# Tiffany Engine Turned Belt Buckle



## katch (Jun 11, 2012)

Evidently the engine turned belt buckle from Tiffany has been discontinued. Anyone have an alternative they are happy with?


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## eagle2250 (Mar 24, 2006)

A sartorial icon...the Sterling Engine Turned Belt Buckle...discontinued(!)? Say it isn't so Joe. :angry:


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## katch (Jun 11, 2012)

eagle2250 said:


> A sartorial icon...the Sterling Engine Turned Belt Buckle...discontinued(!)? Say it isn't so Joe. :angry:


I know. I couldn't believe it and had to call!


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## FLMike (Sep 17, 2008)

Yes, it seems that is unfortunately the case. BB used to make a comparable quality buckle, but be forewarned that they have cut the quality of their buckle noticeably in recent years. For slightly less money than the BB version, Ben Silver offers one that looks to be of materially better quality, here:

https://www.bensilver.com/Alligator-Straps-and-Sterling-Buckles,4769.html#.XCUnqeZOmhB


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## paxonus (Dec 26, 2016)

Trafalgar

https://www.trafalgarstore.com/collections/custom-buckles


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## FLMike (Sep 17, 2008)

paxonus said:


> Trafalgar
> 
> https://www.trafalgarstore.com/collections/custom-buckles


A little dear at $325. Too bad the silver engine turned buckle is not on sale like the gold colored engine turned or the silver plain one.


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## paxonus (Dec 26, 2016)

FLMike said:


> A little dear at $325. Too bad the silver engine turned buckle is not on sale like the gold colored engine turned or the silver plain one.


Brooks Brothers for $248

https://www.brooksbrothers.com/Ster...l?dwvar_333F_Color=SS&contentpos=35&cgid=0233


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## FLMike (Sep 17, 2008)

paxonus said:


> Brooks Brothers for $248
> 
> https://www.brooksbrothers.com/Ster...l?dwvar_333F_Color=SS&contentpos=35&cgid=0233


Did you not read post #4? They are crap now. There's a detailed thread about it here somewhere.


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## 89826 (Jun 22, 2016)

The Trafalgar model looks good. It is made for a little wider strap, 1 3/16", also. One inch is too narrow, according to my tastes.


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## Lawschooled (Feb 9, 2018)

Hard to imagine that it's definitely gone. They still had it on display in their 5th Ave store last month!
What ever you do, DONT buy the BB one, as been said before, it's of terrible quality.
I have no experience with these, but you could give them a try:
https://www.sirjacks.com/sterling-engine-turned-belt-buckle/
The shape is identical to my Tiffany buckle.


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## orange fury (Dec 8, 2013)

That's a shame to hear, I love mine.

I bought two NOS Anson buckles on eBay almost 3 years ago, one sterling silver and one brass. Not the same as the Tiffany's, but still very nice:
















Point being, you might take a look on eBay for similar


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## paxonus (Dec 26, 2016)

One point to keep in mind. I recall reading somewhere that the Trafalgar is specifically designed to be used with their own straps. This is due to the thickness of the strap. A thicker, or thinner strap would not work correctly with the buckle since it would either not fit under the cinching mechanism, or would be too loose. Here is a previous thread on the same issue:

https://askandyaboutclothes.com/com...rap-combo-problem-belt-doesnt-tighten.116008/


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## eagle2250 (Mar 24, 2006)

Having not worn mine for perhaps a year and looking at the gleaming buckles of others, I fear it is time for me to put the silver polish to work on mine! Pictured below...a sadly neglected Tiffany Engine Turned Buckle:










Sounds like something productive to do while watching the Peach Bowl!


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## FLMike (Sep 17, 2008)

^You need to be wearing that beauty!


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## katch (Jun 11, 2012)

Thanks for the advise and recommendations. There really is nothing like the real thing!


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## Fraser Tartan (May 12, 2010)

Sales on these were probably way down because everyone wears their shirts untucked these days.

I wish I were kidding!


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## orange fury (Dec 8, 2013)

Fraser Tartan said:


> Sales on these were probably way down because everyone wears their shirts untucked these days.
> 
> I wish I were kidding!


I don't buy that- if that were true, the first thing to go would've been the cuff links and tie bars, both of which they have plenty of. Tiffany's doesn't exactly sell men's casual wear.

A close friend of mine works for T&Co, I'll ask her tonight if she knows anything.


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## eagle2250 (Mar 24, 2006)

orange fury said:


> I don't buy that- if that were true, the first thing to go would've been the cuff links and tie bars, both of which they have plenty of. Tiffany's doesn't exactly sell men's casual wear.
> 
> A close friend of mine works for T&Co, I'll ask her tonight if she knows anything.


Looking forward to reading about the insider logic on this sartorial travesty! :icon_scratch:


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## FLMike (Sep 17, 2008)

Looks like someone may have tried to remove the engraving from the center window. It may just be the pics, but the surface looks a little wavy to me. I could be wrong. Some clearer pics would help.


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## katch (Jun 11, 2012)

I like either brand new or cheap and good/ok. Life’s tradeoffs


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## orange fury (Dec 8, 2013)

FLMike said:


> Looks like someone may have tried to remove the engraving from the center window. It may just be the pics, but the surface looks a little wavy to me. I could be wrong. Some clearer pics would help.


The seller mentioned the same thing in the description- I didn't notice the waviness until you mentioned it, but if I were buying, I'd want better pics first.


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## FLMike (Sep 17, 2008)

orange fury said:


> The seller mentioned the same thing in the description- I didn't notice the waviness until you mentioned it, but if I were buying, I'd want better pics first.


Ah, good catch. I missed that in the description.


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## ButchHusy (Dec 2, 2005)

paxonus said:


> Trafalgar
> 
> https://www.trafalgarstore.com/collections/custom-buckles


Does anyone have experience with the etched rhodium over brass? I'm curious how the finish looks in real life and if engraved, would the brass show through?


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## FLMike (Sep 17, 2008)

ButchHusy said:


> Does anyone have experience with the etched rhodium over brass? I'm curious how the finish looks in real life and if engraved, would the brass show through?


 No experience and not sure if it'd show through. My feelings about it, though.....I view that buckle as a "buy it for life" item, a potential heirloom even (my son and I share the same initials). If you amortize the price difference over many years, is it really worth not springing for the real thing? Even if nobody else knows the difference...YOU will know. And, were it me, I would not enjoy it as much knowing it wasn't sterling silver.


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## paxonus (Dec 26, 2016)

ButchHusy said:


> Does anyone have experience with the etched rhodium over brass? I'm curious how the finish looks in real life and if engraved, would the brass show through?


Here is a review. Also some interesting discussion in the comments by a representative of Trafalgar.

https://oxfordclothbuttondown.com/2013/10/dress-belt-engine-turned-buckle-belt-strap/


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## orange fury (Dec 8, 2013)

FLMike said:


> No experience and not sure if it'd show through. My feelings about it, though.....I view that buckle as a "buy it for life" item, a potential heirloom even (my son and I share the same initials). If you amortize the price difference over many years, is it really worth not springing for the real thing? Even if nobody else knows the difference...YOU will know. And, were it me, I would not enjoy it as much knowing it wasn't sterling silver.


^This

My wife and I have bought Tiffany's for each other since we were dating. We have friends who used to give us a hard time about it because they would buy mountains of cheap costume jewelry for the same price as a single Tiffany's charm or necklace. As I told them, with jewelry, I'd rather spend a lot of money on the front end and have it handed down across generations. We still have the silver, long after some of that costume jewelry has disintegrated in some trash heap.

We may not have a huge amount of jewelry, but it's beautifully done and something future generations will be able to wear (much like a sterling James Avery charm bracelet my grandmother left to my wife after she passed).


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## cordovanpapi (Nov 30, 2016)

Gave my local Tiffany store a call early this evening and was notified that only Chicago - Michigan Ave had the last belt buckle in stock/on display in the country. Tried to have it shipped to my store but was denied by my sales associate for some unfortunate reason. Hopefully someone near the area may be the lucky one to obtain the holy grail.


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## eagle2250 (Mar 24, 2006)

^^What a great first post, as an AAAC member, though you may have inadvertently incited a small riot at Tiffany's Chicago store location! LOL.

Welcome to AAAC, cordovanpapi.


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## katon (Dec 25, 2006)

I might be part of the problem. :/ I always struggled to understand the point of a monogrammed belt buckle; normally I think of monogramming as being something you do on an item that you might accidentally leave somewhere, like a bag. Maybe I'm being square here, but where are people forgetting their belts?

That said, I'm sure there are people who feel the same way about Trad quirks that I enjoy. I remember on an old post asking about Letts of London moving production out of England a comment astonished that anyone would want to track their schedules on paper when they could do so digitally, for instance; I hope that folks can find a suitable buckle replacement.


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## Mathew J (Mar 31, 2007)

Late to the party here so sorry for digging this back up but I too was looking at getting one of these and procrastinated until they were discontinued.

I had read that the BB one was not as good any longer and now with the Tiffany being discontinued it seems options for new are limited.

I am wondering if anyone has tried one of the ones for sale at Silvergallery.com

https://www.silvergallery.com/gifts-for-men/sterling-silver-belt-buckles/

I have no affiliation with them but noticed they seem to sell a few of these which look similar and are priced competitively, I'd figure the smaller size one is closer to the classic styles.

As for engraving I personally like the engine turned model but a part of me likes not engraved...not sure if that would look odd/off.

It looks like they sell it in two sizes, both take a 1" belt size....

the larger is: 2 1/4" L x 1 1/2" W

with the smaller: 1 7/8" L x 1 1/4" W

not sure what is more classic

Thanks


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## Swamp_Yankee (Mar 25, 2013)

There may be a few of the buckles floating around Tiffany & Co.'s inventory. 

Within the last few weeks I was in Naples, Fla. on business. While there I stopped in their storefront. They no longer had the buckle, but they were able to locate one at the Montreal store which is close to home. I took delivery of it on Saturday.

One recommendation with T&Co.: always talk to staff in one of their stores. You'll get better customer service than you would by emailing or calling the numbers on the website.


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## F. J. (Feb 4, 2016)

As I was browsing Tiffany's site yesterday, I noticed that their silver engine-turned buckle appears to be back on the site and available for purchase. The correspending belt also appears to be available. Perhaps they have resumed production? I wouldn't expect them to put them back on the site just to sell off what few remained in stock.


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## eagle2250 (Mar 24, 2006)

^^
The one I've had for several years now is really all I need, but the knowledge that they are back in Tiffany's inventory, available for purchase, is strangely comforting. :icon_scratch: Thank you for sharing the news.


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