As part of the “relaunch” of Tiffany & Co. watches for 2015 the debut collections include the Tiffany CT60 watches (hands-on here) as well as these interesting Tiffany East West watches which are pleasantly whimsical while also elegant looking. The idea is to take a traditional rectangular-shaped watch case and orient the dial vertically versus horizontally. So, in other words, the Tiffany & Co. East West watch is all about putting time on its side (so cliche to say, I know). According to Tiffany & Co., the Tiffany & Co. East West collection was inspired by a “purse watch” they produced in the 1940s.

Tiffany & Co. East West watches

In steel cases sized at 25mm wide by 42mm tall, the Tiffany & Co. East West watches are probably most safely categorized as uni-sex watches. The cases are curved as well which makes them fit nicely on the wrist. With that said about the size, these aren’t timepieces that men would shy away from, given the correct opportunity to wear them (sleeves are certainly required). What I like about the Tiffany & Co. East West watches is that in addition to having a classic dressy feeling to them, they also offer a bit of whimsy. These are timepieces for people who dress up, but nevertheless, don’t take themselves too seriously. I see the Tiffany & Co. East West watches as being for people like professors who have a sense of humor.

Tiffany & Co. “Purse Watch” travel clock from the 1940s

I think it is also a good sign that right off the bat, Tiffany & Co.’s new watch collection arrives with something for the light of heart. While the Tiffany & Co. CT60 collection of watches for both men and women is predictably handsome and conservative, they are straight-forward in their appeal. The Tiffany & Co. East West collection asks watch lovers to make a decision about whether or not the Tiffany & Co. East West watches are right for them. Because I feel that watches are the types of products that are best when they are communicating something about the people wearing them, I like the idea of the Tiffany & Co. East West being on the wrists of the right people.

Its probably both a good and a bad thing that the Tiffany & Co. East West watches come exclusively with Swiss quartz movements. That allows the cases to be extremely thin, as well as helps reduce the price (with that said, they aren’t, per se, inexpensive, as they are still Tiffany & Co products). Containing quartz movements might fend off certain hardcore mechanical watch lovers, but I think it opens up the Tiffany & Co. East West collection to more people. As watch lovers, we don’t always consider that “regular” people aren’t as into mechanical watches as we are.

Tiffany & Co. debuted the Tiffany & Co. East West watches in with three dial colors that I feel are all attractive. These are dials in black, white, and blue. Despite the dials being on their side, these are very legible watches and quite attractive, with the look of a vintage clock. It is all very New York, and very 1940s in style. If you love the look of a Cartier Tank (for example) but want something a bit more original or with more personality, then it might be interesting to take a look at the Tiffany & Co. East West watches.

So what about actually reading the time? Well that is a good question, now isn’t it? Looking at your wrist as you normally would forces you to mentally move the dial over 45 degrees to the left. With a full scale of Arabic hour markers, that isn’t too difficult, but the time is literally on its side, as I mentioned above. Where the Tiffany & Co. East West proves useful is when your hands are out in front of you such as while driving or typing at a computer. From this perspective reading the time is actually easy… dare I say “easier” on the Tiffany & Co. East West as compared to “standard” analog watch dials.

Of course, Tiffany & Co. knows that the Tiffany & Co. East West watch collection isn’t for everyone, but I think that they are for enough people. I was happy to see Tiffany & Co. release something like the Tiffany & Co. East West collection, and I have a feeling that they are a hint as to what we are going to see from the brand in the future. Attached to each Tiffany & Co. East West watch is a blue or black alligator strap and the price for each is $3,500. tiffany.com