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PuristSPro Piaget SIHH 2012 Report: Public Comment Edition

PuristSPro Piaget SIHH 2012 Report: Public Comment Edition

[For the PuristSPro Piaget SIHH 2012 Report: Archive Edition, please visit the Basel / SIHH 2012 page]

Usually our excellent PuristSPro SIHH Review that SJX authors also covers Piaget.

At first glance, 2012 seemed a quiet year at SIHH. After the ultra-thin automatic tourbillon of 2011, there were no major mechanical innovations from Piaget. But the Piaget aficionado could understand the significance of the 5 thema of Piaget Collection 2012. 

In the appreciation of haute horlogerie, sometimes it is not what you see but what you see with.

Theme 1: New Case of New Directions

First, the big news is a new case shape  --  Gouverneur  -- a balance between two basic shapes (round and oval) that are fundamental to art. This exclusive new classic range from the Manufacture de Haute Horlogerie Piaget is also the story of two generations of designers, a father and his son.

The oval shape enveloped by a round one and then a round shape enfolded by the oval: takes one's eyes from the case exterior to the dial centre. The Gouverneur watch embodies a stylistic approach that masks the sophistication in a gentle and harmonious journey.  There are memories evoked from formal architecture with potential for exploration of subtlety and detailed symbolism.

1) Gouverneur Chronograph

Gouverneur Chronograph

43 mm 18K pink gold case
Sapphire crystal case-back
Silver-coloured dial with sunburst guilloché motif underlined by thin gold lines
18K pink gold hour-markers
Circular satin-brushed pink gold chronograph counters
Manufacture Piaget 882P ultra-thin mechanical flyback self-winding chronograph movement
Functions: Hours, minutes, date at 6 o’clock second time zone at 9 o’clock, 30 minutes chronograph counter at 3 o’clock
Movement thickness: 5.6 mm
Casing dimensions: 12 “” (27mm)
Number of jewels: 33
Frequency: 28,800 vibrations / hour
Power reserve: approx. 50 hours (double barrel)
Finishing : Cotes de Genève, circular-grained mainplate, bevelled bridges, Piaget coat of arms engraved on the pink gold coloured oscillating weight, blued screws on bridges
18K pink-gold triple folding clasp
Brown alligator leather strap, brown lining

2) Gouverneur Automatic Calendar

Gouverneur Automatic Calendar

43 mm 18K white gold case set with 128 brilliant-cut diamonds (approx. 1.4 cts)
Sapphire crystal case-back
Silver-coloured dial with sunburst guilloché motif underlined by thin gold lines
18K white gold hour-markers
Manufacture Piaget 800P mechanical self-winding movement
Functions: Hours, minutes, seconds, date at 6 o’clock
Movement thickness: 4mm
Casing dimensions: 12 “’ (26.8 mm diameter)
Number of jewels: 25
Frequency: 21’600 vibrations / hour
Power reserve: approx. 85 hours (double barrel)
Finishing: Circular Cotes de Genève, circular-grained mainplate, bevelled bridges, Piaget coat of arms engraved on the pink gold coloured oscillating weight, blued screws on bridges
18K white gold pin buckle
Black alligator leather strap, black lining

3) Gouverneur Tourbillon

Gouverneur Tourbillon

43mm 18K pink gold case
Small sapphire crystal opening on the tourbillon carriage
Silver-coloured dial with sunburst guilloché motif underlined by thin gold lines
18K pink gold hour-markers
Tourbillon carriage opening undelined by a pink gold surrounding
Piaget Manufacture 642P ultra-thin mechanical hand-wound moon phase tourbillon movement
World’s thinnest shaped tourbillon
Functions: Hours, minutes, seconds at 12 o’clock (tourbillon), astronomical moon-phase indicator at 6 o’clock
Movement thickness: 4mm (4.5mm incl. carriage)
Casing dimensions: 12’’’3/4 x 10’’’ (22.4 x 28.6 mm)
Number of jewels: 23
Frequency: 21’600 vibrations / hour
Power reserve: approx. 40 hours
Flying tourbillon positioned at 12 o’clock, one rotation per minute
Tourbillon carriage: 3 titanium bridges
Weight of tourbillon carriage: 0.2g
Finishing: Circular Cotes de Genève, hand circular grained mainplate and bridges, hand-drawn and hand-bevelled bridges and carriage, blued screws on bridges
18K pink gold triple folding clasp
Brown alligator leather strap, brown lining
Numbered edition

A side-story of the Piaget Gouverneur regales of the passing on of skill and knowledge between two generations of designers: the father who designed all the form models in the Black Tie collection; and the son who has designed the dial of this variation. Few companies today can boast of such an exchange between two generations that endow the new Gouverneur by Piaget with its truly ageless aesthetic.

This 'continuity-of-care' is what sets Piaget from many of it's erstwhile peers let alone the other newcomers to haute horlogerie. Within the Manufactures Piaget are skills from more than 40 specialities.  There is almost no need to talk about the movements inside the new Gouverneur models because every Piaget watch will have a Piaget manufacture movement. Since Piaget has been foremost a movement manufacture that supplied all the top Houses, their mechanical prowess is indisputed.

The Gouverneur Automatic Calendar watch contains a Manufacture Piaget Calibre 800P; the Gouverneur Chronograph is equipped with the new 882P movement; while the Gouverneur Tourbillon model houses the new 642P movement. The Gouverneur line has been given an added touch of refinement through the oscillating weights stamped with the Piaget crest and available in two shades in order to guarantee perfect aesthetic harmony.  The white gold models come with a black oscillating weight reflecting the black lining of the strap; while the pink gold models reveal a gold-toned oscillating weight perfectly matching the colour of the case.

There was a gap in the Piaget gents' collection. Between the elegant but simple Altiplano,  the classic but chunky Polo, and the distinctive but quirky Coussin case shapes, there was a need for a different case that had more design motifs than the Altiplano but more restraint than a Polo.The Gouverneur case allows for all of Piaget's expertise in complicated movements to make it to elegant gents' cuffs that neither the Altiplano nor Polo could reach.

Theme 2: Piaget Reveals Inner Soul and Revives Classic Skills

Stemming from the Manufacture's realisation that they are underestimated as a watchmakers' watchmaker, they brought a few of their skills on show at SIHH.  Represented this year were specialists from the watchmaking, gem-setting and bracelet-making departments.

Rare re-editions of almost piece uniques from the Piaget catalogue were shown to remind us of the great dial work from Piaget.

Check out the stone dials available. The last example in opal is most stunning but alas, it is a tiny bijoux for ladies.

Theme 3: Piaget Fired Up by Enamel

Anita Porchet has been working on special pieces for Piaget. We have already seen the quality of the miniatures for the Dragon  & Phoenic Collection.

To match the "Piaget Limelight Garden Party" theme, Ms Porchet also painted 2 masterpieces and they are piece unique watches in grand feu enamel.

I laid them side by side for the photo but already I have identified my favourite piece. Which one do you like?

Theme 4: Piaget Limelight Garden Party Secrets

As prematurely revealed in the previous paragraph, the other main collection of 2012 was the Limelight Garden Party with matching items for décolletage, wrist and fingers.

The ongoing play by Piaget with secret watches continues with this theme.

This has been influential with the other brands following Piaget to introduce ladies' watches with gemstones and rotating animations.

Theme 5: Piaget Goes Light and Dark

During a tour of the Manufactures by PuristS in 2008, we suggested that it would be nice to have a skeletonised Altiplano Automatic watch about 40mm in diameter and black versions of the Polo watches. At SIHH 2012, Piaget went lighter by showing a 38mm skeletonised Altiplano Automatic and darker with the Polo Forty-Five in dark stealth mode.

CONCLUSION

A consolidation year for Piaget to prepare for the next big push. They are already the 2nd biggest contributor to Richemont Group in Asia and 3rd globally. With fine haute horlogerie and the Piaget products, they cannot just buy more CNC milling machines and churn out volumes. Instead, they must prepare the groundwork.

I believe that the Gouverneur case give them the opportunity to have complicated movements in an elegant case and this bodes well for the future.

The Piaget chronograph is the thinnest flyback automatic movement in the world and until now, there was no elegant case to claim the 'dress chronograph' ground.

The same could be said for the 'dress calendar' or 'dress tourbillon' arenas. 

Now, Piaget is in the game..................

Melvyn Teillol-Foo

This message has been edited by dxboon on 2012-02-07 16:08:35

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