Since joining the LVMH Group, Tiffany's watch division has been doing extremely well. The driving force behind this is Nicolas Baud, head of the watch division. The reason for this success seems to be the synergy with jewelry. After taking up his current position, Baud decided to uncover the vast jewelry archive and use it as Tiffany's new design code.
Photograph by Yu Mitamura
Masamasa Hirota (this magazine): Interview and writing
Text by Masayuki Hirota (Chronos-Japan)
Edited by Yukiya Suzuki (Chronos-Japan)
[Article published in the July 2026 issue of Kronos Japan]
We are the inheritors of American and European culture
Vice President of Tiffany & Co. Horlogerie. After graduating from ISG School of Management, he joined Cartier. After serving as head of marketing and product development at Baume & Mercier, he moved to Chanel in 2002, where he enhanced the quality and quantity of the J12 collection. His experience led him to join Tiffany & Co. in 2021. He has successfully relaunched the watch division by leveraging synergy with jewelry and reviewing the manufacturing system.
"Tiffany has many iconic pieces of jewelry. I thought it was important to incorporate that design approach and spirit into a watch. It's not a reproduction, it's a reinterpretation."
Not only did Bo integrate the manufacturing processes for jewelry and watches, which had previously been completely separate, but he also developed masterpieces of jewelry by Jean Schlumberger and others into watches. As a result, the watch division saw double-digit growth. While this success is gratifying, doesn't it go against Tiffany's policy of treating watches as a gateway to jewelry?
"Forty percent of Tiffany's watch customers are new, meaning watches are the gateway to the brand. And men are now buying our high-jewelry watches."
Bo says it's the new organization that has made it possible to combine jewelry and watches.
"The Tiffany workshop is very flat. Designers and watchmakers can communicate easily. This makes it easy to create a wide variety of creations. It also makes it easy to create a circle of quality."
Inspired by the Atlas Clock, which was installed on the facade of the New York flagship store in 1853, the Atlas Watch has been revamped, making it even more iconic than ever. The modernized, three-dimensional Roman numerals and Tiffany blue dial indicate the company's direction. Automatic movement (Sellita base). Power reserve of approximately 50 hours. Stainless steel case (38mm diameter). Water resistant to 100m. Price: 825,000 yen (tax included).
Since joining LVMH, Tiffany has made its commitment to jewelry watches clear, but it has never forgotten its broader reach, as evidenced by the new Tiffany Atlas.
"I think there are only about 10 watches in the world that can truly be called icons. The Atlas is an iconic clock, but Tiffany had never had an iconic watch design. So it was a blank slate."
Bo says it takes 20, 30, or even 50 years for a watch to become an icon, and the vibrant Tiffany Blue on the Atlas dial is a testament to the company's intention to develop this watch into a new icon.
"European jewelers look to the past, but we are futuristic. And because we have dealt with European items, we see ourselves as the inheritors of American and European culture."
Tiffany has set a clear direction that is jewelry-based and modern, making it one of the brands to look forward to in the future.
