Back to the future: How Tiffany & Co is reclaiming its place in watchmaking

BANGKOK – When Mr Nicolas Beau walked away from his 19-year tenure at Chanel to join Tiffany & Co in 2021, he was not simply changing jobs – he was stepping into a time machine.

The French horologist’s mission? To resurrect the jeweller’s long-forgotten watchmaking heritage.

With the firepower of LVMH – which acquired Tiffany in 2021 in the biggest deal in luxury history – Mr Beau has both resources and momentum on his side, plus a vault of 300 archival timepieces dating back to 1874.

They range from ornate pocket watches to dazzling jewellery ones, proof that Tiffany’s watchmaking past is far richer than most realise.

“I discovered an incredible past I couldn’t have imagined,” says the vice-president of Tiffany Horlogerie, who was in Bangkok for the opening of Legendary Legacy.

The exhibition, which runs till Sept 7, 2025 at One Bangkok, Tower 4, showcases Tiffany’s most iconic creations – from its legendary diamonds to rarely seen archival timepieces – offering a sweeping look at 185 years of artistry.

For the American luxury house, the watch push is no side project. It is a strategic bet to claim a slice of the booming high-end watch market and to stand shoulder to shoulder with Swiss rivals, turning a dormant chapter of its history into a growth engine for the future.

Mr Beau frames it simply: “We’re going back to where we would have been, if Tiffany had followed its tracks in watchmaking.”

He adds: “In 1874, Tiffany already had a Swiss manufacturer for an American brand, and there aren’t many American names that old which were actually producing watches in Geneva.”

His “back to the future” strategy is both bold and clear: Mine Tiffany’s deep archives not for replicas, but for inspiration. Let jewellery lead the design, then engineer the movements to serve those ideas, not the other way around.

“It’s not about trying to invent something that never existed. It’s not a marketing gimmick,” he stresses.

Nor is it about simple reissues. Instead, the company leans on its unique American heritage in an industry dominated by Swiss tradition.

“America is a country of newness, of innovation,” Mr Beau says. “Europe is more about tradition. That explains why Tiffany has always created newness instead of reinterpreting the same models over and over.”

What sets Tiffany apart – even within LVMH’s stable, which includes other watch brands like Hublot, Tag Heuer and Zenith – is this unwavering jewellery-first philosophy. While most watchmakers evolve from horology, the maison’s timepieces grow out of its design heritage.

Many are rooted in iconic jewellery: the Bird on a Rock brooch, the bold geometry of the HardWear bracelet, and the visionary creations of the late Jean Schlumberger, one of the few designers ever permitted to sign his work for Tiffany.

Take the Bird on a Flying Tourbillon. More sculpture than timepiece, it animates Schlumberger’s 1960s brooch with jewelled birds in mid-flight above an ultra-thin tourbillon.

“We wanted flying birds, so of course we needed a flying tourbillon,” says Mr Beau.

The case had to remain remarkably slim, the movement – developed with young independent watch brand Artime – had to be customised to leave room for the birds, and the faceted crystal above the tourbillon became a technical feat in its own right.

The HardWear watch tells a similar story. Inspired by Tiffany’s HardWear jewellery line, it draws on chain links and polished spheres rooted in a 1962 archival bracelet. The result is a bold design that channels the grit and resilience of New York City, while feeling utterly modern.

“It’s not about transforming Tiffany into a movement manufacturer,” Mr Beau says. “We’re a jewellery watchmaker. What we want to master is setting, engraving, goldwork, case design, everything linked to jewellery.”

The Atlas watch – relaunched in July 2025 – exemplifies this spirit. First introduced in 1987 and inspired by the historic Atlas clock above Tiffany’s Fifth Avenue flagship, the new edition took three years to perfect the dial in Pantone 1837, Tiffany’s proprietary Blue.

With a cheeky grin, Mr Beau concedes it irks him when the colour is casually borrowed.

“Suddenly, every brand has a ‘Tiffany Blue this’ and a ‘Tiffany Blue that’,” he says, rolling his eyes. “You want a Tiffany Blue watch? This is the real Tiffany Blue watch.”

Defined by its bold Roman numerals, the new Atlas collection comes in 29, 34 and 38mm.

The larger references house Swiss automatic movements, offered with diamond bezels and dials in Tiffany Blue or classic silver.

The smallest model runs on a solar-powered movement by Swiss manufacturer La Joux-Perret, needing just two minutes of sunlight for a full day and storing up to eight months of charge.

This willingness to embrace technology while respecting tradition reflects wider industry trends. As Mr Beau notes, the market is polarising between pure mechanical timepieces and jewellery-driven creations, with Tiffany firmly, and proudly, in the latter camp.

Women still make up 80 per cent of Tiffany’s clientele, but he sees a growing appetite among men for jewellery watches as traditional gender lines blur.

The gem-studded 39mm Bird on a Flying Tourbillon, for example, has found success among male collectors in America, Asia and the Middle East. “There are more and more men attracted to jewellery,” he observes.

For Mr Beau, the real challenge is not creation or retail, but awareness. “Our biggest challenge today is making people know we are making watches,” he says.

It is a challenge that comes against a backdrop of economic uncertainty in the luxury world. Yet he remains optimistic, convinced that authenticity and craftsmanship always win out.

“When you do things right, people will know.”