Piaget expands on its High Jewellery signatures for its 150th anniversary
The jeweller proves that they are more than just watchmakers — they are the Maison of Extraleganza.
Extraleganza. A portmanteau of Piaget’s precious values, “elegance” and “extravaganza”. The neologism encapsulates the Maison’s spirit of embracing its glittering past as it paves its way forward, particularly on the occasion of its 150th anniversary. And no where is this better exemplified than through its extraordinary High Jewellery timepieces.
More than watchmakers, Piaget artisans are watchmakers who became jewellers. That explains why they’re so adept at infusing timepieces with the artistry of goldworking and gemsetting. In 1969, the groundbreaking 21st Century collection introduced hand-woven sautoir watches as well as graphic golden cuffs embedded with hypnotic dials. Swishing side to side as its wearer saunters, the Swinging Sautoir was not just a rehash of an antique necklace style, but a contemporary take that combined an ultra-thin mechanical movement with ornamental dials, wrapped in the bold stylistic mores of the 1960s and 1970s jet-set. Three exquisite examples are unveiled for 2024, two transformable to be worn on the wrist. In one, strands of gold are meticulously twisted into a single languid chain. Another radiates a wave of blue and green thanks to malachite and turquoise beads. There is also a double chain, one diamond-set, with a flamboyant tassel of diamonds, gold and chalcedony. Each Swinging Sautoir is anchored by a new softly-rounded trapeze watch case, a nod to the original shape from the 1969 collection; on the transformable versions, the case can also be effortlessly unclasped and worn with a satin strap.
Also from 1969 are dramatic cuff watches that demonstrate Piaget’s mastery with gold. Following the GPHG-awardwinning Hidden Treasures cuff from 2023, this year’s iteration showcases an intricate and heavily textured gold latticework that “grows” organically over a black opal dial swimming in iridescent greens and blues, like a net of coral.
The trailblazing 21st Century collection set the standard for Piaget’s exalted High Jewellery watches, and two decades later in 1989 the Maison sparked a frenzy with its ultimate creation, the audacious Aura. A precious bracelet that tells time, its seamlessly integrated case and strap is fully smothered in baguette-cut diamonds to emanate light from the wrist like its namesake. For its 35th anniversary, Piaget celebrates the icon with two unique pieces coloured in the deep and delectable red of rubies: saturated on the dial in one, and a gorgeous gradient that gently fades into soft pink sapphires in the other. Equipped with the ultra-thin manual-winding 40P calibre (when most other precious contemporaries would receive quartz movements), the Aura additions are the pinnacle of Piaget’s High Watchmaking and gemsetting savoir-faire.
