Piaget

As one of the world’s premier jewelry makers since the late 1800s, Piaget has a rich history of incredible artisanship and an innovative, yet playful approach to its high jewelry and watchmaking Maisons from its home in the Swiss canton of Neuchâtel. However, it wouldn’t be until the middle of the last century that an obsession with all things ultra-thin was born, under the watchful eye of the brand’s third-generation manager, Valentin Piaget. The many numerous world records for ultra-thin watchmaking that followed would soon cement the Piaget legacy as one of both elegance, and technical prowess — a legacy that endures even today.

Best-known for its dedication to the art of ultra-thin watchmaking, the Piaget family name is one of elegance and intense creativity that rose to prominence in the Swiss canton of Neuchâtel around the beginning of the last century. Now a Maison renowned for its high jewelry as well as its watchmaking innovations, the Piaget name would be cemented in watchmaking history after the development of the Calibre 9P – a 2mm thick mechanical hand-wound movement that established the category of “ultra-thin” watchmaking and laid the foundation for numerous world records, including the later development of the 12P micro-rotor concept which ultimately yielded the thinnest automatic movement in the world. These innovations established Piaget as the de facto reference point for elegant dress watches tailored for discerning men and women.

But it wasn’t just the ultra-thin that defined Piaget during its mid-century boom. The jeweler-now-watchmaker also became renowned for causing quite the sensation by combining its expertise between watchmaking and playful gem-setting, creating beautiful watch dials out of colorful ornamental precious stones, and attracting the attention of some of the brightest stars of the time, including cultural icons like Jackie Kennedy, Hollywood stars like Elizabeth Taylor and Sophia Loren, as well as artists like Salvador Dali. The modern Piaget retains many of the traditions that made its name so desirable in the middle of the last century through its future-forward references in the sporty and casual, yet effortlessly luxurious Polo collection, as well as the perennially elegant and continuously daring Altiplano watches, whose flagship, the Altiplano Ultimate Concept set a new world record in 2018 for its whisper-thin 2mm profile.

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