Tiffany returns to watchmaking with a platinum chronograph that revives its historic Timer

Rarely did American jeweller Charles Lewis Tiffany do badly in business, even when his schemes seemed off-the-wall – such as in 1858, when he bought a length of the newly laid Atlantic cable, sliced it up, mounted the bits and sold them as souvenirs.

Or when the American Civil War erupted, and he countered a declining demand for luxury goods by switching to the manufacture of swords, medals and battle paraphernalia.

But when Tiffany first decided to become a watchmaker, it wasn’t such an easy ride. Perhaps arrogantly, he opened a five-storey factory in the middle of Geneva, a sprawling affair claimed to have been the largest in Switzerland.

It’s easy to imagine the wry smiles on the faces of locals when the venture failed, leaving Tiffany no option but to sell the building to a rather more experienced watch manufacturer – Patek Philippe. There were no hard feelings. The two firms had struck a deal in 1851 that made Tiffany Patek’s first US retailer – a partnership that stands today.

Tiffany also continued to design its own watches, manufactured by third parties to suitably exacting standards – until 2007 when it signed a contract allowing Swatch Group to make Tiffany-branded timepieces, a failed venture that ended up in court.

Tiffany attempted its own horological relaunch in 2015, with a range of models based on its vintage pieces. That failed too, leading luxury giant LVMH to add Tiffany & Co to its portfolio in 2021, acquiring not just America’s ‘national treasure’ of jewellers but also a company with a rich history in horology.

It has taken a while to get off the ground, but at this year’s annual LVMH Watch Week, Tiffany pulled the wraps off its first new men’s watch of the fresh era – the Timer chronograph.

Intended to be a modern interpretation of its original Tiffany Timer stopwatch, inset, launched in 1866, we reckon it’s got ‘driver’s watch’ written all over it, not least because of the class-leading Zenith El Primero movement inside the 40mm platinum case.

Being a limited edition (60 to be made) the brand had little option other than to dress the dial in its celebrated Tiffany Blue – but it’s likely to become available in a choice of metals and with different coloured dials. But if you can spare the cash, this first effort might be worth going for. It has the makings of a modern classic.

Tiffany Timer, £49,100. tiffany.co.uk

TAG Heuer further capitalises on its role as F1 timekeeper with this new version of its Connected smartwatch dedicated to the grand prix season. Made from titanium, it features a ‘face’ that evolves through the season to show details of each GP, complete with an outline of the relevant track, the name of the race and the host country’s flag. A dedicated entry in the watch menu gives access to info about driver and team standings, results and schedules. Alerts, meanwhile, mimic the sound of pit radio comms.

TAG Heuer Connected 45mm x Formula 1, £2150. tagheuer.com

This year’s edition of the madcap Gumball 3000 starts in Miami and ends in Mexico – in time for the World Cup. Drivers of the 100 cars competing that make it to the finish get tickets to the opening game – and may already have acquired one of the 150 available examples of this Freak watch marking the rally. Launched in 2001, the Freak has no hands, dial or winding crown – just a movement that revolves and points to the time. The Gumball special gets a blackened titanium case and a Carbonium hour disc infused with orange resin.

Ulysse Nardin Freak x Gumball 3000, £35,000. ulysse-nardin.com