Why The New Tiffany Paillonne Enamel Watch Is An Anomaly In Watchmaking

(This article by Roberta Naas first appeared in Forbes.com)

One would be hard-pressed to find someone who doesn’t know the name Tiffany. Long steeped in history and American culture, Tiffany has become synonymous with jewelry, luxury and Americana around the world. The brand, founded in America in 1837 by Charles Lewis Tiffany, is globally known for its signature motifs, its “Tiffany” blue color and its legendary past. To this day, the brand draws on its archives for inspiration, blending past  concepts with forward-thinking vigilance to produce jewelry and watch that seem to always be in hot demand. Now, by turning to 19th and 20th century crafts and styles, the brand unveils the Tiffany Enamel watch – utilizing a “paillonne” style enamel reinterpreted with a modern twist.

The new Tiffany Enamel watches – created in three versions – employ a technique that dates back to the 19th century and that almost became a lost art in the mid 20th century due to the complicated craftsmanship involved in its making. According to a Tiffany & Co. press release, the “almost forgotten” art of Paillonne’ was re-established by the brand’s famed designer, Jean Schlumberger, in 1962 when he resurrected the craft and applied it to the Croisillon bangle bracelet. Crafted in gold, the bangle featured a totally enameled exterior – upon which the celebrated designer placed 18-karat gold cross stitches that formed x’s and alternated them with straight stiches for a unique look. It fast became an icon for the brand.

In an interview with Nicolas Beau, Vice President of Tiffany Horlogerie,  he said “The art of paillonné enamel was revived by Jean Schlumberger for Tiffany through vivid, color-rich creations that became part of his personal language. Bringing this technique into watchmaking this year felt appropriate, as it allows that heritage to be expressed in a new format.”

It is yet another reinterpretation of that revival by Schlumberger that makes these new watches a true anomaly — they deviate from what we expect in a watch. But therein lies the beauty of Tiffany & Co.

The new 36mm watches feature a dial with a center circle set with diamonds. Surrounding that – on the outer edge of the dial – is a raised, curved paillonne’ enamel ring in either Tiffany Blue® or white. The ring is further enhanced with the now iconic alternating 18-karat yellow gold cross-stitch and straight-bar motif. The 12 x’s represent the hours. But in a very modern take on the design, Tiffany’s master artisans have crafted the ring so that it swings and moves with every sway of the wrist – adding a whimsical take on time. It also is a nod to Schlumberger’s playful and lively design spirit.

According to Beau, the turning ring was no easy feat to accomplish for multiple reasons. “While we can draw on our longstanding expertise, perfecting the enamel ring for this watch proved more complex than initially anticipated. Reproducing paillonné enamel at such a small scale is particularly demanding, both technically and artistically. It took time to identify the right artisan capable of translating this technique into a miniature scale while maintaining texture, depth, and color through each firing in the kiln,” he said.

In fact, each time a layer of enamel is painted onto the gold base, it must be fired – risking damage or breakage. Said Beau, “The challenge was not only achieving the right hue, but also ensuring the enamel retained its structure and character after multiple firings. Once completed, the enamel ring must integrate precisely beneath the crystal and rotate smoothly, preserving the intended visual effect— a constraint specific to watchmaking and quite different from jewelry.”

In fact, this may well be why Tiffany & Co. excels in its jewelry watches. It possesses a mastery of jewelry making that it can apply to the design of its timepieces. For the Enamel Watch, the making of the ring requires 55 hours of enameling and 10 hours of gold working. Each watch, crafted in either 18-karat white or yellow gold,  boasts yellow gold hands to complement the cross stitching. The central diamond dial is snow set with a variety of sizes of round brilliants. In total, 204 diamonds grace that center disk.

Each case is further snow set with 366 diamonds weighing approximately 3 carats, and the caseback, engraved with a sunburst motif that recalls Schlumberge’s Floral Arrows, is set with 14 diamonds. There is also a high-jewelry version of the Tiffany Blue® Enamel watch crafted in 18-karat white gold with a full diamond pave’ bracelet set with 666 diamonds weighing nearly 4.5 carats. The watches are powered by a Swiss quartz movement. Just eight of each color will be made due to the complexity of the craftsmanship of the paillonne’ enamel ring.

For this watch, as for its recently released Tiffany Timer watch with enamel, the brand draws on its rich history of enamel work, which dates back to the 1870’s when it exhibited its first enamel pieces at the 1878 Exposition Universelle in Paris.