The Tiffany Metro is the new watch collection for ladies characterised by the diamond-set bezel complemented by baguette- and round-cut diamonds as hour markers on the flinqué-finished dials.
There wasn’t any specific vintage model that inspired the Tiffany Metro but many timepieces and jewellery found in the brand’s archives, says Nicola Andreatta, vice president and general manager of Tiffany & Co Swiss Watches.
For example, different S-link bracelets seen on many vintage Tiffany jewellery pieces including a Blue Book bracelet led to the inspiration for the new bracelet used with Tiffany Metro watches.
The idea for the Tiffany Metro dial and rounded case came from a vintage Tiffany pocket watch. The original dial had a subsidiary sweep seconds at the six o’clock position and this explains why the seconds counter on the automatic version of the Tiffany Metro is similarly placed. The quartz version of the Tiffany Metro is a two-hand watch.
The dial’s flinqué finishing is in line with the brand’s philosophy of “playing with light”, explains Andreatta. “This play with light is a signature characteristic of Tiffany. Every detail in this watch is thought in a way so as to play with the reflection of light on it. That is why we have the flinqué finish on the dial and the alternating shiny and brushed planes on the case and bracelet.”
What is actually the key highlight of the Tiffany Metro is the round brilliant diamond set on the crown. The diamond is not highly visible especially when one is looking top-down at the dial. Andreatta concedes, acknowledging that the “precious diamond is somehow subtly hidden”. However, he highlights that this is “… a world premiere in watchmaking as every diamond on the crown is serialised and comes with a certificate detailing the history and authenticity of the stone.”
Unlike most other watch brands who are explicitly stating that their activities are aimed at the “millennials”, the Tiffany Metro isn’t targeting any specific age group. “We would like to state that this watch is designed to target a sophisticated consumer. She is confident of where she is in life. Authentic, intelligent and curious, she appreciates the finer things in life. She is one who is up-to-date with fashion trends; she knows who she is and she uses jewellery and watches for self-expression,” surmises Andreatta.
For the gentlemen, there is the Tiffany Square Watch with a heavy vintage feel. Made to commemorate the 180th anniversary of the founding of Tiffany (1837 to 2017), its inspiration came from a 27mm Tiffany watch with a square case produced in the 1920s.
The Tiffany Square Watch is housed in a 27mm by 35.88mm case in 18K yellow gold and features a dial with Art Deco-type Arabic numeral fonts with vintage-style hour and minute hands.
This Tiffany Square Watch marks the brand’s return to in-house calibre manufacturing with its square manual-winding movement. This “in-house Tiffany movement” is what Andreatta defines as a calibre designed, engineered and manufactured by their craftsmen in Switzerland.
Yes, Tiffany was once a manufacturer of watch movements. The brand’s manufacturing facility commenced operations in 1866 at Place Cornavin in Geneva. At that time, it was deemed the largest of its kind.
The movement is manual-winding to keep the watch thin. This explains the Tiffany Square Watch’s thickness which is less than 7mm. Why are its current creations so intertwined with the brand’s storied past?
“Tiffany timepieces are about what we’ve been and this is the only way to understand what we’ll be in the future. We should learn how to understand the past and use it to shape our future,” says Andreatta.
