The new model enriches the luxury brand’s high jewellery watch portfolio with the first flying tourbillon movement, marking a step in its evolution into high watchmaking. The design draws inspiration from the celebrated Bird on a Rock brooch created by Jean Schlumberger in 1965.

A remarkable fusion of both technical skill and the artistic disciplines of watchmaking and jewellery, Bird on a Flying Tourbillon seamlessly combines facets of métiers d’art, jewellery and haute horlogerie. Tiffany & Co.’s designers, craftspeople and technical partners dedicated more than two years to designing and developing the timepiece.

The High Jewellery watch features a dial of natural turquoise, a diamond-set sub-dial displaying hours and minutes, a pair of diamond-set birds in flight, and a flying tourbillon mechanism housed beneath a faceted sapphire crystal dome – a first in the world of horology. Presented in a 39 mm white gold case, Bird on a Flying Tourbillon will be produced in a limited edition of 25 pieces.

Bird on a Flying Tourbillon brings together four different and highly specialised artistic crafts: gemstone marquetry, gold sculpting, snow-setting and the hand-faceting of sapphire crystal. On the dial, two birds appear to be flying above a turquoise sky, evoking the sense of freedom and whimsy that was central to Jean Schlumberger’s imagination and made his design language so distinctive and delightful.

The dial is formed of turquoise marquetry, an intricate craft in which wafer-thin slices of the natural turquoise gemstone are cut into 16 different cloud-like shapes. The pieces are hand polished before being laid down edge to edge, with some of them set on slightly different levels to add a sense of depth and movement. The turquoise used by Tiffany & Co. is renowned for its pure and consistent blue color, often without any hint of webbing or matrix. Its vibrant, almost sky-blue color and unblemished quality make it one of the world’s most prized turquoise variations. The turquoise marquetry work – a highly specialised craft that demands great skill and precision – took 45 hours to complete.

Against the backdrop of the turquoise “sky”, a pair of miniature diamond-set birds appear to take flight. Each of these tiny birds is hand sculpted from 18k white gold before being set with a total of 147 diamonds. The sculpting and setting of the birds require a total of 30 hours of work. The flying tourbillon mechanism is visible beneath a dome of faceted sapphire crystal – unique in watchmaking – that resembles a diamond. Weighing a mere 0.309 grams, the ultra-thin sapphire is faceted using hand-operated diamond tools, highlighting the intricate craftsmanship essential for this timepiece.

Showcasing Tiffany & Co.’s legendary expertise with diamonds, Bird on a Flying Tourbillon is set with a total of 848 diamonds (for a total of 3.9 carats). The process of setting the diamonds on Bird on a Flying Tourbillon exceeds 100 hours in total.

The 18k white gold case features 340 round brilliant diamonds (more than 1.5 carats). The two birds on the dial are set with a total of 147 diamonds, while the sub-dial displaying the time is set with 168 diamonds (for 0.48 total carats) and two decorative plates, seen through the sapphire crystal caseback, are set with 143 diamonds (0.55 total carats).

The snow-setting technique was chosen for the decoration of the case and the movement. Acknowledged to be one of the most challenging gem-setting technique, it requires that stones of different sizes are placed in such a way that almost no metal remains visible.

The winding crown, inspired by the emblematic Tiffany® Setting, features a prong-set solitaire diamond of 0.42 carats. An alligator strap is fastened with an 18k white gold T buckle that is set with 49 round brilliant diamonds (0.18 carats).

The bespoke movement – Caliber AFT24T01 – was developed under the creative direction of Tiffany & Co. by the innovative Swiss haute horlogerie manufacture Artime and is produced in the watchmaker’s workshops in the Swiss Jura. Comprising 205 components, the hand-wound movement offers a power reserve of 60 hours.