Tiffany & Co. has given its Sixteen Stone watch a warmer, more vivid character with a new mother-of-pearl and ruby interpretation.
The piece brings Jean Schlumberger’s cross-stitch motif into a highly decorative watch format, pairing 18k white gold, yellow gold accents, diamonds, rubies and a red alligator strap.
It sits at the point where Tiffany’s high jewellery language and watchmaking history naturally overlap.
At a glance
- Tiffany & Co. has unveiled a Sixteen Stone Mother-of-Pearl Ruby watch inspired by Jean Schlumberger’s celebrated jewellery design.
- The dial combines a fixed mother-of-pearl centre with a freely rotating outer ring set with 12 rubies and 12 diamonds.
- The watch is made in 18k white gold, set with 421 diamonds in total, and will be produced in limited quantities each year.
Schlumberger’s cross-stitch moves onto the wrist
The Sixteen Stone motif first appeared in Tiffany & Co.’s 1959 Blue Book as a ring design by Jean Schlumberger.
Its defining detail is a row of stones visually held by cross-stitches in 18k yellow gold, a motif connected to Schlumberger’s upbringing in an Alsace family known for textile manufacturing.
In this watch, the idea is translated with a central mother-of-pearl disc and an outer dial ring that carries the Sixteen Stone language in miniature.
That ring is set with 12 round brilliant diamonds and 12 rubies, then decorated with yellow gold cross-stitches that create a clear link to the jewellery collection.
A rotating ruby dial with jewellery at its centre
The outer ring spins freely with the movement of the wrist, giving the watch a kinetic quality rather than treating the dial as a static jewellery surface.
It’s a detail that feels especially fitting for Schlumberger’s design world, where flowers, ribbons, birds and marine forms often seemed caught in motion.
The ring itself is not a simple decorative insert.
Tiffany & Co. says the casting and mounting of the gold crosses, along with the setting of the diamonds and rubies, requires 25 hours of work.
Each gold cross-stitch begins with a precisely made mould, after which molten 18k gold is cast, cooled, removed and hand-polished before being mounted among the gemstones.
White gold, snow-set diamonds and a red alligator strap
The watch case is made in 18k white gold and snow-set with 366 round brilliant diamonds totalling 2.9 carats.
Across the full watch, Tiffany & Co. uses 421 diamonds with a combined weight of 3.4 carats.
The caseback is engraved with a sunburst pattern that takes its cue from the Jean Schlumberger for Tiffany & Co. Floral Arrows brooch, with additional diamonds adding a final jewellery flourish.
The red alligator strap sharpens the connection to the ruby-set dial, while the 18k white gold T buckle is set with 43 round brilliant diamonds.
Tiffany’s longer ruby watchmaking thread
The new Sixteen Stone watch also speaks to Tiffany & Co.’s long use of rubies in timepieces.
Historic Tiffany creations from the nineteenth century and beyond include ruby-set lapel watches, pocket watches and early wristwatches, showing that coloured gemstones have long been part of the house’s horological vocabulary.
Here, rubies don’t simply add colour.
They give the Sixteen Stone language a richer emotional tone, while placing the watch closer to high jewellery than conventional daily timekeeping.
Details & Specifications
| Brand | Tiffany & Co. |
|---|---|
| Model | Sixteen Stone Mother-of-Pearl Ruby watch |
| Case material | 18k white gold |
| Dial | Fixed mother-of-pearl centre with rotating outer ring |
| Dial setting | 12 rubies and 12 round brilliant diamonds |
| Dial motif | 18k yellow gold cross-stitch detailing |
| Total diamonds | 421 diamonds, 3.4 total carats |
| Case setting | 366 round brilliant diamonds, 2.9 total carats |
| Strap | Red alligator |
| Buckle | 18k white gold T buckle set with 43 round brilliant diamonds |
| Production | Limited quantities each year |
For collectors drawn to Tiffany’s jewellery heritage rather than purely technical watchmaking, this Sixteen Stone edition has a clear appeal.
It takes a familiar Schlumberger signature, adds the depth of ruby, and turns the wristwatch into a small, animated piece of high jewellery.
