onstantly exploring and expanding its creative horizons, Tiffany & Co. introduces the Jean Schlumberger by Tiffany Bird on a Rock Legacy watch. The collection of dazzling contemporary timepieces harnesses the House’s 188-year heritage of design leadership, craftsmanship and gemstone expertise, with a new take on Jean Schlumberger’s Bird on a Rock brooch.

Jean Schlumberger is celebrated as one of the greatest jewellery designers of all time. He was one of the leading tastemakers of his day and spent more than three decades as a designer for Tiffany & Co., from 1956 until 1987. A self-taught artist, he was passionate about the natural world, reinterpreting birds, animals, fish and flowers with exuberant wit and boundless imagination to create fantastical and often surreal designs. Innovative and infused with joie de vivre, many of Schlumberger’s pieces have become recognised as icons of 20th-century jewellery design, including his Bird on a Rock brooch. Designed in 1965, the brooch features a diamond-set bird perched on a large coloured gemstone.

Faithful to the original in every detail, the iconic brooch is reimagined in miniature on the dial of the Bird on a Rock Legacy watch. On the front, the gemstone is held in place by a double-ended prong subtly textured to resemble the claws of a bird, and the white mother-of-pearl dial is engraved with a delicate floral design inspired by the many floral patterns found in his home on the Caribbean island of Guadeloupe. On the caseback, artisans have carved a precise aperture, inset with a magnifying lens, to reveal the hidden beauty of the gemstone’s reverse, a detail only a jeweller would seek to celebrate. The flange encircling the dial is set with diamonds, enhancing the lustre of the mother-of-pearl.

Celebrating Tiffany & Co.’s legendary gemstone expertise and heritage, the Bird on a Rock Legacy watch is presented in three variations: with an oval morganite of 1.45 carats, a cushion-cut tanzanite of 2.72 carats or an emerald-cut aquamarine of 2.1 carats.

Tiffany’s legacy of discovery began with Charles Lewis Tiffany’s passion for rare gemstones, leading to the introduction of never-before-seen stones and establishing the House as a world-renowned jeweller.

This spirit of innovation continued with Dr. George Frederick Kunz, Tiffany’s chief gemologist from 1879 to 1932. Recognised as America’s first gemologist, and one of the greatest mineralogists of his time, Kunz played a pivotal role in shaping the world of gemmology. Among his many contributions, morganite holds a special place. Treasured for its peachy-pink hue, this rose-coloured variety of beryl was discovered in Madagascar in 1910. Later that year, at a meeting of the New York Academy of Sciences, Kunz proposed naming it “morganite” in honour of his friend and patron J.P. Morgan, recognising his support of the arts and sciences.

Tiffany & Co.’s gemstone heritage remains as vibrant today as it did with the discovery of tanzanite. Tanzanite was discovered near Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania, Africa hence its name, and in 1968, Tiffany & Co. became the first house to set this striking gemstone in jewellery. Still highly prized today, tanzanite is celebrated for its velvety blue colour with flashes of violet.

The Bird on a Rock Legacy watch showcases Tiffany & Co.’s jewellery and gem-setting mastery. To create the House’s emblematic motif, a jeweller sculpts the 18k gold bird by hand, setting it with 119 diamonds and a pink sapphire for the eye, crafting the design over a span of 24 hours. A signature of all Bird on a Rock watches, the 36 mm case features snow-set diamonds. Snow-setting is a technique whereby round brilliant diamonds of different sizes are set to create a glittering expanse of light and reflection, with minimal visible metal; the technique demands great skill, and the case alone requires almost 55 hours of gem-setting.

The Bird on a Rock Legacy watch is set with a total of 587 diamonds (3.60 total carats). The 309 diamonds on the case are complemented by 116 diamonds on the bezel and dial flange. A sprinkling of diamonds highlights the engraved sunburst pattern on the caseback and the signature T buckle fastening the alligator strap is set with 43 round brilliant diamonds.

On its reverse side, the Bird on a Rock Legacy watch offers a delightful visual surprise: the back of the coloured gemstone is displayed through a loupe, perfectly aligned with the aperture on the dial. Like all Jean Schlumberger by Tiffany Bird on a Rock watches, the caseback is also engraved with a sunburst pattern inspired by the designer’s Floral Arrows brooch. At the centre of the sunburst is a discreet push button for setting the time.

True to Tiffany & Co.’s vision of watchmaking, the Bird on a Rock Legacy watch elevates timekeeping beyond its purely functional purpose into an object of beauty and delight.

TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS

• Material: 18k white gold case, hands and buckle
• Size: 36 mm case
• Functions: Hours and minutes
• Dial: White mother-of-pearl engraved with floral motif, featuring a three-dimensional diamond-set 18k gold bird, and set with a cushion-cut tanzanite (2.72 carats), an oval morganite (1.45 carats) or an emerald-cut aquamarine (2.1 carats)
• Diamonds: 587 diamonds of 3.60 total carats
  • Case, bezel and flange: 425 round brilliant diamonds of 3.30 total carats
  • Bird set with 119 round brilliant diamonds and one round pink sapphire
  • T buckle set with 43 round brilliant diamonds
• Caseback: Engraved sunburst design; integrated push button to change the time
• Strap: Alligator with T diamond buckle
• Movement: High-precision Swiss quartz movement
• Warranty: Five-year international limited warranty
• Swiss-made
• Styles:
  SKU 75363338: Bird on a Rock Legacy watch with a tanzanite
  SKU 75363303: Bird on a Rock Legacy watch with a morganite
  SKU 75363273: Bird on a Rock Legacy watch with an aquamarine.