Recently, Tiffany & Co. launched a new Jean Schlumberger high jewelry watch collection. The new releases include the Bird on a Flying Tourbillon watch, the “Bird on a Rock” watch, and the “Fish” watch. These additions not only enrich the brand’s high jewelry timepiece offerings but also further expand its creative boundaries.
Anthony Ledru, Tiffany & Co.’s Global President and Chief Executive Officer, stated: “During his 14 years as a designer at Tiffany, Jean Schlumberger was renowned as a pioneer in jewelry fashion. With his extraordinary talent and imagination, he reinterpreted the natural world, creating designs that were fantastical, lively, and filled with surrealist style, which were highly innovative at the time.
The Jean Schlumberger high jewelry watch collection offers a fresh interpretation of his ‘Bird on a Rock’ brooch and enamel fish brooch, both of which are iconic examples of 20th-century jewelry design.”
The Bird on a Flying Tourbillon watch
Inspired by the legendary designer Jean Schlumberger’s classic “Bird on a Rock” brooch created for Tiffany in 1965, the Bird on a Flying Tourbillon watch perfectly embodies the brand’s four core principles: design, craftsmanship, jewelry heritage, and haute horlogerie. It also marks Tiffany’s first introduction of a flying tourbillon movement in a high jewelry watch, signifying a new breakthrough for the brand in the field of haute horlogerie.
The Bird on a Flying Tourbillon watch ingeniously combines exquisite craftsmanship, jewelry elements, and haute horlogerie, perfectly demonstrating the harmonious fusion of watchmaking and jewelry techniques and aesthetics. Tiffany’s designers, master craftsmen, and technical teams collaborated for over two years to carefully design and develop this extraordinary high jewelry timepiece.
This high jewelry watch features a natural turquoise dial, complemented by a delicate diamond-set subdial displaying hours and minutes, and a pair of lifelike diamond-set flying birds. Additionally, Tiffany has pioneered a watchmaking industry first by placing the flying tourbillon under a domed faceted sapphire crystal, fully showcasing the brand’s watchmaking expertise. The Bird on a Flying Tourbillon watch comes in a 39mm white gold case and will be limited to 25 pieces.
Appreciating Jean Schlumberger’s Mastery in Transforming Nature into Treasures
The Bird on a Flying Tourbillon watch incorporates four exquisite craftsmanship techniques: gem-setting, gold carving, snow-setting, and sapphire crystal faceting. On the exquisite dial, two birds soar freely in a turquoise sky, vividly showcasing the unbridled and fantastical nature of Jean Schlumberger’s artistic vision. It is this imaginative spirit that infuses his creations with unique charm and joy.
The dial is crafted using turquoise inlay, a complex technique that requires carefully carving paper-thin natural turquoise into 16 different cloud shapes, which are then meticulously polished and seamlessly joined by hand. Some turquoise pieces are set at varying heights, further enhancing the dial’s three-dimensional effect and sense of movement. Tiffany selects turquoise renowned for its pure, consistent blue color, completely free of matrix or inclusions.
This turquoise displays a vivid, almost sky-blue hue with pure, flawless quality, making it one of the world’s most precious turquoise varieties. Turquoise inlay is a highly specialized, intricate craft demanding exceptional skill and precision, with the entire setting process taking up to 45 hours.
Beneath the dreamlike turquoise “sky,” a pair of diamond-set birds are captured mid-flight. The two birds are meticulously hand-carved from 18K white gold and set with a total of 147 dazzling diamonds. Tiffany’s artisans spent 30 hours completing the carving and setting of these birds.
Under the diamond-like domed faceted sapphire crystal, the intricate workings of the flying tourbillon are fully visible, a feature unique in the watchmaking world. The ultra-thin sapphire crystal, weighing just 0.309 grams, is meticulously faceted using hand-operated diamond tools, showcasing the exceptional craftsmanship embodied in this timepiece.
A Legend Forged in Brilliant Diamonds
The Bird on a Flying Tourbillon watch is meticulously set with 848 brilliant diamonds totaling 3.9 carats, with the entire setting process taking over 100 hours, demonstrating Tiffany’s extraordinary diamond craftsmanship.
The case is expertly crafted from 18K white gold and set with 340 round brilliant-cut diamonds totaling over 1.5 carats. On the dial, the two birds are set with a total of 147 diamonds, while the time-displaying subdial features 168 diamonds totaling 0.48 carats. Through the sapphire crystal caseback, two sparkling decorative plates can be admired, set with 143 diamonds totaling 0.55 carats.
Both the case and movement employ the snow-setting technique. As one of the most challenging gem-setting techniques, this method requires closely arranging gems of varying sizes to nearly conceal the metal beneath.
The winding crown design draws inspiration from the classic The Tiffany® Setting six-prong diamond engagement ring, adorned with a single prong-set diamond weighing 0.42 carats. The alligator leather strap is paired with an 18K white gold T-shaped buckle set with 49 round brilliant-cut diamonds totaling 0.18 carats.
Extraordinary Customization
Tiffany’s First Flying Tourbillon Watch
The new timepiece is equipped with the custom-made AFT24T01 movement. This movement was crafted by the Swiss independent watchmaker Artime under Tiffany’s creative direction and produced in a specialized watchmaking workshop in the Swiss Jura. This hand-wound movement consists of 205 precision components and offers a power reserve of up to 60 hours.
As a mechanical device in high-end watchmaking movements, the tourbillon is designed to counteract the effects of gravity on the watch’s accuracy. It achieves this by housing the main timekeeping components in a precise metal frame that rotates 360 degrees within a set period (for example, 60 seconds).
Typically, a tourbillon is secured from above by a delicate bridge plate. However, the flying tourbillon eliminates the traditional bridge design, cleverly concealing the fixing point beneath the mechanism, ensuring that the captivating rotating motion of the flying tourbillon is fully visible.
The domed faceted sapphire crystal is closely connected to the tourbillon frame and rotates with it every minute. As the crystal rotates, its diamond-like facets capture every ray of light, creating an ever-changing play of light and shadow on the dial.
Exquisite Craftsmanship Everywhere
Through the transparent sapphire crystal caseback, the mechanical beauty of the flying tourbillon movement is fully revealed. The movement is hand-finished using various haute horlogerie techniques, including beveling, sandblasting, straight graining, satin finishing, and high polishing, creating a rich sense of depth and contrast. The gold-plated gear train contrasts sharply with the cool silver tones of the surrounding metal, complementing each other perfectly.
Two distinctive star-shaped bridges stand out, inspired by Tiffany’s iconic The Tiffany® Setting six-prong diamond engagement ring. One bridge is used for the flying tourbillon mechanism, while the other corresponds to the hour and minute display. The tips of the star-shaped bridges are highly polished, not only highlighting their delicate contours but also cleverly echoing The Tiffany® Setting’s six-prong setting technique.
The diamond-set movement plates further create focal points for the two bridges, emphasizing the high jewelry character of the Bird on a Flying Tourbillon watch.
Jean Schlumberger High Jewelry Collection “Bird on a Rock” Watch
In 1965, Jean Schlumberger was inspired by a yellow-crested cockatoo to create the “Bird on a Rock” brooch, which has since become one of Tiffany’s most iconic pieces. Over the years, this design has been reimagined with different rare gemstones, continuously revealing new charms.
Today, this diamond-set bird, symbolizing joy and optimism, is beautifully presented on the dial of the Jean Schlumberger High Jewelry Collection “Bird on a Rock” watch. The bird not only attaches cleverly and harmoniously to the outer rim of the dial but can also rotate freely with the wearer’s movements, recreating the unique vivacity found in Jean Schlumberger’s works.
The “Bird on a Rock” watch is crafted in 18K white gold and available in 36mm and 39mm sizes. The 36mm model features a diamond-set center dial, with the outer rim set with 30 different colored gemstones depending on the variant, including sapphires, pink sapphires, or a gradient combination of emeralds, sapphires, and topaz.
These baguette-cut stones are invisibly set to fully showcase their inherent color beauty. The 39mm model comes in four different designs, three of which have diamond-set center dials with the outer rim set with either 36 baguette-cut sapphires, 36 baguette-cut diamonds, or a total of 36 baguette-cut sapphires, blue topaz, and emeralds. The fourth variant features a Tiffany Blue lacquered center dial with 36 baguette-cut diamonds on the outer rim.
The case is entirely crafted using the snow-setting technique, where each round brilliant-cut diamond is carefully arranged according to different sizes, creating a fluid and harmonious light effect while concealing the metal to the greatest extent possible, showcasing Tiffany’s extraordinary expertise in diamonds.
This gem-setting work takes about 55 hours to complete, with the 36mm model set with over 350 diamonds and the 39mm model set with 413 diamonds. To create the exquisite and lively bird, master craftsmen first hand-carve the gold shape, then set it with diamonds and a pink sapphire for the eye, a process that takes over 24 hours.
On the casebacks of both the “Bird on a Rock” and “Fish” watches, a sun-ray pattern inspired by Jean Schlumberger’s Floral Arrows brooch is engraved and adorned with diamonds. Both watches feature alligator leather straps paired with diamond-set T-shaped buckles.
These two watches not only showcase the brand’s long-standing jewelry craftsmanship but also incorporate contemporary innovative technology. To allow the outer rim to rotate smoothly, Tiffany designed an ingenious ball bearing mechanism. By giving the outer rim precise counterweights, the bird and fish can rotate in sync with the wearer’s wrist movements.
The 36mm model is equipped with a high-precision Swiss quartz movement, with a hidden adjuster embedded in the caseback for time setting. The 39mm model features a precise Swiss automatic movement with a classic time-setting and winding crown. The crown design is inspired by the brand’s iconic The Tiffany® Setting engagement ring, set with a prong-set diamond weighing over 0.45 carats.
Jean Schlumberger High Jewelry Collection “Fish” Watch
In 1962, Jean Schlumberger reintroduced the almost forgotten technique of paillonné enamel to the world of high jewelry, and his vibrantly colored enamel masterpieces have since become classics. Schlumberger loved all aspects of nature, especially the ocean.
He often drew inspiration from his home on the Caribbean island of Guadeloupe, reimagining his observations as lively, vivid, and mysteriously fantastic creatures. One particularly delightful fish brooch, created in 1956, has been reinterpreted multiple times using gemstones and enamel.
Originating in the 19th century, paillonné enamel is an extremely artistic and skillful craft mastered by only a handful of artisans. The process is complex and labor-intensive, requiring multiple layers of transparent colored enamel to be applied to 18K gold foil, with each layer fired at high temperatures to achieve vibrant, rich, and lustrous hues.
On the “Fish” watch, two red enamel goldfish rotate on the dial with every movement of the wearer’s wrist. Each fish is set with five emeralds and two sapphires for eyes, creating a striking color contrast with the bright red enamel. The central dial and rotating outer rim diamonds are set using the snow-setting technique, further highlighting the captivating enamel colors with their brilliance.
Like the “Bird on a Rock” watch, the “Fish” watch’s 18K rose gold case is entirely set with diamonds using the snow-setting technique.
The Jean Schlumberger High Jewelry Collection timepieces are produced in limited quantities each year.
Tiffany & Co. Unveils Breathtaking Jean Schlumberger Bird on a Flying Tourbillon Watch: A Masterpiece of High Jewelry Horology
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