Piaget Dazzles Collectors at Watches and Wonders 2023 with Bejewelled Novelties

Seamlessly blending its watchmaking roots with high jewellery craftsmanship, Piaget unveiled its latest collections at the just-concluded Watches and Wonders 2023 in Geneva. Insofar as the novelties are concerned, the striking Sautoir watch has been revived. This particular timepiece attests to the Maison’s expertise in such intricate techniques as chain-making. 

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GMT India takes a closer look at the new Piaget collections.

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Piaget Polo Perpetual Calendar Ultra-Thin – Obsidian

The new Piaget Polo Perpetual Calendar Obsidian inherits a rich iridescence, thanks to the obsidian gemstone reserved for the dial. Piaget’s use of signature ornamental stones that boast intense hues elevates its watches. The new Piaget Polo Perpetual Calendar Obsidian, for instance, looks intriguing because of the obsidian gemstone’s iridescence. This exceptional obsidian is paired with an 18 ct white gold case and a perpetual calendar. Piaget’s penchant for coloured stones is also evident in a bezel of deep blue sapphires, set in dark claws, to further enhance the dial’s magic and individuality. The 42 mm case comes with a rhodium finish and is set with 56 brilliant-cut sapphires. The Manufacture Piaget 1255P ultra-thin automatic mechanical Perpetual Calendar movement is visible through the sapphire crystal caseback. The functions include hours, minutes, moon phase indicated at 6 o'clock, retrograde day display at 9 o'clock, month at 12 o'clock, year at 12 o'clock and date at 3 o'clock. The timepiece is limited to 18 collectable editions only. The chic alligator bracelet can be easily changed into a rubber bracelet for a more casual look.

Limelight Aura High Jewellery Watch

Piaget launched its ultimate high jewellery watch in 1989 – it’s called Aura. The watch happened to tell the time with a fully integrated gem-smothered case and bracelet, with the diamonds in near-invisible settings enabling light and luminosity to ripple across the dial and around the wrist; hence, the name. Sporting a more contemporary look, the new Aura encapsulates Piaget’s twin passion of high jewellery craftsmanship and technical innovation. The watch sports custom-cut baguette diamonds that flow into a dégradé composition of meticulously calibrated sapphires, shaded from icy-light to midnight blue, enclosing a diamond-set dial in a radiant sunburst pattern. The rhodium-finish 18 ct white gold oval-shaped case is set with diamonds and sapphires as well. The watch is powered by the Piaget 430P ultra-thin hand-wound mechanical movement. The stunning watch represents more than 260 hours of impeccable craftsmanship from Piaget.

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Limelight High Jewellery Cuff Watches

The cuff watches from the 1960s-70s reflect Piaget’s bold and innovative approach to watchmaking. The Maison has reinterpreted these into three remarkably contemporary watches. Their design is organic and references the free-form, hyper-naturalism of the jewellery of the 60s and the 70s. The signature oval dial, common to all three watches, remains half hidden by the gold work of the bracelet that appears to grow over the case and the ornamental dial, highlighting the naturalistic theme. Hand-engraved with different patterns and textures, the cuff watches emphasise Piaget’s expertise in the art of engraving. The different styles of engraving demonstrate each artisan’s unique skill. The gold has been incised by hand, one line at a time, using the sharp tip of a burin; the lines vary in depth, width and direction to obtain the desired effect. Gold shavings are gently blown away from the surface by the goldsmith, after each gesture, which results in unique patterns engraved in gold on each watch. 

The 18 ct rose gold Palace Decor bracelet of the first cuff is flecked with diamonds as a nod to the linear fluidity of the engraving and the inset, complete with a diamond-framed case and a dial of white opal. The watch is powered by the 356P Manufacture quartz movement.

The second cuff sports a rugged, bark-like texture that creates a perfect contrast with the classic oval dial, featuring an exquisite, intense, velvety Sleeping Beauty turquoise, framed by sapphires. 

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The third cuff in 18 ct white gold with snow decoration recalls a frosty landscape; delicate ice crystals creep over a dramatic dial of black opal, flashing green and blue lights, reflected in the frame of graduated emeralds. 

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High Jewellery Sautoir Watch

Paying homage to this groundbreaking collection and its cutting-edge goldsmithery are two hand-crafted sautoirs, fashioned from twisted gold chains. The Swinging Sautoir draws inspiration from the Maison’s 1969 creation, which featured handcrafted gold chains with braid-like gold links. Accentuated by gold tassels, studded with closed-set round diamonds,  the Palace décor gold dial is the cherry on top. 

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The jewellery-making process takes about 130 hours, resulting in unique gold chains. It all starts with a single strand of wire that’s wrapped around a mandrel to create a coil, then meticulously hand-twisted one by one and shaped into harmonious, homogenous links, before assemblage. One tassel-style sautoir is set with a 25.38 ct oval cabochon Zambian emerald to match an oval-shaped dial, a signature Piaget shape from the 1960s. 

The other encompasses twisted gold around the dial, which is brought to life from Palace Decor – the epitome of Piaget’s gold craftsmanship first developed in the 1960s.  

To sum it up, the new Piaget collections comprise simply incredible pieces of art and fine craftsmanship.

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