Introducing Tiffany & Co. Mixes Titanium & Platinum With Its Latest Take On The Tiffany Timer

Following the January launch of the Tiffany Timer with its vibrant Tiffany Blue dial - a chronograph released to celebrate the 160th anniversary of the American jeweller's historic 1866 Timing Watch (which our American colleagues put on the cover of their most recent print edition) - Tiffany & Co. have followed up with a much more subdued take on the Timer that trades a bright dial in its signature hue for a subtler sunray navy blue with small Tiffany Blue accents. It also trades the precious bi-metal case, previously platinum with a white gold crown and pushers, for a titanium case with a platinum bezel.

Despite the change in materials, the Timer has retained the same case dimensions of 40mm across, with a thickness of 13.05mm. Its design, penned by famed Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Offshore designer Emmanuel Gueit, employs oversized chronograph pushers that cowl the crown and act as crown guards, and offers a distinct neo-classical aesthetic - a calling card of many modern Tiffany & Co. watch designs. A particularly fun design cue is the crown itself, which resembles a six-pronged Tiffany solitaire ring setting.

For the new dial colour, Tiffany has drawn on its history: specifically, it references the covers of its well-known Blue Book watch catalogues. This new, darker dial features a sunray finish, with azurage subdials ringed with Tiffany Blue and polished metal frames. Reflecting this titanium model’s sportier direction, this new edition also does away with the diamond hour markers of the original, with all hour markers now applied and finished in steel.

Inside this titanium case, the Tiffany Timer’s movement remains unchanged, borrowed from LVMH stablemate Zenith. It’s powered by the illustrious El Primero 400, an automatic high-frequency chronograph movement beating at 36,000 VpH with a column wheel and horizontal clutch, offering a 50-hour power reserve.

The base movement is largely untouched, though the automatic rotor is where Tiffany has focused much of its attention. It features the brand's emblematic ‘Bird on a Rock’ designed by Jean Schlumberger, first introduced in 1965. It’s become something of a mascot for the brand and integrates nicely into the rotor, yet the finishing has been taken to a level not usually seen in Tiffany timepieces outside of their high-jewellery watches. The bird has been hand-sculpted from a single block of 18k yellow gold before being polished with traditional hand techniques (we’re talking sticks of gentian wood-type stuff here) to differentiate the levels of shine across the bird's body, making it really pop. This is all on display through a sapphire caseback, and the watch is fitted with a blue alligator triple-folding clasp made of titanium and steel.

Like the Tiffany Blue-dialled launch edition, production of the new Tiffany Timer is also limited. This time, it’s limited to 100 pieces (up from the 60 offered on the launch edition) and is priced at A$48,100.

Under the leadership of Nicolas Beau, Tiffany’s new Vice President of Horology, the jeweller has been working hard to improve its watch offerings, and the El Primero-based Timer is emblematic of this. It’s not in the direction of gem-set haute horlogerie many would have suspected Tiffany & Co. to take, but down the path of a high-frequency, and now titanium, chronograph.

Being under the umbrella of LVMH also gives Tiffany access to a substantial library of movements, but the El Primero is a no-brainer for the Tiffany Timer. In some ways, this titanium take on the Timer makes its use of the El Primero feel even more fitting: its impressive clutch architecture and high-frequency beat rate complement the functional feel of the titanium case.

The Zenith comparison doesn’t necessarily flatter Tiffany here, however. At A$48,100, the titanium Tiffany Timer is more than three times the price of its most similar Zenith stablemate that uses the same movement: the A$15,600 Zenith Chronomaster Revival A384 in steel (it’s also priced the same as the titanium-cased Chronomaster Revival Shadow on strap). Beyond the platinum bezel and highly finished rotor, I’m not seeing much that justifies a tripling in price. Tiffany also hasn't finished the rest of the movement to any significant extent, which, in contrast to the really quite beautifully finished rotor, is a missed opportunity.

In reality, very few will actually be cross-shopping a Zenith Chronomaster against the Tiffany Timer - they appeal to vastly different audiences - but the question of value is still relevant. As are production numbers, because as of now there are just 160 Tiffany Timers of both variations floating around with collectors. Serious potential exists for a serially-produced Tiffany Timer, and hopefully it becomes a standard production piece in due course.

Brand: Tiffany & Co.
Model: Tiffany Timer
Reference Number: 76538182
Diameter: 40mm
Thickness: 13.05mm
Case Material: Grade 5 titanium with 950 platinum bezel
Dial Colour: Sunray dark blue with Tiffany Blue and steel accents
Lume: No
Water Resistance: 100 meters
Strap/Bracelet: Navy alligator strap, triple folding clasp in steel and titanium

Calibre: Zenith El Primero 400
Functions: Hours, minutes, seconds, date, chronograph
Power Reserve: 50 hours
Winding: Automatic
Frequency: 36,000 VpH (5 Hz)
Chronometer Certified: No
Additional Details: Oscillating weight with custom 18k yellow gold Bird on a Rock

Price: A$48,100
Availability: Now
Limited Edition: Yes, 100 pieces

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