By Roberta Naas
Stunning new timepieces unveiled last month in Geneva demonstrate the ability of top brands like Van Cleef & Arpels, Piaget and Bulgari to take haute jaoillerie and high watchmaking to new levels. Here we bring
The best known of Piaget‘s timepieces are its extra-thin wristwatches that come in all shapes and sizes, with the round Altiplano being most quintessential. Named after the Altiplano plains in South American, the Altiplano is the centrepiece of Piaget’s SIHH 2017 line-up that was relatively compact, perhaps a result of its chief executive’s retirement that was announced just after the fair. Piaget’s very […]
Having eased out top management earlier in the year in the wake of a 51% drop in first half profits, Richemont is now turning to its subsidiary brands. Bloomberg reported earlier today that the chief executives of Dunhill, Jaeger-LeCoultre, Vacheron Constantin and Piaget will be leaving, confirming speculation that had been brewing since last year. Swiss newspaper […]
This was predictable. After the announcement by Richemont of first shakeups, by abolishing the CEO and CFO roles, by appointing Jérôme Lambert as head of operations, by appointing Georges Kern as head of watchmaking, marketing and digital and already scheduling several drastic actions for the group, it’s now time for the big reshuffle at the head of the brands. The CEOs of Jaeger-LeCoultre, Vacheron Constantin, Piaget and Dunhill will be out in the coming weeks.
The SIHH 2017 was my 19th attendance to the Geneva-based fair. What a pleasure to tour the inescapable Geneva Haute Horlogerie rendez-vous, which has been great vintage indeed! Here’s my top ten favorite watches, after over 2,000 pictures shot. These are presented without specific order, focusing on gents watches (no mention therefore of the magnificent jeweled watches from Cartier, Piaget or Van Cleef and Arpels). A tough choice but as we had to pick ten, here we go with my personal highlights…
Launched with great fanfare in the middle of last year – see our introducing article – the Piaget Polo S was both a breath of fresh air for Piaget and, at the same time (and unfortunately) the most controversial watch of the year 2016. This is the sad part of the story. This watch is great… alone. But it lives in a market full of competitors. It seems that Piaget heard the complaints and for the SIHH 2017, some new limited editions have been showed, the Piaget Polo S Black ADLC / Rubber 3-hand and chronograph – a world of difference… And that’s were the deal becomes pretty interesting.
2017 marks the 60th anniversary of the Piaget Altiplano – a timepiece that is famed for its slim profile and elegant good looks. …
It is now a tradition for watchmakers to observe Chinese New Year by creating beautiful, decorative timepieces. The rooster is the eleventh sign of the 12-year zodiac cycle. According to Chinese astrology, the rooster is loyal and punctual – a great fit for a timepiece! Check out these pieces by Jaquet Droz, Ulysse Nardin, Vacheron Constantin, Piaget, Chopard, and Panerai.
Not known to many, Piaget was a pioneer in the designing and building of ultra-thin movements, a trademark of the company. They made their mark in the watchmaking world with the introduction of the ultra-thin hand-wound Caliber 9P in 1957 and subsequently, releasing the Caliber 12P in 1960 when it was known to be the world’s thinnest automatic…
In 1976, a little known (in modern time) watchmaker named Jean Bouchet-Lassale was making ultra thin movements in the fairly esoteric category of “prestige watches”. In magical terms, “the prestige” refers to the final act of an Illusionist where he performs an act of illusion so nigh miraculous and beyond common understanding that it…