As Tiffany & Co prepares to unveil the following chapter of its Singapore flagship, the home has launched a timepiece that feels particularly apt for the event: the brand new Sixteen Stone Ruby Watch, a stunning jewel watch that attracts collectively the legacy of Jean Schlumberger, Tiffany’s historic relationship with colored gems, and a delicate tribute to Singapore itself.
The launch comes at a big second for Tiffany & Co within the metropolis. Whereas the jeweller’s flagship boutique at Ion Orchard has been present process an in depth transformation, purchasers have been welcomed by means of a brief diamond-shaped boutique within the mall’s atrium. Earlier this yr, Tiffany reopened the primary ground of the renovated retailer, with the remaining ranges set to debut in July. As soon as accomplished, the boutique will develop into Tiffany & Co’s first triplex location in Southeast Asia, impressed by the design language of the Home’s famed New York Landmark.
To commemorate the reopening, Tiffany has chosen Singapore because the debut vacation spot for a particular interpretation of its Sixteen Stone watch. Distinguished by a rotating ring set with rubies and diamonds, the watch affords a recent expression of one in every of Jean Schlumberger’s most enduring creations.
Initially launched in Tiffany’s 1959 Blue E-book, the Sixteen Stone assortment is amongst Schlumberger’s most recognisable designs. Its signature motif — cross-stitches rendered in yellow gold securing a row of diamonds — was impressed by the designer’s upbringing in Alsace, France, the place his household owned a distinguished textile enterprise. Over the a long time, the design has come to symbolise love’s nurturing and protecting qualities, with every sew representing one thing treasured held shut.
For this newest watch, Tiffany transforms that jewelry icon right into a kinetic show. The dial is split into two sections: a hard and fast central disc crafted from luminous mother-of-pearl and a freely rotating outer ring adorned with twelve spherical sensible diamonds, twelve rubies and twelve yellow-gold cross-stitch motifs. Because the wearer strikes, the ring spins gently across the dial, creating a way of animation that echoes Schlumberger’s fascination with motion and whimsy.
The selection of rubies is especially significant. Past referencing Tiffany’s lengthy historical past of incorporating colored gems into its timepieces — a practice documented in archival pocket watches, lapel watches and early wristwatches — the vivid purple stones additionally function a delicate nod to Singapore’s affectionate moniker, the Little Pink Dot.
Like a lot of Tiffany’s best creations, the watch’s magnificence lies as a lot in its craftsmanship as its design. The manufacturing of the rotating ring alone requires roughly 25 hours of labor, involving the exact casting, sharpening and mounting of every yellow gold cross-stitch motif earlier than the diamonds and rubies are painstakingly set in place. Reaching the required tolerances calls for extraordinary precision, with moulds engineered to fractions of a millimetre.
The jewel-like character of the watch extends all through the piece. Its 36mm white gold case is snow-set with 366 spherical sensible diamonds totalling 2.9 carats, whereas the general watch options 421 diamonds weighing 3.4 carats. The caseback, engraved with a sunburst motif impressed by Schlumberger’s Floral Arrows brooch, is accented with further diamonds, and the purple alligator strap is secured by a white-gold T buckle set with 43 diamonds.
Beneath the ornamental artistry lies a high-precision Swiss quartz motion, underscoring Tiffany’s present method to watchmaking. Somewhat than competing straight within the more and more crowded area of technical horology, the home has been charting a distinct course — one which leverages its distinctive strengths in jewelry design, gems and craftsmanship. Current watch launches have more and more drawn upon the wealthy visible vocabulary of Jean Schlumberger, translating a few of Tiffany’s most celebrated excessive jewelry motifs into expressive timepieces.
The Sixteen Stone Ruby Watch exemplifies that philosophy. It’s much less a standard watch and extra a wearable jewel animated by time itself — a becoming image for each Tiffany’s renewed watchmaking ambitions and a landmark new chapter for the model in Singapore.
This text was first seen on Grazia Singapore.
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