From the picturesque La Côte-aux-Fées with its lush green pastures to the dazzling fashion capital of Paris – within 150 years, the watchmaking workshop founded by Georges-Édourard Piaget on his family’s farm has come a long way. An established institution for haute horlogerie and haute joaillerie, Piaget has been manufacturing countless elaborate pieces for more than a century. Impressing with their technical innovations and high level of craftsmanship, these creations have turned Piaget into a high-society brand. With a week-long exclusive Piaget anniversary exhibition in the heart of Paris, the maison recently looked back at its past achievements. After all, what better way to show how the brand has developed throughout the decades than through its designs?
The imposing Palais Brongniart with its classicist aesthetic, including stone steps, high columns, marble floors and ceiling paintings, served as the perfect backdrop for the elegant exhibition. In addition to jewellery pieces from the new haute joaillerie collection ‘Essence of Extraleganza’, which was created specially for this occasion, vintage pieces from the archive and the private collection were also on display. During a guided tour of the anniversary exhibition, Piaget’s Head of Patrimony, Jean-Bernard Forot, and Director of Patrimony, Alain Borgeaud, provided us with comprehensive insights and anecdotes about the individual pieces. Despite the equally fascinating high jewellery pieces, we naturally had all eyes on the watches. With more than a hundred pieces on display, there was plenty to make a watch lover’s heart beat faster. Here, we present a selection of our personal highlights.
Piaget Anniversary Exhibition: The exhibition space at Palais Brongniart
Below the Palais’ wooden panelling and painted ceilings, Piaget set up its temporary exhibition rooms and a lounge with cosy armchairs and a round bar. Presenting itself in gleaming gold and rich midnight blue, the interior tops off the already sophisticated atmosphere. Together with modern-looking LED lights, this timeless colour combination offers a canvas on which the interplay of past and present pieces can take place. While the first of the three exhibition rooms radiates in gold, the last room is kept in blue with luminous lines running along the walls. An open exhibition space with a video installation, where mirrored obelisks also serve as a screen, connects the rooms at the centre.
The surrounding cream-coloured walls also serve as a part of the exhibition. They are decorated with advertisements from the 60s and 70s, original drawings of the designs on fashion magazine pages, and photographs of the current campaign with brand ambassador Ella Richards. However, the past and future do not only meet on the walls. Jewellery and watches from different decades can be admired side by side in the open showcases in the exhibition rooms.
The open exhibition space with video installation (see above). Borgeaud comments on the creative advertising poster with the silhouette of a woman from 1970: ‘Each woman has a Piaget watch on her mind.’ (See bottom left). Brand ambassador Ella Richards stands in front of pictures of current Piaget advertising campaigns during her visit to the exhibition (see bottom right).
Piaget Anniversary Exhibition: A horological tour
One thing becomes immediately apparent when walking through the exhibition and looking at the open display cases: the transitions are fluid – both aesthetically and functionally. Organic and geometric structures, Décor Palace, gold and gemstone cuts create a visual link between necklaces, bracelets, earrings, rings, and watches as well as a bridge between the chapters of Piaget’s design history. A repeated source of inspiration is nature, which is expressed through the colour or arrangement of the (semi-)precious stones. The first design foundations were laid in 1959, when the maison launched its first high jewellery collection with asymmetries and a mixture of different stone cuts at the first ‘Salon Piaget’ in Geneva. Ten years later, the 21st Century Collection with its unusual designs heavily impacted Piaget’s future jewellery collections.
The first ‘Salon Piaget’ in Geneva, 1959
These origins are also reflected in this year’s anniversary collection ‘Essence of Eleganza’, whose three themed sections also serve as a common thread for the exhibition. In the first room, extravagance and elegance merge into fabulous eye-catchers under the theme ‘Extraleganza’. Inspired by Piaget’s status as a high-society brand, the second themed area is called ‘Piaget Society’, while ‘When Mastery Ignites Artistry’ explores craftsmanship at its finest. In all three areas, Piaget proves how seamlessly haute joaillerie and haute horlogerie can be fused together. Let’s take a closer look at some of the many horological highlights.
Past and present meet: the model in the middle wears a jewellery set (earrings, necklace and jewellery watch) made of gold and turquoise with curved, arched shapes from the 21st Century Collection from 1969. Jewellery from the Essence of Extraleganza Collection is presented by the other models.
Skilfully combined: Haute joaillerie and haute horlogerie
The 1960s and 1970s are considered the formative period for Piaget’s unique fusion of jewellery and watchmaking. With the best prerequisites for creating an own jewellery collection thanks to a foundry and craftsmen for watch production, Valentin Piaget opened Piaget’s in-house creative studio at the end of the 1960s. To realise his vision for jewellery watches, he turned to designers from the jewellery industry and had them draw inspiration from the couture fashion shows in Paris. The designs were painted directly onto photographs of models in fashion magazines, which can also be seen as part of the exhibition.
According to Borgeaud, many of the signature designer pieces such as the gold bracelets, cuff watches, and necklace watches were launched between 1969 (Piaget’s iconic 21st Century Collection, whose team also included the well-known watch designer Jean Claude Gueit) and 1973. At the time, they drew attention from famous customers such as Elvis Presley and Sophia Loren and still define Piaget today. Due to their strong significance for Piaget’s design DNA, the brand is therefore focusing increasingly on these years in the continuous expansion of its Private Collection.
An advertising image for a cuff watch from the 21st Century Collection created by Alberto Rizzo
The 96 pieces of jewellery in the Essence of Extraleganza Collection demonstrate Piaget’s aim to return to the colourful extravagance and goldsmithing from this period. Piaget’s jewellery and watch artistic director, Stéphanie Sivrière, explains: ‘In 2022, when we began to design the 150-year anniversary collection, it wasn’t about identically reproducing heritage pieces, but rather taking inspiration from them. Revisiting those values of boldness, originality and elegance that characterise this maison’s soul at the dawn of modernity.’ In the exhibition, these pieces are now in an aesthetic exchange with vintage items, presenting themselves in a blaze of colours and gold.
A world of gold and gems
When thinking of luxury, glitz and glamour come to mind. But how does one create sophisticated products that do not appear overloaded, even kitschy, and at the same time look modern and exciting? Piaget skilfully plays with gemstones in various cuts, settings, and colours and with gold structures.
Two pages in Harper’s Bazaar depict Piaget’s watches with various ornamental stones from 1969
Ornamental stone dials
In 1963, Piaget began launching watches with ornamental stones on the dial. To create a contrast between the watch dial and the gold case and bracelet, the watch manufacture used precious stones that were cut into the required shape. Lapis lazuli, topaz, onyx, tiger’s eye and ruby offered a wide range of variations. They quickly became a trademark of Piaget’s jewellery collections, which was reinforced by the 21st Century collection in particular. This impact is also visible in the exhibition, which features numerous pieces with gemstone dials.
A diamond-set cuff watch from 1969 with a 6N movement and a dial made of opal,
aka Mr Piaget’s favourite gemstone
At first glance, the dial of this beautiful watch from 1960 appears to consist of a single lapis lazuli. Upon closer inspection, however, it becomes evident that it is made up of eight pieces thanks to meticulous marquetry. The dial’s deep blue colour contrasts with the case and the bracelet, which are equally a testament to a high level of craftsmanship. On the bracelet, engravings and an interplay of satin-finished and polished surfaces create a pattern that is reminiscent of swirling water. This timepiece is equipped with the calibre 12P automatic movement, while later watches with a gemstone dial from the 1970s have a calibre 9P.
Décor Palace
Whether through straight or curved lines – engravings offer expressive details and implementing them is an art in itself. Piaget’s watch bracelets, for example, exhibit various possibilities. In the 60s, one particular style of engraving became Piaget’s signature and has since been used throughout the decades: Décor Palace. On site, a watchmaker shows us how the unique pattern is created stroke by stroke. It takes between 20 and 25 hours of work to accomplish this engraving. Meanwhile, the otherside of the strap usually sports a different structure.
Since 1961, Piaget has been using this engraving style in both haute joaillerie and haute horlogerie. At the time, it was only labelled with a letter and a number: the A6 bracelet. It was only later on that the pattern received the name ‘Décor Palace’. As Borgeaud aptly describes it, it is inspired by the grand gala evenings that took place in various palaces around the world.
The centrepiece of the ‘When Mastery Ignites Artistry’ series as part of this year’s collection also features Décor Palace. The fine engraving on the green enamel dial harmonises with the baguette-cut emeralds totalling 26.11 carats. Together with diamonds and framed by yellow gold threads, they form a mosaic-style bracelet. It took a whole year to source forty matching emeralds from Colombia. The timepiece is complemented by a ring and earrings.
Modular structures
Although Piaget has exclusively been producing watches in platinum and gold since 1957, this proves to be setting no limits to the creative scope. Aside from using engravings to decorate their pieces, the maison has created jewellery pieces with a fine, woven gold structure resembling the texture of fabric. A cuff watch’s bracelet from 1970, for example, seems to take after a net that is both delicate and elastic. Another watch bracelet in the anniversary collection is reminiscent of a tassel with fringed strings of rose gold and diamonds.
Cuff watch with a ruby dial and 9P movement from 1970 (left). Versatile cuff watch from the Essence of Extraleganza Collection with a turquoise dial and a 56P manufacture quartz calibre (right).
Piaget’s technical sophistication is not only evident in the movements. Thanks to a new innovative system, some of the pieces of jewellery are modular and can be worn in different ways. This means that parts of one piece of jewellery can be removed and integrated into another if desired. Like many of these emblematic pieces of jewellery, the first Swinging Sautoir was launched in 1969. Paying tribute to it, the anniversary collection also includes a handful of pendant watches in various designs.
A pendant watch from the ‘Extraleganza’ collection, photographed by Ben Hassett
This rose-gold pendant watch features a white opal above the watch and a yellow emerald-cut sapphire from Sri Lanka below it. The necklace and watch can be worn separately. While the watch can be removed and attached to a blue-green alligator leather strap, the necklace can also be worn on its own.
Ingeniously integrated timepieces: Secret Watch, Ingot Watch and Coin Watch
Like a little secret, Piaget’s so-called ‘Secret Watches’ are not immediately recognisable as timepieces, but are cleverly integrated into a piece of jewellery. If you take a look at this diamond-set example from 1961, you might think it is an opulent platinum bracelet. But hidden beneath all the marquise-cut diamonds is a small timepiece with a 6N movement. A lift of the diamond cover reveals a round dial with an hour and minute display. It is a wonderful example of the fusion of jewellery craftsmanship and watchmaking within the Private Collection.
Let’s move from diamonds to a somewhat simpler example: the 1974 ingot watch made of 24-carat yellow gold. If you slide the top half of the ingot, which is the size of a lighter, downwards, the square watch is revealed. It belonged to pop artist and Piaget’s friend Andy Warhol and was equipped with a hand-wound 9P movement. Furthermore, three other watches from Warhol’s collection reaquired by Piaget are on display, including a yellow-gold timepiece from 1973. It is equipped with one of the first quartz movements, the Beta 21 calibre.
Warhol’s ingot watch from 1974 (left) and yellow gold timepiece with the Beta 21 calibre (right).
Timepieces are also cleverly integrated into the coin watches that Piaget produced from 1942 to 1996. The last one was made by Borgeaud himself when he was a goldsmith. One of the exhibits on display is a 20-dollar coin that houses the watch. Piaget purchased the coins from the bank, which were then split in half between both coin sides. A circular shape was then cut out of the lower half to accommodate a small case.
Housing a watch in such a limited space is a challenging undertaking. As an expert in this field, Piaget was able to overcome this challenge with a movement that is only 2 mm thick. To read the time, the upper half of the coin serving as a cover can simply be flipped open by using the thumb. This particular coin watch could be worn in the pocket without a chain. However, there are also versions available with a leather strap or as a pendant necklace for women.
Piaget Anniversary Exhibition: Wafer-thin variations
Not only do Piaget’s elaborate decorations and jewellery settings prove that jewellery craftsmanship and watchmaking go well together, but also the technology integrated in the watches. Piaget has made a name for itself with ultra-thin movements. Today, the brand continues to break records with its Altiplano Ultimate Concept. However, the fascination with constructing movements in the smallest possible space dates back to the late 1950’s. Under Valentin Piaget’s lead, the 2 mm high ultra-thin mechanical calibre 9P with manual winding and micro-rotor was first created in 1957. It was followed by the world’s thinnest automatic movement, the calibre 12P, with a height of just 2.3 mm in 1960.
Another beautiful marquetry of onyx and mother-of-pearl is visible on the dial of a hexagonal watch from 1978 with a 9P movement.
Fast forward to the last few years: six years ago, Piaget released the world’s thinnest wristwatch, the Altiplano Ultimate Concept. Some masterful variations of it were also on display at the exhibition. This includes the Altiplano Ultimate Concept Tourbillon 150th Anniversary Edition. It has a remarkable case height of just 2 mm and is entirely manufactured by a single watchmaker within 18 months. Furthermore, an Altiplano Métiers d’Art Undulata with colourful wood marquetry by French artist Rose Saneui from 2023 is on view.
The model won the Artistic Crafts Prize at the Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève last year.
After a little more sparkle?
In keeping with the principle ‘more is more’, Piaget naturally also offers a number of models with a little more sparkle. The bezel of one Altiplano, for example, is adorned with sapphires with a colour gradient. Another Altiplano model with a tourbillon, on the other hand, is entirely covered with diamonds. All of the diamonds on the dial are set in a circle facing the subdial, creating a certain dynamism despite their uniformity.
On this unique skeletonised piece from 2023, rubies not only adorn the bezel but also the oscillating weight. The rubies’ colouring creates a unity between the bezel and bracelet and highlights the rotor on the otherwise purist dial. Thus, the timepiece does not appear overloaded.
Brand ambassador Lee Jun-ho wears the ruby-set timepiece at the Piaget gala evening.
However, if you really want to attract everyone’s attention, you should take a look at the Aura. From bracelet to dial – the entire watch is covered with precious stones. While the first models appeared in 1989, the watches are still popular today. As part of the ‘Essence of Extraleganza’, there is a white-gold timepiece with a pink colour gradient of emerald-cut diamonds and rubies, for which suitable stones were sought for more than a year.
An Aura model is presented at the top of a Piaget advertisement from 1991 (left). The timepiece has a diameter of 27.5 mm and houses an ultra-thin hand-wound manufacture movement (right).
Piaget Society: Watches and their famous owners
To round off its exhibition, Piaget is presenting timepieces that were owned by famous personalities or are the result of special collaborations in the final room.
Elizabeth Taylor and Jackie Kennedy
Among other things, two of the three Piaget watches owned by actress Elizabeth Taylor are on display. One of them is a cuff watch from 1971 with a 9P movement. The gold bracelet is composed of oval ring shapes, while the jade dial is also modelled on these shapes. The other is a filigree jewellery watch with a braided bracelet and a diamond-set bezel and dial. It is equipped with a 4P movement from Piaget.
All three of Elizabeth Taylor’s timepieces. The models to the left and right were on display at the anniversary exhibition.
Moreover, there is a Piaget jewellery watch from 1967 on display that belonged to the First Lady and style icon Jackie Kennedy. The bracelet of the yellow- and white-gold watch is finished with Décor Palace. Sparkling diamonds are set around the bezel, while emeralds mark the 12 o’clock, 3 o’clock, 6 o’clock and 9 o’clock positions. With its rich green colour, the jade dial stands out in particular. Therefore, it does not feature hour markers and the gold hour and minute hands are kept simple. The watch is powered by the calibre 9P.
Both Elizabeth Taylor’s and Jackie Kennedy’s timepieces exhibit how popular – especially amongst the high society – Piaget’s unusual and elegant creations were. Instead of being custom-made, these watches were normally simply purchased. According to Borgeaud, this speaks even more in favour of Piaget as a brand and the emotional connection that is created between the watch and its owner. Piaget’s striking advertising campaigns in Vogue and Harper’s Bazaar for the 21st Century collection, which also included Jackie Kennedy’s watch, may certainly have contributed to this. Piaget collaborated with Italian artist and photographer Alberto Rizzo. He staged the jewellery pieces in a surrealist manner and created striking images.
Piaget and Dalí
Speaking of surrealism – well-known personalities from the world of art and culture were not only Piaget’s friends and customers, but also valuable partners for collaborations. One of them was the surrealist icon Salvador Dalí, who had been friends with Valentin Piaget since 1967. At a time when cocktail hour was less about diamonds and more about gold, a very special jewellery series was created.
To create it, Piaget used the Dalí d’Or, a currency invented by Dalí. One side of the gold coin depicts the likeness of Dalí and his muse, Gala. As a symbol of the mystery of life, eggs are featured on the other side (think of the famous question: did the chicken or the egg come first?). Piaget was allowed to use the coins to make their jewellery pieces, resulting in twelve designs personally approved by Dalí. Twelve, as it carries a lot of symbolism and is an important number with regards to the zodiac signs. Three of these creations were part of this exhibition, but Piaget also owns other pieces from this collaboration.
Piaget anniversary exhibition: attention to detail
From 60s and 70s vintage pieces to contemporary creations, the anniversary exhibition bears witness to Piaget’s attention to detail. The (jewellery) watches in particular show that the maison maintains a very high standard across various crafts. They are the impressive result of the fusion of haute joaillerie with exquisite stone cuts and gold work and haute horlogerie with ultra-thin manufacture movements. With ‘Essence of Extraleganza’, Piaget proves that paying homage to iconic pieces from its formative decades can be refreshing and that the creative scope is far from exhausted.
