When it comes to shortlisting our candidates for the high jewelry category, our considerations extend well beyond mere sparkle and shine. We are a watch media, after all, and this means that our winner has to, first and foremost, be a genuine marriage of high jewelry and high horology, bringing together the finest arts of both. Indeed, the bar is high for this category given the raft of strong contenders this year.

Tiffany & Co. Bird on a Flying Tourbillon – Azure Blossom

Tiffany & Co.’s Bird on a Flying Tourbillon – Azure Blossom checks all the boxes, beginning with the glorious diamond bespeckled bird perched on the edge of a flying tourbillon and set amidst a sea of appliqué lacquered flowers. Of course, this is an interpretation of Tiffany & Co.’s first flying tourbillon timepiece released last year, so in novelty terms, it is not wholly new. But it is a magnificent flex of Tiffany & Co.’s expertise in myriad high jewelry crafts, from champlevé enameling, lacquer work and miniature gold sculpting to diamond setting, the house’s specialty. Indeed, given that this is Tiffany & Co., diamonds are the order of the day — all 771 of them in myriad sizes and cuts, and requiring more than 100 hours to set. The subdial showing the time and the decoration of the case, for instance, feature snow setting, an exacting technique that requires stones of different sizes to be placed such that the metal becomes practically invisible.

Assembling the Tiffany & Co.’s Bird

Indeed, what sets Bird on a Flying Tourbillon – Azure Blossom apart is its incredibly strong alignment to the maison’s DNA. Diamonds notwithstanding, the said bird references the maison’s iconic Bird on a Rock brooch, created for Tiffany & Co. by Jean Schlumberger in 1965. Here, it is sculpted by hand from 18K white and yellow gold, and set with 70 diamonds that contribute to the whopping 3.8 carats on the piece in total.

References the maison’s iconic Bird on a Rock brooch, the Bird on a Flying Tourbillon is sculpted by hand from 18K white and yellow gold, and set with 70 diamonds that contribute to the whopping 3.8 carats on the piece in total

Thus encrusted in diamonds, Schlumberger’s bird is frozen forever in its perch. But not so the flying tourbillon below, which makes a full rotation every 60 seconds. A wafer-thin sapphire dome sits over it, exquisitely faceted like a diamond, rotating once every minute in tandem and ensuring a mesmerizing whirl of activity to hold your attention.

As befits a bona fide high jewelry watch, the Artime movement Caliber AFT24T01 is immaculately hand finished, showcasing a full range of high watchmaking techniques, from beveling and satin finishing to mirror-polishing, along with a generous dusting of diamonds on two decorative plates. A pair of high-polished star-shaped bridges, meanwhile, references Tiffany’s emblematic six-pronged setting, one each for the flying tourbillon and the hours and minutes display, tapping once again on the maison’s design legacy for inspiration.

The Artime movement Caliber AFT24T01

Ultimately, Bird on a Flying Tourbillon – Azure Blossom succeeds not because it dazzles, but because every flourish of gem setting and watchmaking speaks the same language, one anchored to the maison’s rich history and DNA. Indeed, for a category that demands both poetry and precision, this is a timepiece that honors both most exquisitely.