In 1874, at the age of 19, Georges-Édouard Piaget embarked on a journey that would revolutionise the world of horology and haute joaillerie.
Georges-Édouard developed his passion for watchmaking in La Côte-aux-Fées, a small village in the canton of Neuchâtel in western Switzerland, originally a center for agriculture and animal husbandry.
Situated at an altitude of 1,058 meters above sea level, La Côte-aux-Fées boasts a landscape characterized by rolling hills, forests, and small streams, making it popular with hikers and nature lovers.
During the harsh winters, local farmers would take up secondary activities from November to April, and Georges-Édouard focused on the art of watchmaking, particularly specializing in the anchor escapement.
A vintage aerial photograph of La Côte-aux-Fées. Below, the small village in winter.
His guiding principle, “Faire toujours mieux qu'il n'est nécessaire" ("Always do better than necessary"), continues to inspire Piaget today.
The entire family soon embraced his passion, dedicating themselves to producing high-precision movements. The workshop on their family estate quickly became too small, leading to the business's relocation to the ground floor of the La Côte-aux-Fées chapel in 1890.
Georges-Edouard Piaget and his wife Emma with their sons and daughters in 1915. Below, a pocket watch created by Georges-Édouard for his wife at the end of the 19th century
Timothée Piaget, one of Georges-Édouard's fourteen children, became the head of the Company in 1911. By this time, the Piaget name had already become synonymous with excellence in watchmaking.
Timothée capitalized on this reputation, guiding Maison Piaget to new heights and positioning it as a trusted supplier to renowned watchmaking houses such as Audemars Piguet, Breguet, Cartier, Longines, Rolex, and Vacheron Constantin.
The 1920s marked a significant turning point for Piaget as it transitioned from a local workshop to a distinguished supplier for prestigious watch brands. The company's reputation for excellence continued to flourish, laying the foundation for its future success.
Above and below, Piaget advertisement - 1916, 1930 and 1940
In 1943, the Piaget family made a pivotal decision that would shape the company's trajectory—they officially registered the Piaget brand. This milestone marked the beginning of a new chapter as Piaget started producing and marketing watches under its own name.
Above and below, the Piaget manufacture in La Côte-aux-Fées in the 1940s
Under the leadership of Georges Edouard Piaget's grandsons, Gérald and Valentin, the company experienced rapid expansion and innovation. Their shared vision propelled Piaget to new heights, resulting in groundbreaking developments in watchmaking technology.
Gérald took charge of the company, focusing primarily on commercial and stylistic aspects, while Valentin headed movement development.
The movement assembly workshop and, below, the movement quality control workshop (with Timothée Piaget positioned on the far right) - circa 1950
Above and below, Piaget advertisements - 1953 and 1955
One of the most notable achievements during this period was the introduction of ultra-thin movements. Valentin Piaget's development of the iconic calibers 9P and 12P revolutionized the industry, setting new standards for precision and craftsmanship.
The calibre 9P, a highly precise hand-wound mechanical movement measuring only 2mm thin, was unveiled in 1957.
Piaget Calibre 9P. Hours, minutes. Ultra thin, 2 mm. 1957
The 12P, part of the craze at that time for developing automatic movements, quickly followed in 1960, presented at the Basel Fair.
With its remarkable thinness of 2.3mm, the 12P was the world’s thinnest automatic movement, earning Piaget a place in the Guinness World Records. This degree of slimness was made possible by the use of a 24-carat gold micro-rotor integrated within the movement so as to ensure efficient mainspring winding.
Piaget Calibre 12P. Hours, minutes. Automatic with oscillating weight in 24k gold. Ultra thin, 2.3 mm. 1960
The Swiss patent 339571, filed in 1959 to protect the micro-rotor solution used in calibre 12P, with Valentin Piaget mentioned as the inventor
These inventions not only revolutionised the calibre inside the watch but liberated the case and dial from technical and size restrictions, so they could become a canvas for creative expression in watches for both men and women.
A Piaget advertisement from the 1960s emphasizing the extraordinary thinness of their wristwatches
Always pushing the boundaries of innovation, Piaget made the bold decision to exclusively produce watches crafted from precious metals. This commitment to luxury and aesthetic excellence set Piaget apart from its competitors, solidifying its reputation as a purveyor of opulent timepieces.
In the late 1960s, Valentin established Piaget’s own creative studio to follow his vision for jewellery watches. Employing designers who possessed backgrounds in jewellery rather than in watchmaking, he instructed them to ‘do what has never been done before’ and encouraged them to draw inspiration from the latest couture fashion shows.
Piaget’s first High Jewellery creations in 1959 championed the playfulness of asymmetry and mixed stone cuts. Light played off in every direction from diamonds and densely woven gold.
Coinciding with the step into these new creative waters, Piaget opened its first boutique at 40 Rue du Rhône in Geneva in June 1959, celebrating its unique spin on creativity, both in high watchmaking and high jewellery, in one uniquely designed location.
A 1959 advertisement and a press article about the opening of the Piaget boutique in Geneva
In contrast to the historical buildings lining the streets of the lakeside city, this boutique was a bold statement of modernity. Instead of traditional large boutique windows filled with products, Piaget’s windows were narrow, enticing passersby to pause and admire the selection of wonders within. The boutique, known as the Salon Piaget, said it all with its sign: Piaget Horlogers Joailliers. Inside was more art gallery than store, a space to appreciate bold design and exceptional craftsmanship.
In 1966, Piaget unveiled its first ornamental dial watches, showcasing the skills of its stonecutters who expertly sliced delicate stones to celebrate their unique beauty against the warm rays of the gold cases.
The deep cobalt blue of lapis lazuli and the rich veining of malachite contrasted with the shimmering gold, woven like chainmail. Enhancing the overall effect, Piaget developed its own Palace Decor technique.
Rooted in the tradition of guilloché engraving, which had been used for centuries to enrich watch dials, Piaget liberated this technique, engraving its tightly woven gold bracelets to create rich, densely textured patterns mimicking natural motifs like treebark, fur, or frost.
Thanks to its creativity, Piaget captured the attention of the world's elite, including icons like Sophia Loren, Elizabeth Taylor, Jacqueline Kennedy, and Alain Delon.
Piaget ultra-thin belonging to Alain Delon, pictured with Leslie Caron in 1966
Jewellery watches belonging to Elizabeth Taylor, pictured with Richard Burton in 1967
A Piaget ultra-thin wristwatch of French singer and entertainer Maurice Chevalier - circa 1970
Yves G. Piaget, son of Gerald Piaget, joined the business in the 1960s. Despite being trained as a watch engineer and later as a gemmologist, artistry and the handmade remained his first loves. “We create watches, we don’t produce them,” he was used to say.
"I started building these exchanges as some artists,
painters or sculptors do, who present their work
directly to collectors. I wanted to show that our
watches and jewellery are real works of art and
that the people who make them are real artists."
— Yves G. Piaget
Yves passionately promoted Piaget around the world, building relationships with notable figures of the 1970s and 1980s, including Brooke Shields and Ursula Andress. He cultivated what became known as the Piaget Society.
Gerald Piaget and his son Yves at the end of the 1970s. Yves was appointed President of the company in 1980.
Innovations continued to shape Piaget's journey into the 21st century, marked by the unveiling of the 21st Century Collection at the Basel Watch Fair in 1969.
Hand-sculpted gold cases, elaborate chainwork, and avant-garde designs appealed to a forward-looking clientele, positioning Piaget into a league of its own.
Collaborations with visionaries like Italian designer and photographer Alberto Rizzo revolutionized watch advertising, pushing the boundaries of creativity and reinventing the way the world perceived luxury timepieces.
A regular at Andy Warhol’s studio, The Factory, Rizzo experimented with colour, composition and light to create strikingly modern, often surrealist pictures that were the perfect match for Piaget’s extravagant creations.
Piaget advertisement by Alberto Rizzo
Piaget's commitment to innovation and excellence remained unwavering, leading to the creation of iconic collections like Possession and Limelight, each a testament to the brand's ability to blend tradition with contemporary flair.
That attention to detail and level of symbiosis between creativity and the client experience led to the Style Selector. This innovative launch at the Piaget boutique in the heart of Manhattan meant that clients, like watch lover Andy Warhol, could create their own custom design, selecting the shape of their watch case, the type of dial and bracelet and the extent of the gem setting.
Andy Warhol with Yves Piaget and, on the right, two of Warhol's Piaget timepieces. The cushion-shaped watch with rounded angles and a multi-stepped bezel was one of his favourite designs.
More than just a service, it was a lifestyle and a demonstration of Piaget’s unique and distinctive mastery. An in-house expertise and a symbol of distinctive elegance and refined extravagance, that the Maison calls Extraleganza.
In 1979, Piaget drew inspiration from the sporty elegance of polo fields – where the jet set gathers – to create the Piaget Polo, the company's first sports watch collection.
Crafted in solid gold, the Polo became the timepieces of choice for many international celebrities. Playing on the seamless integration between the dial, the case, and the bracelet, Piaget created a new style of timepieces and a new, chic and casual way to flaunt a watch entirely in gold.
Piaget equipped the initial editions of the Piaget Polo with the renowned 7P Calibre, which, at the time, held the distinction of being the thinnest quartz movement globally. This remarkable feat was later surpassed by the even slimmer 1.95 mm 8P. However, the mechanical Calibre 9P was also used for certain models of Piaget Polo.
Vintage advertisement of the Piaget Polo from the 1980s. The model's widespread acclaim led to its appearance in a diverse range of variations: round, square, gem-set, bi-colour gold, time-only, perpetual calendar, and even appearing on a leather strap.
In 1988, the luxury group Vendôme, now Richemont Group, acquired the Piaget manufacture, further solidifying its position in the high-end watchmaking industry and expanding its resources for innovation and craftsmanship.
Throughout the 1990s, Piaget introduced several new collections, including Possession, Tanagra, Limelight, and Miss Protocole with its interchangeable straps. In terms of watches, Piaget launched the Altiplano model and reinvented one of its classics, the Emperador line.
In 2001, a new Haute Horlogerie Manufacture Piaget was inaugurated in Plan-les-Ouates, near Geneva. The completion of watch cases and bracelets, gem-setting and casing-up have been brought together in this ultra-modern facility. The complex also accommodates the company’s jewellery activities.
Above and below, the Piaget facility in Plan-les-Ouates, near Geneva
Watchmaking operations such as parts production, decoration, movement assembly and adjustment have remained in the workshops at La Côte-aux-Fées, the brand’s historic site.
The Piaget manufacture in La Côte-aux-Fées
Apart from producing movements, they also handle the assembly and adjustment of the most complicated pieces.
The two facilities bring together more than 40 different crafts, giving Piaget the ability and freedom to invent and realise new ideas and products, ensuring the highest quality.
The manufacture developed various lines of mechanical movements, and in 2002, it introduced its first in-house tourbillon movement, the Calibre 600P, at the time the world's flattest tourbillon with a thickness of 3.5 mm.
In 2004, Piaget celebrated its 130th anniversary. The importance of the female audience was evident in the presentation of the Limelight Gala collection, featuring soft lines and the use of gold and precious stones.
To mark its 140th anniversary, in 2014 Piaget announced the Altiplano 900P, presenting it as the world's thinnest mechanical watch with a thickness of just 3.65 mm.
Achieving such record-breaking slenderness required Piaget to merge the hand-wound calibre with the case elements into a single entity. The 900P part of its name originates from Calibre 9P, the first ultra-thin hand-wound movement made by Piaget in 1957.
For this ambitious project, the two Manufactures Piaget - the one based in La Côte aux Fées, where the movements are traditionally made, and the other in Plan-les-Ouates, where the cases are crafted - had to closely interact. For a full three years, watchmakers, case constructors and designers worked together at each stage of development, production, adjustment and finishing in order to create a timepiece where each technical choice has an aesthetic impact, and vice versa.
To mark the 60th anniversary of the launch of its first ultra-thin watch, in 2017 Piaget introduced the 3 Hz (21,600 vibrations per hour) Calibre 430P, the second generation of Piaget’s ultra-thin manual-winding movements, the heir to the 9P, featuring a thickness of just 2.1 mm. That same year, the brand released the Calibre 1200P, representing the fourth generation of its ultra-thin self-winding movements and measuring just 2.35 mm.
Following the introduction, in 2018, of a prototype that was just 2 mm thick, in 2020 Piaget brought the Altiplano Ultimate Concept to the market as a fully developed, tried and tested watch.
This 41 mm wristwatch implemented several Piaget innovations, including a case that forms part of the movement, a unique, integrated winding crown, an ultra-thin crystal and new constructions for the barrel and energy regulation.
Comprised of 167 individual components, the Altiplano Ultimate Concept was developed and produced entirely in-house by Piaget's dedicated Research and Innovation division in a process that required the filing of no fewer than five patents.
At the Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève (GPHG) 2020, this model was awarded the “Aiguille d’Or” Grand Prix, the highest distinction honouring the finest timepiece of the year.
To mark the Maison's 150th anniversary, Piaget presented the Altiplano Ultimate Concept Tourbillon, a record-breaking timepiece boasting the same incredible thinness as its predecessor - 2 mm - while adding a sophisticated flying tourbillon.
The culmination of three years of secretive work at the Manufacture in La Côte-aux-Fées, this watch once again showcases Piaget's exceptional mastery in ultrathin craftsmanship.
Another notable addition was the Polo 79, a modern reinterpretation of the original model introduced in 1979. Unlike its predecessor, which featured a quartz movement, the Polo 79 is powered by the ultra-thin 1200P1 in-house self-winding calibre. This refined movement can be admired through the transparent case back of a slightly enlarged 38mm case.
In celebration of its 150th anniversary, Piaget is set to unveil more novelties throughout 2024.
A grand event in Paris (June 10-15) featured the debut of an exceptional High Jewellery collection named "Essence of Extraleganza," hosted at the prestigious Palais Brongniart. Showcasing a range of exquisite timepieces meticulously crafted in Piaget's ateliers, this event underscored the brand's dual identity as both a master watchmaker and jeweller.
Piaget's savoir-faire is fully expressed in this parure of carnelians, spessartine garnets, yellow sapphires, and diamonds. A masterpiece of virtuosity, the necklace features a series of carnelians with gradient orange tones and trapezoid shapes set in rose gold.
Forty Colombian emeralds with baguette cuts, weighing a total of 26.11 carats, adorn this extraordinary timepiece. Each element, articulated and highlighted by a twisted yellow gold wire, is mounted on a different plane to accentuate the relief effect.
Furthermore, the event evoked the glamorous atmosphere of the Piaget Society, paying tribute to the blend of artistry and craftsmanship that has defined the brand for over a century.
As Piaget continues to celebrate its rich heritage, it remains committed to embracing the future with elegance and innovation. piaget.com
By Alessandro Mazzardo.
Published on June 17, 2024.
© Time and Watches. All Rights Reserved. Copying this material for use on other web sites or other digital and printed support without the written permission of Time and Watches or the copyright holder is illegal.
