the yellow gold of the cross-stitches.
The making of the rotating ring is a complex and demanding process requiring a total of 65 hours: 55 hours for the enameling and 10 hours for the crafting and mounting of the gold stitches. For each of the rings in Tiffany Blue®, the three-stage paillonné enameling process - applying gold or silver leaf then enamel then firing - is repeated up to three times to achieve the desired depth and richness of color, which radiates with exceptional luminosity.
Underlining Tiffany & Co.’s legendary expertise in diamond setting, the watch case and central disc of the dial are snow-set using round brilliant diamonds of different sizes to create an almost unbroken expanse of light and reflection, with minimal visible metal. The dial center is set with 204 diamonds, and the 36 mm case is set with 366 diamonds (totaling nearly 3 carats).
The case-back is engraved with a sunburst pattern inspired by Jean Schlumberger’s Floral Arrows brooch and set with 14 diamonds; a push-button integrated into the design is used to adjust the time displayed by the high-precision Swiss-made quartz movement.
The alligator strap, which matches the white or Tiffany Blue® enamel, is fastened with an 18k yellow or white gold T buckle set with 43 round brilliant diamonds. A high-jewelry model, cased in 18k white gold with Tiffany Blue® enamel, is presented on an 18k full-pavé white gold bracelet, set with additional 666 diamonds of 4.48 total carats.
TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS
- Size: 36 mm case
- Function: Hours and minutes
- Material: 18k yellow or white gold case, hands in 18k yellow gold
- Dial: Central diamond-set disc; outer rotating ring with enamel, 12 cross-stitches and 12 straight stitches in 18k yellow gold
- Diamonds: 613 diamonds of over 4 total carats
- Case snow-set with 366 round full-cut diamonds of 2.94 total carats
- Dial snow-set with 204 diamonds
- T buckle set with 43 round full-cut diamonds
- Fully set model: 1,236 diamonds of 8.38 total carats
- Diamond bracelet with 666 diamonds of 4.48 total carats
- Caseback with sunburst design set with 14 diamonds
- Movement: high-precision Swiss-made quartz movement
- Strap: Tiffany Blue® alligator or white alligator; or full-pavé 18k white gold bracelet
- Five-year international limited warranty
- Swiss-made
- SKU 76537585 (Tiffany Blue® enamel); SKU 76537607 (White enamel); SKU 76537623 (Full-pavé diamond bracelet)
