hink of Tiffany & Co. and the image that springs to mind, in an almost Pavlovian reflex, is Audrey Hepburn in Breakfast at Tiffany’s, gazing into the windows of the jeweller’s Fifth Avenue store in New York. In the eyes of the world, Tiffany & Co., founded in 1837, is synonymous with gold and silver, diamonds, coloured gemstones and high jewellery. Most of us would be hard pressed to name an iconic Tiffany watch. Indeed, until its acquisition by LVMH in January 2021, there was only one, the Atlas, inspired by the clock which since 1940 has presided over the entrance to the New York flagship, The Landmark on Fifth Avenue. Not any more…

Since his appointment four years ago as Vice President of Tiffany Horlogerie, Nicolas Beau has been shining a light on the House’s watchmaking past and introducing collections that are a natural extension of its jewellery lines. “We have completely reviewed how we approach the House’s watch collections,” he explains. “Looking back through its history, we observed that jewellery had always served as inspiration for its watches. Don’t forget that in 1874, Tiffany & Co. opened a watch manufacturing facility in Geneva, across the road from Cornavin station. The more than 300 archival timepieces are testament to Tiffany’s rich history.”

Accordingly, Nicolas Beau and his teams have mined the famous Blue Book — which keeps a record of every collection since the House was founded — for elements that could become the starting point for watch lines.

Carat 128, time revealed through an aquamarine

Unveiled during LVMH Watch Week 2025, the Carat 128 Aquamarine high jewellery watch is the most exclusive – the only one of its kind – and without question most remarkable piece. A cushion shape measuring 27mm in diameter, it echoes the fabled Tiffany Diamond, a 128-carat fancy yellow diamond that is part of the House’s heritage.

The Tiffany Diamond

Tiffany’s watchmaking workshops in Meyrin, Geneva, achieved the extraordinary feat of replacing the sapphire crystal of this 18k white gold watch with a 34.52-carat aquamarine whose facets replicate those of the historic diamond, on a smaller scale (the diamond is one and a half times larger). “The connection between the Tiffany Diamond and the Carat 128 Aquamarine leaps out,” notes Nicolas Beau.

Tiffany & Co. Carat 128 Aquamarine, 18k white gold case, 27mm, 897 brilliant diamonds totalling more than 29 carats; dial with 382 brilliant diamonds in a snow setting, protected by a single diamond-cut aquamarine of 34.5 carats; high-precision Swiss quartz movement. Unique piece.

The idea of enclosing the dial under a precious or fine stone isn’t new. “Tiffany & Co. presented a watch at the 1939 World’s Fair [in New York] which had a blue sapphire as a crystal. We actually discovered this model after we had imagined the Carat 128. Even decades apart, jewellery can inspire similar ideas for watches! And of course, choosing a gemstone as a crystal comes naturally to a House such as ours,” Beau says.

Tiffany & Co. wristwatch, 1939

©The Tiffany & Co. Archives

The Carat 128 Aquamarine’s dial is snow-set with 382 diamonds while the crown echoes the facets of the Tiffany Diamond. The bracelet is a jewel in itself, with five rows of brilliant-cut diamonds, 251 in all, in three different sizes totalling 28 carats, in the emblematic six-pronged Tiffany® Setting of the House’s engagement rings.

HardWear, the urban-inspired watch

Also inspired by the Tiffany Diamond and positioned at the opposite end of the House’s horological spectrum, the HardWear watch debuted in late 2022. “When we reviewed Tiffany & Co.’s watch collections, we were ‘lucky’ in that the archives didn’t produce an icon that would have had to be reinvented over and over. Instead, we were able to delve into our jewellery heritage and reinterpret designs that have left their mark on the history of the House,” says Nicolas Beau.

Tiffany & Co. HardWear watch in Blue Crush, 24.5mm stainless steel case; sterling silver bracelet. Case set with 54 round brilliant diamonds totalling 0.45 carat; faceted sapphire crystal; Tiffany Blue® “crush” lacquer dial; 14-link sterling silver HardWear bracelet; high-precision Swiss quartz movement.

Among the multitude of archival pieces, one in particular had “pick me!” written all over: the HardWear bracelet in silver or gold, with its distinctive urban-inspired links, from 1962. Why not turn it into a watch bracelet? “We designed it so the bracelet can be detached from the case and the watch worn as a necklace on a chain,” adds Nicolas Beau.

The archival advertisement from 1962 that inspired the HardWear by Tiffany collection.

©The Tiffany & Co. Archives

Different styles are proposed, some with diamonds. The most emblematic has to be the version with a lacquered crush dial in the iconic Tiffany Blue®.

Eternity, a watch for the King of Diamonds

Twelve diamond hour markers circle the dial of the Eternity watch, which debuted in 2024, in a nod to Charles Lewis Tiffany, “King of Diamonds” and co-founder of Tiffany & Co. Beau explains how “The inspiration for the Eternity came from a 1967 advertisement for engagement rings which, rather than rings, shows every possible diamond cut around the words ‘Engaging Idea!’”.

Sketch of the Tiffany® Setting

“Engaging Idea!” advertisement, 1967

©The Tiffany & Co. Archives

Proposed with a cushion-shaped or round case, the Eternity features a different diamond cut for each hour: round brilliant, baguette, cushion, Tiffany True®, marquise, Asscher, heart-shaped, pear-shaped, oval, emerald, triangular and princess. The heart-shaped diamond is at 12 o’clock: a reminder that every day should begin and end with love. As for the solitaire diamond on the crown, it adopts the iconic six-prong setting of the Tiffany® Setting engagement ring.

Tiffany & Co. Eternity watch, 18k white gold cushion-shaped case, 28mm, 512 diamonds totalling 5.9 carats; cushion-shaped Tiffany Blue® guilloché dial with 12 hand-set diamonds; crown set with a 0.19-carat round brilliant diamond; bracelet set with 455 round brilliant diamonds totalling 4.4 carats; high-precision Swiss quartz movement.

Bird on a Rock Legacy watch, a homage to Jean Schlumberger

Certain designs have entered the jewellery “hall of fame” to acquire iconic status. The Bird on a Rock brooch that Jean Schlumberger imagined for Tiffany & Co. in 1965 is one.

Jean Schlumberger in his House, 1965

©Bruce Davidson Magnum Photos

Widely regarded as one of the twentieth century’s most influential jewellery designers, Schlumberger worked for the American House for more than three decades, from 1956 until 1987. Alongside jewellery, nature was another of his passions and so a yellow cockatoo which the designer spotted while on his travels became the inspiration for one of the most recognisable brooches in jewellery history. Schlumberger came up with the idea of perching his stylised bird on an enormous coloured gemstone, whether a morganite, a tourmaline or an aquamarine. The quirky bird quickly became a bestseller and in 1976 was added to the legendary Blue Book.

Jean Schlumberger by Tiffany & Co., Bird on a Rock brooch, gold and platinum with a morganite, diamonds and a pink sapphire

For the 60th anniversary of the design, a miniature version of the brooch adorns the dial of the Bird on a Rock Legacy watch, in three iterations, one with an aquamarine, one with a morganite and a third with a tanzanite: what Tiffany & Co. calls its Legacy Stones. Interestingly, morganite was discovered in 1910 by George Frederick Kunz, who was Tiffany & Co.’s first gemmologist. He named the gem after his friend, John Pierpont Morgan.

Tiffany & Co. Bird on a Rock Legacy watch in 18k white gold with diamonds. 36mm case; white mother-of-pearl dial engraved with a floral design, set with a 1.45-carat morganite; 587 diamonds totalling 3.6 carats; open back with a loupe to reveal the back of the stone; high-precision Swiss quartz movement.

“This is a faithful replica of the brooch,” comments Nicolas Beau. “We wanted to use the largest stone possible to create the impression of having a centre stone on the dial. You no longer need to ask, is it a watch? Is it jewellery? Also, rather than observe the movement through a sapphire crystal, we’ve fitted a small loupe window in the back of the case that reveals the culet of the stone.”

The mother-of-pearl dial is engraved with a floral pattern, taken from a sketch by Jean Schlumberger. “All these watches lean into the House’s history and respect the spirit of its founders,” says Nicolas Beau. “They are inspired by designs, jewellery and iconic stones that belong to Tiffany & Co. If I had to give this strategy a name, it would be ‘Back to the Future’.”