Piaget SA

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Piaget SA is a Swiss luxury watchmakers and jewellers, founded in 1874 by Georges Piaget in the village of La Côte-aux-Fées. The company belongs to the Swiss Richemont group, specialists in the luxury goods industry.

The company was founded as a manufacturer of watch movements but began marketing its own line of prestigious watches in the 20th century.

In 2008, The Luxury Institute jewellery brand study ranked Piaget as the 6th most prestigious jewellery brand.^{[citation needed]}

History

Unless otherwise indicated, all information is taken from the brand’s website^[1].

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The Company’s Origins (1874-1942)

In 1874, Georges Edouard Piaget set up his first workshop on the family farm, situated in the small village of La Côte-aux-Fées in the Swiss Jura mountains^[2]. Dedicated to crafting pocket watches and high-precision clock movements for prestigious brands, the Piaget name was soon to travel beyond the borders of the Neuchâtel region. In 1911, Timothée Piaget, the son of Georges Piaget, took over the family firm. The Manufacture has been dedicated to the production of wrist watches ever since^[3].

Registered Trademark (1943-1955)

Under the guidance of the founder’s grandsons, Gérald and Valentin Piaget, the Piaget brand became a registered trademark in 1943. Since then, the Manufacture at La Côte-aux-Fées has produced its own creations and has undergone considerable international expansion. As a result of this expansion, the family business opened a new factory in 1945, again in La Côte-aux-Fées.

The Ultra-Thin Movement and Jewellery (1956-1963)

In 1957, the manufacture at La Côte-aux-Fées brought out the Calibre 9P, the first ultra-thin (2 mm), hand-wound mechanical movement. Then, in 1960, the Piaget watchmakers developed the Calibre12P, the thinnest automatic movement in the world with a thickness of 2.3 mm (made official by an entry in the Guinness Book of Records). The Piaget collection was diversifying. In addition to coin watches, ring watches, brooch watches and cufflink watches, Piaget created their first pieces of jewellery. In 1957, the Emperador men’s watch was launched and since it's relaunch in 1999 become one of the brand’s emblematic models. The company’s expansion led to the opening of a new factory in Geneva, dedicated to jewellery and, in 1959, their first boutique.

Rapid Expansion (1964-1987)

The brand’s jewellery would soon achieve world renown thanks to personalities such as Jackie Kennedy, Gina Lollobrigida and Andy Warhol. In 1964, Piaget presented their first watches with dials worked in precious stones: lapis-lazuli, turquoise, onyx and tiger's eye. Piaget then launched the cuff watch, which became a symbol of fine watchmaking. 1976 saw the launch of the Calibre 7P, a quartz movement. The Piaget Polo watch^[4] with its avant-garde style, was brought out in 1979 and became one of the brand’s iconic models. The Dancer collection, launched in 1986, met with similar success. Under the presidency of Yves Piaget since 1980, Piaget have continued to cultivate the status of “watchmaker-jeweller”.

The Merger (1988-2000)

The luxury Vendôme group, now Richemont, purchased the Piaget Manufacture in 1988. In the 1990s, several new collections were launched: Possession, Tanagra, Limelight and Miss Protocole with its interchangeable straps. Regarding watches, Piaget brought out the Altiplano model and in 1999 reinvented one of their classics, the Emperador line. Watchmaking was regrouped in one collection: Black Tie.

A New Movement (2001-2008)

In 2001, a new Piaget Haute Horlogerie manufacture was opened in Plan-les-Ouates, just outside Geneva. The movements continued to be produced at La Côte-aux-Fées, the family’s historic birthplace. The new building grouped together over 40 professions in the fields of watchmaking and jewellery. The same year, Piaget added a youthful touch to the Polo watch from the 1970s and launched the Magic Reflections collection. The Manufacture developed several lines of mechanical movements and in 2002 brought out the first Piaget Manufacture tourbillon movement, the Calibre 600P, the thinnest tourbillon in the world with 3.5 mm thickness. In 2004, Piaget celebrated the 130th anniversary of their creation.

Craftsmanship

The Manufacture has existed in various forms since 1874 and more than 40 professions are grouped together, from design to delivery of a technically complicated watch or a magnificent jewellery creation.

The Ultra-Thin Movement

The brand is one of the forerunners in the creation of ultra-thin movements^[5] with the manual 9P and automatic 12P movements, respectively the thinnest in their category in the world in 1957 and 1960. This has led in more recent years to the modern developments 430P, 450P and 438P, with a thickness of only 2.1 millimetres. These latest innovations are used in the Altiplano line.

The Tourbillon Movement

The Tourbillon movement was developed over a period of more than three years. Resulting from this research is the calibre 600P, the thinnest tourbillon movement in the world (3.5 mm). Its frame is particularly sophisticated: composed of 42 minuscule parts, including three titanium bridges, it weighs just 0.2 grams. The flying tourbillon – mounted on a single axis – is topped by the initial “P”, which adds to the complexity of the poising.

The Tourbillon Skeleton Movement

Piaget’s flying tourbillon movement, an emblematic complication, is the thinnest of its kind in the world (3.5 mm). Divided into segments corresponding to each of the 60 seconds, a sunburst guilloche decoration shines out from the tourbillon’s frame. The model is in gold and set with precious stones.

The Retrograde Movement

The Calibre 560P is a self-winding mechanical movement, designed, developed and built at the heart of Manufacture Piaget, and boasting a complex retrograde seconds mechanism. The hand traces an arc from 0 to 30 at 12 o’clock, then jumps back to its starting point. The design of the handcrafted finishing details took 24 months: circular Côtes de Genève decoration, stippled main plate, bevelled and hand-drawn bridges as well as blued screws.

The Self-Winding Movement

A new generation of self-winding mechanical movements was launched in 2006. The 800P, with hours, minutes, central seconds hands and large date display, is equipped with two barrels, guaranteeing a power reserve of 72 hours. This 12-ligne calibre, beats at 21,600 vibrations per hour (3 hertz) and its timing is ensured by a screw-regulated balance. The 850P version displays small seconds and a second time zone on two sub-dials. A day/night indicator synchronised with the central time zone completes the display.

The Art of Enamelling

Piaget continue the tradition of miniature painting thanks to a traditional technique. The enameller begins by crushing and cleaning raw enamels to obtain a very fine powder, which is then mixed with essential oils to achieve the colour palette. The enamel is applied with a brush in successive fine layers, each of which is oven-fired at temperatures exceeding 800°C. Each enamelled piece requires nearly twenty firings in the oven. The enamel and its colours are then set forever.

Setting and Gemmology

Piaget own the largest jewellery workshop in Geneva. Every stone here is cut, adjusted and set by hand. The same attention to detail characterises the selection of diamonds and precious stones. The diamonds, for example, meet the highest standards of colour (D to G) and clarity (IF to VVS.) The diamonds are tested according to stringent in-house guidelines based on their colour, size, clarity and carat. Piaget are members of the “Council for Responsible Jewellery Practices” and the “Kimberley Process Certification Scheme”, which guarantees that diamonds do not originate from an area of conflict.

Prizes and Awards

Prizes Awarded

Piaget have received numerous awards over the course of the brand’s history:

• In 2000, the jury of Montres Passion awarded the prize of “Watch of the Year” to the Emperador model ^[6].
• At the Geneva Watchmaking Grand Prix, the Piaget 1967 watch was awarded the “Design Watch Prize” in 2002 ^[7] and the Altiplano XL watch won the “Ultra-Flat Watch Prize” in 2003 ^[8].
• At the Geneva Watchmaking Grand Prix, Piaget were awarded the Ladies’ Jewellery Watch Prize in 2006, for their Limelight Party model ^[9].
• In 2006 the Limelight Party watch was also elected “Most beautiful watch of 2006” by the magazine Vogue Joyas Spain ^[10].
• The Piaget Polo Chronograph watch was elected “Watch of the Year 2007” in the Chronograph category by the jury of the French magazine La Revue des Montres ^[11].
• The Emperador model received the prize of Men’s Watch of the Year 2007 (Middle East Watch of the Year Awards 2007), organised by the magazine Alam Assaat Wal Moujawharat ^[12].
• The Limelight Party Secret watch was named “Watch of the Year 2007” in the Ladies’ Watch category by the Belgian magazine Passion des Montres. ^[13].

Piaget Best Jeweller Prize

In 2005, Piaget created their Best Jeweller Prize. This prize is awarded to the most deserving student of the Certificat Fédéral de Capacité in watchmaking. Dorian Recordon was the first holder of the qualification to receive this prize.

Notes

See also

• List of watch manufactures

External links

• Official Piaget website
• Kimberley Process Certification Scheme
• Council for Responsible Jewellery Practices
• Fondation de la Haute Horlogerie
• Article in Men's Vogue

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