Inside the Future of Watchmaking at Tiffany & Co.

Perched comfortably by a fireplace on a mid-century modern couch surrounded by views of 57th Street and Central Park on the invitation-only VIP 10th floor of the Landmark flagship in New York City, Tiffany & Co. CEO Anthony Ledru seemed perfectly at ease. His charismatic and unflappable demeanor belied nothing of the stress of the prior week when the brands behind LVMH Watch Week had to pivot from the planned event location in Los Angeles to shift cross-country to New York City. Taking flight from the fires in L.A., they were met with temperatures that teetered on the verge of single digits in the Big Apple. To top it off, Tiffany’s sprawling Landmark flagship played host to the big reveals not just for the jeweler’s watches but also for Hublot, TAG Heuer, Zenith, and L’Epée. (Bulgari hosted at its boutique across the street, and Louis Vuitton and Gérald Genta held court at Louis Vuitton’s temporary space just next door to Landmark.) It was Tiffany & Co. and Louis Vuitton’s first time participating in LVMH Watch Week, despite the magnitude of the brands. But if any feathers were ruffled behind the scenes, one could never tell. And Ledru, who arguably had the most on his shoulders, appeared to handle it all with aplomb.

Tiffany & Co.’s newfound presence at the event, combined with the apparent interest in watches from the Arnault sons, would suggest further focus on watchmaking at the jewelry house in the future. Still, Ledru insisted the focus remains on the gems even with its timepieces. “The strategic decision has been made to stick to jewelry for the first few years, perhaps beyond, and there’s one simple reason: it’s much easier,” said Ledru with a straightforward, matter-of-fact attitude. Creating technical pieces is an expensive endeavor that requires more infrastructure, especially if in-house movements are a priority.

That doesn’t mean you won’t see high horology paired with high jewelry at Tiffany. One timepiece on offer—also on display at the house’s Blue Book high jewelry reveal in Beverly Hills last year—features a flying tourbillon topped off with a diamond and surrounded by a turquoise dial carved to look like clouds. The off-center dial with the hours and minutes is set with white pave diamonds, and two pavé diamond birds with 18-karat yellow gold accents fly in between. The case is likewise set in pavé diamonds with a diamond crown in a Tiffany setting. The movement, developed by independent watchmaking company Artime under the direction of Tiffany, is likewise decked in diamonds on its bridges, visible through the sapphire caseback and has 60 hours of power reserve. Limited to just 25 pieces, two have reportedly already been sold to U.S.-based male clients.

Bird on a Rock plays heavily into many of the new releases. Take, for instance, the fully gem-set Jean Schlumberger by Tiffany Bird on a Rock pieces shown at Landmark. Here, the avian mascot rests on a rotating ring set in 36 Baguette-cut tsavorites, which spins around a dial covered in diamonds matched by a case and crown, also in diamonds for a grand total of 742 round brilliant-cut diamonds. Another version featured white baguette-cut diamonds spinning around a center of blue pave sapphires. Both of those came with alligator leather straps, while a full diamond bracelet version set with 1,318 round brilliant diamonds is set with a diamond bird resting on a ring of 30 baguette-cut Aquamarines. The winged creature is one of many brand motifs that keeps on giving at the house. “We’ve done a lot of work on the jewelry side [with Tiffany icons]—Bird on a Rock being perhaps one of the greatest focuses since the acquisition,” says Ledru. “It’s the design that grew the most. It’s quite important at this stage, bigger and bigger.”

Schlumberger’s designs, as a whole, will continue to serve as a foundation for future product across the board. Since LVMH purchased Tiffany & Co. for $16.8 billion, the jeweler’s high jewelry Blue Book collections have focused almost entirely on inspiration from the late designer’s work for the house. Perhaps it’s no surprise that LVMH would be enamored with the company’s history with Schlumberger, who was French.  “He is the backbone. He is the silhouette,” says Ledru. “If we were a couture business, it’s what we would call the spine.”

The preview at LVMH watch week began with a tour of archival pieces including a necklace from 1900 that encapsulates some of the earth from the broken ground that made way for New York City’s subway system to its most recent acquisition, a pocket watch created by Tiffany for three survivors of the Titanic to gift to the captain of the R.M.S. Carpathia, Captain Arthur H. Rostron, who rescued them. The jeweler paid $1.97 million for the latter, making it the most expensive piece of memorabilia from the ship ever sold. “The heritage department is essential,” says Ledru. “I think that’s the reason why the group bought Tiffany. I don’t think LVMH would have been as interested in the acquisition without the true patrimony behind it.”

Credit: robbreport.com