Tiffany & Co.’s Newest Watch Hides a Tiny Gold Bird Inside

There is a timeless charm in the way Tiffany & Co. approaches the passage of time, a discipline that, for a house so often associated with diamonds and robin’s-egg-blue boxes, carries a surprisingly rigorous mechanical history. 

The company’s horological origins date back to 1847, culminating two decades later with its first stopwatch: the Tiffany & Co. Timing Watch. In 1868, the same year it established an assembly workshop in Geneva, the House introduced the Timer, a Swiss-crafted chronograph that fixed the company’s claim on Swiss watchmaking.

To mark 160 years since the inception of this pioneering timepiece, Tiffany & Co. is celebrating with two special limited editions. Earlier this year came a run of 60 platinum pieces featuring classic Tiffany Blue® dials. Now comes the second: the Tiffany Timer Titanium Platinum, limited to 100 pieces.

Designed with flowing lines and a satin-brushed titanium case, the watch balances modern materiality with traditional Swiss precision. A mirror-polished platinum bezel creates a striking textural contrast against the titanium, framing a deep blue sunray-patterned dial. Pops of quintessential Tiffany Blue® appear across the dial markers, seconds track, and date aperture, serving as a subtle nod to the House’s signature visual codes.

For collectors, the true highlight of the timepiece lies hidden on its reverse. Visible through the sapphire crystal caseback is a whimsical homage to the legendary designer Jean Schlumberger: a miniature rendition of his cult-favorite Bird on a Rock motif, originally conceived for Tiffany in 1965. 

Measuring a mere 1.4 centimeters, the bird is sculpted by hand from a solid block of 18-karat yellow gold. Artisans polish each sculpture using traditional, centuries-old tools, including diamond abrasives and soft gentian wood, to impart rich texture and depth before mounting it directly onto the open-worked winding rotor.

Beneath the motif runs a customized El Primero 400 caliber, introduced in 1969 and still revered as the world’s first integrated automatic chronograph. 

Arriving this September, the watch is a triumphant union: serious Swiss mechanics, a Schlumberger whimsy in gold, and a house assuredly reminding us that it has been timing life for a very long time.