Tiffany & Co.

Who are Tiffany & Co.?

Tiffany & Co. is a New York jeweller founded in 1837 by Charles Lewis Tiffany and John B. Young, and owned by LVMH since January 2021 (Wikipedia; LVMH). It has sold watches since 1847 (Watchonista), has been Patek Philippe’s retail partner in the United States since 1851 (Patek Philippe), and makes watches under its own name. This page covers Tiffany’s watches only: its history in watchmaking, the Patek Philippe connection, the collections and ownership, then what to check when buying a Tiffany watch second-hand in the UK.

There are two kinds of “Tiffany watch” on the second-hand market: watches made by Tiffany under its own name, and watches made by Patek Philippe and sold by Tiffany, some with “Tiffany & Co.” on the dial. They need different checks.

The history of Tiffany & Co. watches

Tiffany’s watch history runs from retailing Patek Philippe in the 1850s, through its own Geneva factory in the 1870s, to the Atlas, a failed alliance with the Swatch Group and its own Swiss watch division. The key dates are Patek Philippe (1851), the Geneva factory (1874), the Atlas watch (1983), the Swatch Group agreements (2007), the CT60 (2015) and LVMH (2021).

Patek Philippe. Patek Philippe says that in 1851 an agreement made Tiffany its first official retail partner in the United States, and that in 1876 a new agreement made Tiffany its general representative there. Sources differ on the date of the first formal agreement: Phillips and Deployant say Tiffany began selling Patek watches in 1851 and signed a formal partnership in 1854.

The Atlas clock. In 1853 a clock held by a nine-foot bronzed figure of Atlas was installed above Tiffany’s store at 550 Broadway (Watchonista). Deployant describes it as a public timekeeping service for New York.

Tiffany’s own watches. Deployant reports that Tiffany began making its own watches in 1866, and that in 1874 it opened a factory on Place Cornavin in Geneva, receiving its first watch patent the following year. In December 1878 the Horological Journal reported that Patek Philippe’s new factory had previously been owned by Tiffany (Deployant).

The 20th century. Patek Philippe says that between 1900 and 1930 Tiffany helped connect it with American collectors such as Henry Graves Jr. In 1945 Franklin D. Roosevelt was given a Tiffany watch for his birthday, made for Tiffany by Movado (Deployant; SJX Watches). In 1983 Tiffany’s design director John Loring designed the Atlas wristwatch, and an Atlas collection followed in 1995 (Watchonista).

The Swatch Group. Agreements between Tiffany and the Swatch Group, under which a Swatch subsidiary made Tiffany-branded watches, took effect in December 2007. In December 2013 an arbitral panel ruled for Swatch, ordered Tiffany to pay damages, and deemed the agreements terminated as of 1 March 2013 (Tiffany & Co., SEC filing). The legal fight continued: a Dutch court set the award aside in 2015, and in April 2017 the Amsterdam appeals court reinstated it (JCK).

Its own Swiss watch division. Tiffany set up a Swiss watch division in 2014 (JCK), and SJX Watches reported a factory in Chiasso, in southern Switzerland. In April 2015 it launched the CT60, named after Charles Lewis Tiffany’s initials and the 60 seconds of a New York minute, using Sellita movements and inspired by the Roosevelt watch (SJX Watches; Deployant).

LVMH. LVMH completed its acquisition of Tiffany on 7 January 2021 (LVMH). In December 2021 Patek Philippe marked 170 years of the partnership with 170 Nautilus Ref. 5711/1A-018 watches with Tiffany Blue dials, sold only in Tiffany stores (Patek Philippe). In 2025 Tiffany relaunched the Atlas (Europa Star).

What is Tiffany & Co. known for in watches?

In watches Tiffany is known for its partnership with Patek Philippe and the double-signed dials that come with it, for the Atlas, taken from the clock above its first Broadway store, and for jewellery watches that borrow from its jewellery designs.

Double-signed dials. Patek Philippe says Tiffany is the only retailer whose name appears on a Patek Philippe dial today, and that it has made several limited editions for Tiffany since 2001, starting with the Ref. 5150 Annual Calendar for the 150th year of the partnership (Patek Philippe). Phillips says Tiffany was one of the few retailers allowed to stamp Patek dials itself, and that Tiffany-signed examples of vintage references such as the 2499 and 1463 are scarce. See our Patek Philippe page.

The Atlas. The Atlas watch takes its raised Roman numerals from the 1853 Atlas clock (Europa Star; Watchonista). Europa Star says earlier Atlas watches all used quartz movements; the 2025 models have a solar movement made with La Joux-Perret in the 29 mm size and automatic movements with a 50-hour power reserve in the 34 and 38 mm sizes.

Jewellery watches. Tiffany’s HardWear watch takes its bracelet from the HardWear jewellery, and its Eternity watches use diamond hour markers; both use Swiss quartz movements (aBlogtoWatch).

Which Tiffany & Co. watch collections are there?

Tiffany’s UK site lists its watches under Tiffany HardWear, Tiffany Eternity, Union Square, Atlas and Tiffany Rope (Tiffany & Co.). The collections table on this page gives a line on the three we could source. A few points help when you read listings:

• Quartz or mechanical. Many Tiffany watches are quartz, including earlier Atlas models and the HardWear and Eternity watches (Europa Star; aBlogtoWatch), while the CT60 and the larger 2025 Atlas models are automatic (SJX Watches; Europa Star). Our guide to mechanical and quartz watches explains the difference to own.
• Swatch-era watches. Tiffany watches sold between 2007 and 2013 were made under the Swatch Group agreements (Tiffany & Co., SEC filing). Ask when the watch was sold new.
• Patek Philippe with a Tiffany signature. These are Patek Philippe watches, so the Patek checks apply.

Who owns Tiffany & Co.?

Tiffany & Co. is owned by LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton, which completed its acquisition on 7 January 2021 (LVMH). LVMH lists Tiffany among its Watches & Jewelry maisons, alongside TAG Heuer, Hublot and Zenith (LVMH). Tiffany had previously been listed on the New York Stock Exchange (LVMH).

Patek Philippe is not part of the deal: it is family-owned, and its US business has been run since 1946 by the Henri Stern Watch Agency (Patek Philippe). Our pages on TAG Heuer, Hublot and Zenith cover LVMH’s other watch brands.

Buying a Tiffany & Co. watch second-hand in the UK: what to check

First decide which kind of Tiffany watch it is. For a Tiffany-made watch, check the movement, the papers and the serial number. For a Patek Philippe with a Tiffany signature, check it as a Patek and confirm the signature with Patek’s records. In every case, run a stolen-watch check.

1. Papers and the full set. Ask which items come with the watch, whether they are originals, and whether the serial number matches the papers. Our guide to what “full set” means explains what each item proves.

2. Movement. Ask whether the watch is quartz, solar or automatic, and which calibre it has; the same collection name has covered more than one (Europa Star).

3. Tiffany-signed Patek Philippe watches. Collectors seek out Tiffany-signed Patek dials (Phillips), so ask for evidence that the signature is original. For a watch first sold at least ten years ago, Patek Philippe’s Extract from the Archives records how it left the factory; our Patek Philippe page explains how to order one. Have a specialist in vintage Patek look at the dial.

4. Warranty. Tiffany’s watch warranty terms, and whether they pass to a second owner, are not confirmed here. A dealer’s own warranty is a promise from the dealer, not from Tiffany. See watch warranties explained.

5. Who you buy from. A watch bought from Tiffany comes with whatever terms Tiffany offers; one bought from an independent dealer or a private seller comes with that seller’s terms, if any. Our guide to grey-market and authorised dealers explains the difference.

6. Authenticity. Buy from a seller who will put authenticity in writing and accept returns, and have the watch checked by a watchmaker you choose. Our guide on how to spot a fake watch covers what a watchmaker looks at.

7. Stolen-watch check. Check the serial number against a stolen-watch register before you pay. Our stolen-watch check guide lists the UK registers.

For the full process from setting a budget to collecting the watch, see the guide to buying a luxury watch.

Frequently asked questions

Does Tiffany make its own watches?

Tiffany sells watches under its own name and set up a Swiss watch division in 2014 (JCK). It uses outside movement makers, such as Sellita for the CT60 and La Joux-Perret for the solar Atlas (SJX Watches; Europa Star).

Why does “Tiffany & Co.” appear on some Patek Philippe dials?

Because Tiffany has been Patek Philippe’s US retail partner since 1851. Patek Philippe says Tiffany is the only retailer whose name appears on its dials today (Patek Philippe).

Who owns Tiffany & Co.?

LVMH, since 7 January 2021 (LVMH).

Does LVMH own Patek Philippe?

No. Patek Philippe is owned by the Stern family (Patek Philippe).

What is the Tiffany Atlas watch?

A watch first designed in 1983 by John Loring, with raised Roman numerals taken from the Atlas clock installed above Tiffany’s store in 1853 (Watchonista; Europa Star).

What does CT60 stand for?

Charles Lewis Tiffany’s initials, and the 60 seconds of a New York minute (SJX Watches).

Did the Swatch Group make Tiffany watches?

A Swatch Group subsidiary made Tiffany-branded watches under agreements that took effect in December 2007 and were deemed terminated as of 1 March 2013 (Tiffany & Co., SEC filing).

What was the Tiffany Blue Nautilus?

A run of 170 Patek Philippe Nautilus Ref. 5711/1A-018 watches with Tiffany Blue dials, made in 2021 for the 170th year of the partnership and sold only in Tiffany stores (Patek Philippe).

This page is general information. Watch60 is independent and has no commercial relationship with Tiffany & Co. or Patek Philippe.

We check the facts on this page against the sources listed, and it is correct to the best of our knowledge as of October 2026. Brands change their warranty, servicing and sales terms, so confirm them with the brand or the seller before you buy.