A watch inspired by the legacy of historic designer Jean Schlumberger, featuring 366 diamonds.
A new watch from Tiffany & Co.: the Sixteen Stone Mother-of-Pearl Ruby, a new tribute from the Maison to Jean Schlumberger’s creative legacy. The watch reinterprets the celebrated Sixteen Stone collection: it features a dial with a rotating ring set with 12 rubies and 12 diamonds, and is decorated with the signature cross-stitch pattern in 18-karat yellow gold. The case is crafted from 18-karat white gold and is set with a total of 421 diamonds, totaling 3.4 carats.
With the introduction of rubies in the Sixteen Stone watch, Tiffany is echoing a tradition dating back to the 19th century, when the Maison’s designers embellished the watches now housed in the Tiffany Archives with these precious gems. These refined timepieces include lapel watches, pocket watches, and the first wristwatches, a testament to the Maison’s ongoing dialogue between fine jewelry and watchmaking.
The design of the ring now known as the Sixteen Stone first appeared in Tiffany & Co.’s Blue Book in 1959. The Sixteen Stone collection was born that same year from the creativity of legendary designer Jean Schlumberger. Its distinctive motif—cross stitches in 18-karat yellow gold enclosing a row of diamonds—is inspired by Schlumberger’s family roots, descendants of a prominent family of textile industrialists from Alsace, France. The Sixteen Stone collection represents the power of love that preserves and protects what is most precious, while the cross stitch symbolizes what is carefully preserved.
The dial is composed of two elements: a fixed mother-of-pearl central disc and a rotating outer ring featuring the iconic cross-stitch pattern of the Sixteen Stone collection in 18-karat yellow gold, embellished with 12 brilliant-cut diamonds and 12 rubies. With every movement of the wrist, the ring rotates freely, creating a dynamic movement that recalls one of the most distinctive features of Jean Schlumberger’s creations.
The creation of the rotating ring requires an extremely complex process and a total of 25 hours of work, including casting, assembling the gold motifs, and setting the diamonds and rubies. This achievement is a testament to the exceptional craftsmanship of Tiffany & Co.’s goldsmiths and jewelry artisans. Casting the cross-stitch patterns in 18-karat gold requires a profound knowledge of materials and manufacturing techniques. The process begins with the creation of a dedicated mold for each element, whose dimensions must be precise to within a fraction of a millimeter. The molten gold is poured into the mold and left to cool. Once solidified, each element is extracted, carefully polished by hand, and then mounted on the rotating ring among the diamonds. The watch also showcases Tiffany & Co.’s longstanding expertise in diamond setting with a case decorated with a refined snow-setting technique, housing 366 brilliant-cut diamonds totaling 2.9 carats.
The caseback, engraved with a sunburst motif inspired by Jean Schlumberger’s Floral Arrows brooch for Tiffany & Co., is embellished with a constellation of diamonds. The red alligator strap fastens with an 18-karat white gold T-buckle, set with 43 brilliant-cut diamonds. Tiffany & Co. will produce a limited number of the Sixteen Stone watch each year.
Technical Information
• Case Diameter: 36 mm
• Functions: Hours and minutes
• Materials: 18-karat white gold case and buckle
• Dial: Mother-of-pearl center disc; Rotating outer ring with 12 brilliant-cut diamonds, 12 rubies, and 12 X-patterns in 18-karat yellow gold
• Hands: 18-karat yellow gold
• Diamonds: 421 diamonds totaling 3.4 carats
• Snow-set case with 366 brilliant-cut diamonds totaling 2.9 carats
• Rotating ring with 12 brilliant-cut diamonds and 12 rubies
• T-buckle with 43 brilliant-cut diamonds
• Case back with sunburst pattern embellished with diamonds
• High-precision Swiss quartz movement
• Strap: Red alligator
• Five-year international limited warranty
• Swiss Made
• SKU: 76537933
