remarkable fusion of both technical skill and the artistic disciplines of watchmaking and jewellery, Bird on a Flying Tourbillon seamlessly combines facets of métiers d’art, jewellery and haute horlogerie. Tiffany & Co.’s designers, craftspeople and technical partners dedicated more than two years to designing and developing the timepiece.
The High Jewellery watch features a dial of natural turquoise, a diamond-set sub-dial displaying hours and minutes, a pair of diamond-set birds in flight, and a flying tourbillon mechanism housed beneath a faceted sapphire crystal dome – a first in the world of horology. Presented in a 39 mm white gold case, Bird on a Flying Tourbillon will be produced in a limited edition of 25 pieces.
Bird on a Flying Tourbillon brings together four different and highly specialised artistic crafts: gemstone marquetry, gold sculpting, snow-setting and the hand-faceting of sapphire crystal. On the dial, two birds appear to be flying above a turquoise sky, evoking the sense of freedom and whimsy that was central to Jean Schlumberger’s imagination and made his design language so distinctive and delightful.
The dial is formed of turquoise marquetry, an intricate craft in which wafer-thin slices of the natural turquoise gemstone are cut into 16 different cloud-like shapes. The pieces are hand polished before being laid down edge to edge, with some of them set on slightly different levels to add a sense of depth and movement. The turquoise used by Tiffany & Co. is renowned for its pure and consistent blue color, often without any hint of webbing or matrix. Its vibrant, almost sky-blue color and unblemished quality make it one of the world’s most prized turquoise variations. The turquoise marquetry work – a highly specialised craft that demands great skill and precision – took 45 hours to complete.
Against the backdrop of the turquoise “sky”, a pair of miniature diamond-set birds appear to take flight. Each of these tiny birds is hand sculpted from 18k white gold before being set with a total of 147 diamonds. The sculpting and setting of the birds require a total of 30 hours of work. The flying tourbillon mechanism is visible beneath a dome of faceted sapphire crystal – unique in watchmaking – that resembles a diamond. Weighing a mere 0.309 grams, the ultra-thin sapphire is faceted using hand-operated diamond tools, highlighting the intricate craftsmanship essential for this timepiece.
Showcasing Tiffany & Co.’s legendary expertise with diamonds, Bird on a Flying Tourbillon is set with a total of 848 diamonds (for a total of 3.9 carats). The process of setting the diamonds on Bird on a Flying Tourbillon exceeds 100 hours in total.
The 18k white gold case features 340 round brilliant diamonds (more than 1.5 carats). The two birds on the dial are set with a total of 147 diamonds, while the sub-dial displaying the time is set with 168 diamonds (for 0.48 total carats) and two decorative plates, seen through the sapphire crystal caseback, are set with 143 diamonds (0.55 total carats).
The snow-setting technique was chosen for the decoration of the case and the movement. Acknowledged to be one of the most challenging gem-setting technique, it requires that stones of different sizes are placed in such a way that almost no metal remains visible.
The winding crown, inspired by the emblematic Tiffany® Setting, features a prong-set solitaire diamond of 0.42 carats. An alligator strap is fastened with an 18k white gold T buckle that is set with 49 round brilliant diamonds (0.18 carats).
The bespoke movement – Caliber AFT24T01 – was developed under the creative direction of Tiffany & Co. by the innovative Swiss haute horlogerie manufacture Artime and is produced in the watchmaker’s workshops in the Swiss Jura. Comprising 205 components, the hand-wound movement offers a power reserve of 60 hours.
The tourbillon, a mechanism incorporated into some of the finest high watchmaking movements, was invented to offset the effect of gravity on a watch’s accuracy. It achieves this by containing the principal timekeeping components in a fine metal cage that rotates a full 360 degrees over a set period – in this case, 60 seconds. Normally, a tourbillon is held in place by a fine bridge that anchors it from above. A flying tourbillon has no bridge; instead, the fixing point is concealed below the mechanism, thus leaving the mesmerising action of the spinning tourbillon fully open to view. Attached to the tourbillon, the faceted sapphire dome rotates once every minute along with the tourbillon cage. As the dome turns, its diamond-like facets catch the light, creating fascinating and constantly moving patterns on the dial.
The transparent sapphire crystal caseback displays the beauty of the flying tourbillon movement, which is hand finished with a variety of haute horlogerie techniques to add richness and contrast, including beveling, sandblasting, straight graining, satin finishing and high polish. The gold-plated gear train contrasts with the cool, silvery tones of the other metals.
The eye is drawn immediately to two distinctive star-shaped bridges inspired by the emblematic six-pronged Tiffany® Setting, one for the flying tourbillon and the other corresponding to the hours and minutes display. Each of the six prongs is highly polished, emphasising their shape and more closely resembling the setting that inspired them. The diamond-set movement plates create a visual anchor for the two bridges and underline the High Jewellery character of Bird on a Flying Tourbillon.
TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS
• Case: 18k white gold
• Size: 39 mm
• Caliber: AFT24T01: manual-winding bespoke Artime manufacture Swiss-made movement
• Functions: Hours and minutes, flying tourbillon
• Power Reserve: 60 hours
• Frequency: 3HZ (21’600 A/H)
• Jewels: 20
• Diamonds: 848 diamonds for a total of 3.9 carats
• Case: Snow-set with 340 round full-cut diamonds of 1.98 carats
• Caseback: Exhibition set with 143 round brilliant diamonds
• Dial: Turquoise marquetry (16 pieces) with 18k white and yellow gold birds and 147 snow-set round brilliant diamonds
• Sub-dial: 18k white gold set with 168 diamonds
• Faceted sapphire crystal dome: Cut and polished on both sides, weighing 0.309
grams
• Buckle: 18k white gold T pin set with 49 round brilliant diamonds
• Crown: Round brilliant diamond of 0.42 carats
• Water resistance: 3 ATM
• Strap: Alligator
• Reference: SKU 74863264
• Limited edition of 25 pieces
