HOUSE OF GOLD

So much so that the dramatic watches in the 21st century collection were hailed in the press as the watches ‘of the international elite’.

Instinctively, with acute antennae, Piaget understood that gold embodied the spirit of the age : the fading formality of the ‘50s, new wealth, new social order, youthquake, Studio 54, hippie-luxe and the glittering international circle of artists, musicians, models, actors, fashion designers that made up Piaget’s elite clientele, the Piaget Society.

Radiance becomes a recurring theme in Piaget artistry, seen to perfection in the use of marquise-cut diamonds, arranged around a Limelight Gala dial for example, like the rays of the sun.

Experienced, skilled artisans hand-work gold to celebrate its extraordinary, emotive, deliquescent qualities : in Piaget’s specialist Métiers d‘Or ateliers, gold is modelled, sculpted, engraved, woven, buffed, brushed, polished and articulated, to bring out richness and refinement, to play with light, texture, dynamism.

In the late 60s, Yves Piaget, who moved in artistic circles, wanted the world to understand that the dramatically new Piaget creations were contemporary works of art. He nurtured a connection with art and artists, starting with Dali. In 1967, Piaget collaborated with Dali on an exclusive collection of gold watches and jewelry incorporating the artist’s Dali d’Or coins. 

The collection harked back to Piaget’s early coin watches, a huge vogue in the 1950s, in which gold coins, of all countries and denominations, formed dial covers, usually on gold bracelets. The Piaget Dali d’or collection was launched with much theatrical fanfare in the Hotel Meurice, Paris, with Dali, enthroned in a transparent chair, as if suspended in mid-air.  

The Piaget Polo appealed to Piaget’s clientele of glitterati, many of whom, like Yves Piaget himself, played or watched polo, the sport of kings. With a case shaped between a circle and a square, the Piaget Polo captured the unisex zeitgeist of the 1970s, with models for both men and women.

At the same time the new watch encapsulated the high-octane glamour and hedonistic lifestyle of the international polo set, as they travelled around the world, from match to match.

Made entirely of solid 18 carat gold, the case and bracelet were totally integrated, more seamlessly than ever before, in a sleek, streamlined, yet fluid and voluptuous design. The overall effect was as if the watch was crafted from a single cast of gold.

In true Piaget style, the artisans played with texture, contrasting the highly polished gadroons with the satin-brushed finish of the links. The Piaget Polo 79 quickly became a status symbol amongst the jet set elite, a badge of belonging to the Piaget society, while the authenticity of the concept of the watch was underlined by Piaget’s sponsorship of the Palm Beach Polo world cup. Today, celebrating Piaget’s 150th anniversary, the Piaget Polo 79 is reborn, as a limited edition in full gold. Reminding what the celebrated advertisements of the 80s stated, Piaget Time can only be measured in gold.