tiffany co. ltd

2009 Tiffany Watch Co. Ltd Brand Watches Underwhelm

Let me get this straight? For years Tiffany & Co. have been selling watches with their name on it. I don't just mean the watches that they append their name on, but their own watches. Now Tiffany & Co. Ltd. is claiming that they just launched something new with Tiffany Watch Co. Ltd. What about the existing watch brand? This leaves me scratching my head. They can of course claim that under the new Swatch Group ownership, their watch division is "under new management." Maybe that is what they mean. Just to clarify, Swatch now owns the watch making division of Tiffany & Co., not all of Tiffany & Co.

At Baselworld the new line of watches was displayed. There weren't many, and at least one line, the "Atlas watch," retained a name carried over from the existing Tiffany & Co. watch line. The new watches come in quartz and mechanical varieties - each heavy on the use of Roman numerals that Tiffany & Co. is well known for. The watch designs were nice, but not Tiffany & Co. nice. There was no magic appeal or charm, and the timeless look that Tiffany & Co. watches typically have was absent - in my opinion. As of writing, the Tiffany & Co. website is still stocked with their existing line, with no mention of the new watches, but that is to be expected so soon after launch.

While the Swatch Group has the ability to produce beautiful watches, I am concerned that due to their many brands, they will attempt to segment Tiffany Watch Co. into a niche, so as not to compete with its other luxury watch brands. On a plus side, Tiffany & Co. is also known for carrying other watch brands in their stores such as Patek Philippe and Baume & Mercier, so there will still be a nice variety of watches at each retail location.

It is likely that as the Swatch Group becomes more comfortable with the brand, design will improve. For now I feel like the watches don't have enough stylistic staying power to still look good a few years from now as poignant luxury watches. We are seeing a lot of the similar designs in entry level or designer watch brand, and that is simply not what buyers of Tiffany & Co. watches have come to expect.

Ariel Adams publishes the watch review site aBlogtoRead.com.

Gallery: Tiffany & Co. Watches Basel 2009