HOUSE OF GOLD
By the 1950s the family-run company had become a Maison, garnering a global reputation for excellence and innovation that was sealed by their development, in 1957, of an ultra-thin movement, the 9P, a masterpiece of precision that changed the course of Swiss watchmaking history and the fortunes of Piaget.
The company now had the freedom to create its own style, and in 1957, under the inspired direction of Gerald and Valentin Piaget, made the decision to work only with precious metals, gold and platinum. Before venturing further into the realm of the jewelry watch, through dials of colored hardstones and gold bracelets.
The glories and glamour of gold must have seemed a distant dream for watchmaker Georges-Édouard Piaget, when in 1874 he set up a workshop in the family farmhouse, in La Côte-aux-Fées, Switzerland.
"In 1969, at the Basel Fair, Piaget unveiled the 21st Century collection, a series of strikingly contemporary, fabulously fashion-forward gold jewelry watches– the perfect marriage of Watchmaking and High Jewelry. "
In tune with Piaget’s ethos, and its determination to aim ever higher and to break through conventions, the suitably futuristic 21st collection was unlike anything that had gone before : deep cuffs of graphic gold openwork, heavily textured gold bracelets, swinging twisted gold chain sautoirs vibrant colored dials.
GOLD EMBEDDED IN THE HEART OF PIAGET
" Gold was the shining hero of the collection. Piaget’s gold craftsmanship maximised this exuberance, drawing out life and warmth, tactility and sensuality, exploring the versatility of this noble material in order to turn gold watches into thrilling jewelry masterworks."
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.
Gold was, and is still today, central to the philosophy and spirit of the Maison. So vital is gold to Piaget’s vision and values, that the metal is melted in-house, in the Maison’s own foundry in Geneva.
DECOR PALACE, THE HUMAN TOUCH
Decor Palace, a defining feature of Piaget’s goldwork was first developed in 1961, inspired by guilloché engraving.
The rhythmic, fluid Decor Palace engraving requires a very particular skill. Gold shavings are gently blown away from the surface by the goldsmith after each gesture. Decor Palace, applied to gold watches, jewelry and high jewelry remains one of the most distinctive and best loved of Piaget’s signatures.
Métiers d’Or
Immerse yourself in Piaget’s world of artistry and craftmanship with our exclusive boutique workshop experience and discover the secrets behind our iconic creations. Choose Métiers d’Or Atelier to unlock your own creative potential and create a lasting memory while exploring the Piaget legacy.
While the overall effect is cohesive and distinctive, each goldsmith has his or her own technique, maybe exerting different pressure, working at different angles, so that each Decor Palace ornamentation is entirely individual.
PIAGET, MAGICIAN OF GOLD
Piaget’s gold artistry and virtuoso craftsmanship have always worked together harmoniously to create an unmistakable Piaget signature, with crafts skills at the service of design.
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.
The mesmerising molten beauty of gold has long fascinated artists. Salvador Dali was captivated by the association of gold with mysticism and alchemy, particularly by the allure of gold coins and medals. In the late 1960s, he minted his own series of coins, of different values and weights, sculpted with profile portraits of himself and his wife Gala. He called them Dali D’Or.
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.
PIAGET POLO 79 – A GOLDEN MILESTONE
Ten years after the unveiling of the 21st Century Collection, Piaget decided to demonstrate its mastery of gold with the Piaget Polo, the company’s first sports watch.
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.
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