Watches & Wonders 2021: Piaget Launches A Collection Of Intricate Masterpieces

Piaget Celebrates The Artisans Of The Maison With A Collection Of Intricate Masterpieces

This year for Watches and Wonders 2021, Piaget is shining the spotlight, or limelight if you will, onto what can be considered the foundation pillar of the brand—craftsmanship. They celebrate the men and women that work tirelessly within the manufacture; the watchmakers, jewellers and artisans that create Piaget’s extraordinary pieces.

Altiplano Origin 35mm

For decades now, the name Altiplano has become synonymous with the mention of Piaget. These watches are built on a single guiding principle, and that is to be the slimmest and most elegant timepieces possible. This year, Piaget celebrates the very essence of the collection with the Altiplano Origin 35mm.

The Piaget Altiplano Origin 35mm is the purest expression of this collection.

As the name suggests, the watch comes in a 35mm case diameter and is the first of its size to be fitted with the self-winding 501P movement. This super slim watch will come in both plain or bejewelled cases combining the Maison’s technical prowess as both watchmaker and jeweller.

Altiplano Ultimate Concept

If the Origin represents the distillation of the essence of the Altiplano, the Ultimate Concept is on the other end of that spectrum, offering a watch that takes ‘thinnest’ to a whole new level. What started as just a concept is now a reality offering Piaget fans a watch that is only 2mm thick. Just to put things into perspective, 2mm is the height of a 2 Swiss franc coin or the height of two credit cards stacked on top of each other.

Putting a watch that is only 2mm thick on your wrist for the first time is truly a mindboggling experience.

To celebrate the “Aiguille d’Or” awarded at 2020’s prestigious Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève (GPHG). They have created a unique Altiplano Ultimate Concept inspired by its birthplace—La Côte-aux-Fées. The Jura region is well known for its pristine peaks and valleys, astonishing light and unrivalled peace and tranquillity but what the watchmakers remember most about the terroir is the greenness of its landscape in spring and summer.

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Thus, the watch has a bridge, screws, hands and a dial in a deep, forest green and is complemented by an alligator strap in a matching colour.

Limelight Gala Precious Rainbow

This Limelight Gala is a celebration of Piaget’s gem-setting savoire faire and also their reputation as one of the few remaining Maisons that can craft hand-made gold bracelets. For the very first time, Piaget has created a rainbow setting through the use of green tsavorites and coloured sapphires that range from red, orange, yellow, blue, indigo and violet.

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The setting of this piece demanded extreme patience from the jeweller as it not only had to be the perfect colour but it also had to be the perfect size to complete the transition. The Maison employed “Sertie Descendu” an intricate setting technique that magnifies the brilliance of each gemstone.

As for the supple bracelet, it was made by first soldering together countless miniature links before the pattern is hand engraved onto the piece. Only a few artisans, talented enough to work in Piaget’s “Atelier de l’Extraordinaire” has the expertise to accomplish such a feat. The engraving on the dial takes two hours to complete while an additional eight hours have to be spent to complete this extravagant bracelet.