Since taking over Tiffany & Co. in 2020, LVMH has gradually revamped the American jeweller, starting with its retail stores and jewellery. The reboot of its watchmaking division has proceeded more slowly, and with jewelled ladies’ watches first. Now Tiffany & Co. has finally turned to men’s watches with the Tiffany Timer, a chronograph powered by the Zenith El Primero 400 movement.

With a dial lacquered in Tiffany’s trademark blue, the Tiffany Timer is easily recognisable. And on the back, the movement gets a hand-engraved, solid gold “Bird on a Rock” on the rotor. The Tiffany Timer is a promising start, but the jeweller clearly still has a long way to go to compete with its rivals, or even luxury marques like Louis Vuitton and Chanel.

Initial thoughts

The Tiffany Timer has a few things in its favour, but isn’t quite good enough. The design is classical and appealing, though a little generic. Granted, the dial might seem a bit much, but for a small-run edition it makes sense.

The baguette diamond indices on the Tiffany Blue dial are a nice touch, as is the “Bird on the Rock” on the rotor; both add a touch of luxe to the watch. The El Primero adds horological credibility, but only up to a degree.

The El Primero is a historical movement with many strengths, but the El Primero isn’t quite high-end enough for a watch of this price. It would make more sense in an affordable, a steel version of the Tiffany Timer that is presumably in the works.

All in all the Tiffany Timer feels a little like an interim offering as the brand works on more technically-solid watches, as I am sure it is, given the track record of its current management.

Birds and blue

The Tiffany Timer is sized similarly to other El Primero-powered chronographs. The platinum case is 40 mm in diameter, and while Tiffany’s hasn’t revealed the thickness, it should be about 13 mm.

The dial is lacquered in Tiffany Blue , while the hour markers are generously sized baguette-cut diamonds. Like many El Primero-powered watches, this has a date window, but the date disc is coloured matched to the dial and blends in.

The reverse of the case reveals the El Primero 400, which is essentially stock save for the rotor that’s been dressed up with a “Bird on the Rock”.

One of Tiffany’s most famous pieces of jewellery, the “bird” here takes the form of a solid gold emblem that’s engraved and polished by hand, then mounted on the rotor. The rest of the movement has a muted finish of frosting and graining; it could do with more elaboration.

Key facts and price

Tiffany & Co. Tiffany Timer
Ref. 75450125

Diameter: 40 mm
Height:
Material: Platinum
Crystal: Sapphire
Water resistance: 100 m

Movement: Zenith El Primero 400
Functions: Hours, minutes, seconds, date, and chronograph
Winding: Automatic
Frequency: 36,000 beats per second (5 Hz)
Power reserve: 50 hours

Strap: Alligator strap with 18k white gold folding clasp

Limited edition: 60 pieces
Availability: Now at Tiffany & Co. boutiques
Price:

For more, visit tiffany.com.