Piaget

 

 

Traditional watch manufacturer, Piaget has been developing exceptional timepieces since its founding in 1874 by George-Edouard Piaget. Developed, assembled and decorated in keeping with the finest Swiss watchmaking traditions, each timepiece is a work of art that calls upon the full measure of dexterity and expertise exercised by the finest in-house artisans. Building on this wealth of experience, Piaget also actively participates in preserving and developing various precious Fine Watchmaking skills. Enamelling, engraving, guillochage, gemsetting and stone marquetry are all hand-crafted techniques that enhance the timepieces of the Manufacture which, year after year, continues to demonstrate its boundless and incomparable creativity. On the occasion of the Salon International de la Haute Horlogerie 2013 in Geneva, Piaget is once again confirming its impressive artistic mastery by presenting a collection of several Altiplano that interpret the magnificent Yves Piaget rose through different artistic craftsmanships.

First created in 1982, the Yves Piaget rose has never ceased to inspire the designers of the Manufacture with its deep red colour and its harmonious petals. They regularly give it a starring role in creations expressing its beauty in constantly renewed forms: jewellery watches, “secret” watches, models calling upon artistic crafts… Piaget is repeating this stylistic exercise this year by offering interpretations of this legendary rose created using different métiers d’art: miniature enamelling, champlevé enamelling with paillons (or spangles) and micro-mosaics. The result is a creative festival setting the stage for time-honoured techniques representing precious skills exercised by exceptional artisans.

Mosaics is a centuries-old artistic craft already used in the bronze age. Certain Greek vestiges testify to the use of pebbles to adorn outside flooring. Laid out in a well-ordered and visually harmonious manner, the latter constitute proof of the beginnings of mosaics, used as a paving art featuring white, black and red stones.

During the 7th century B.C., the mosaic technique experienced a geographical expansion and spread to the Eastern Mediterranean area, in Northern Syria as well as in Asia Minor. In parallel, the technique evolved and was no longer used only to pave outside flooring, but also to decorate inside walls.

The revolution in the mosaic technique took place in the Hellenistic period, around three centuries B.C., with the emergence of tesserae – tiny opaque or translucent paste glass cubes that provided a wide range of colours and nuances. Romans became experts in this art that was widely used in mural mosaics adorning houses, thermae (public bathing facilities) and even fountains.

It was in the 4th century that mosaic began to appear in Christian architecture in both the East and the West. The mosaics of Ravenna (Italy) marked a watershed in the history of this art. The development of coloured paste by Venetian glassmakers totally transformed the mosaic technique. The chromatic possibilities of glass and the lighter material (smalts) enabled the creation of mosaics on church vaults. From the 9th century onward, mosaic art became part of the Byzantine religious culture. Churches such as St. Mark’s in Venice, St. Sophia and St. Saviour in Istanbul continue to testify to the use of mosaic as an ornamental technique and to the talent of the artisans of the time.

Far from remaining frozen in time, mosaics enjoyed renewed interest at the dawn of the 20th century with artists such as Gustav Klimt, Marc Chagall, Fernand Léger, Joan Miro, as well as Antonio Gaudi whose mosaics such as those of the Park Güell express the artist’s interest in this technique.

It was in 1727, under Pope Benoit XII, that the Vatican mosaic workshop was created. Its mission was to produce mosaics for the church, but it also produced privately commissioned works. By the late 18th century, Cesare Aguatti and Giacomo Raffaeli, two of the most respected and renowned artists of the era, created the micro-mosaic art by discovering a new technique enabling them to make tiny tesserae measuring less than 1 mm in diameter. The latter are obtained by means of enamels that are mixed and heated to melting point at a temperature of over 800°C. The glass paste is then cooled down and cut into tiny square tiles. As well as reducing the size of the tiles, the technique developed by the two artists served to broaden the palette of available colours to a range of more than 10,000 different hues – thus enabling reproduction of the most subtle light effects and graded shades. The most delicate micro-mosaics of the time sometimes comprised up to 560 tesserae per square centimetre!

The micro-mosaic art enjoyed considerable subsequent development. It is found as an ornamental technique on boxes, snuffboxes, jewellery, as well as paintings and furniture. The main themes were ancient Roman monuments, religious scenes, landscapes, animals and flowers. The technique was particularly admired by the youthful members of European high society, particularly the British and the Germans, when doing their famous “Grand Tour” intended to set the finishing touch to their education.

The House of Piaget once again honours its creative tradition by enlisting the talents of a Rome-based artist – a worthy descendant of the 18th century masters – to create a micro-mosaic of the Yves Piaget rose on the dial of an Altiplano: A miniature artistic marvel with subtle shades of pink blossom on the face of the ultra-thin watch that has become the Piaget’s icon.

First step of  micro-mosaic creation, breaking the coloured glass into smaller pieces ...



Melting different colour of glasses ...



From solid to liquid, the fusion of glass



Stretching the heated glass to create a long and thin tesserae



The glass tesserae is stretched repeatedly till it is ultra-thin



Stretch again ...



and again ...



An infinite colour of tesserae for unlimited creativity





One by one, the tesserae are fixed on the dial to create a truly unique piece of art

PIAGET ALTIPLANO MICRO-MOSAIC DIAL

Reference: G0A38082

Case: 38mm of diameter, 18K white gold case set with 78 brilliant-cut diamonds (approx. 0.7 ct).

Dial: Hand-made micro-mosaic representing an aesthetical interpretation of the rose Yves Piaget

Movement: Manufacture Piaget 430P, ultra-thin mechanical hand-wound movement.

Strap: Satin with white gold ardillon buckle

Limitation: Limited edition of 8 pieces

 

 

 

The art of enamelling

A distant cousin of crystal, the origins of enamel can be retraced to the shores of the Mediterranean. From Ancient Times onwards, it was used to embellish jewellery and other adornments, before spreading across Europe. Composed of glass mixed with metallic oxides serving as colourings, enamel offers an infinite range of colours and shades.

The raw material comes in pieces or as a coarse powder, and is ground in a mortar in order to obtain a very fine powder that is then thoroughly rinsed. The cleaned and ready-to-use enamels are stored in distilled water.

Enamel is then applied to a die made of copper, silver or gold. Representing the only materials with the intrinsic qualities required for this technique, they will form the supporting base of a delicate work of art. In keeping with its tradition of excellence and with its motto “Toujours faire mieux que nécessaire – Always do better than necessary”, the Manufacture Piaget uses exclusively gold dials for all its enamelled creations. Depending on the thickness of the metal part, it will need to undergo an enamel-backing operation that will protect the base from being deformed during successive firings in the furnace – for it is when heated that enamels reveal their full brilliance, and enamellers disclose the extent of their art.

Firing is a crucial stage in the creation of a dial, since it fixes the material in place in on the die. The latter is heated in a furnace set to a temperature of more than 800°C for a period of time ranging from 40 to 60 seconds. This technique, known as grand feu enamelling, endows the model with exceptional purity and guarantees outstanding longevity.

Since enamel contracts when heated, it will take several firings in the furnace to achieve a beautifully intense colour and to ensure that all the cavities are filled. This stage plays a crucial role in the process: it is at this point that micro-fissures may appear and destroy the artisans’ work, forcing them to start all over again.

After the first firing, the enamel spills over, which is why the whole surface must be smoothed over with sandpaper and water. While this process does indeed level off the surface, it also gives it a rather dull matt appearance, which is why the piece must be fired one last time to restore its brilliance, an operation known as “glaze firing”.

Enamelling was initially used in goldsmithing and jewellery, before being taken up by watchmakers in the 15th century. From then onwards, artisans constantly refined and diversified their techniques. Champlevé, cloisonné, flinqué and miniature enamelling are all means of playing with a material over which time has no hold.

Champlevé enamelling

Champlevé enamelling is an age-old technique that consists in engraving a movement on a supporting base before filling in the cavities thus created with enamel. The engraver uses a drypoint to trace the desired motif on the watch dial. Then, while “sparing” or avoiding the contours, he hollows out the cavities known as fields or champs in French – hence the name of the technique that literally means “raised fields”. He thus achieves a relief engraving known as taille d’épargne or literally “spared engraving” – sometimes referred to as black enamel tracery – of which the incisions vary in length and width according to the desired effect and feature edges that are as cleanly defined as possible. The enamels are then placed in the cavities before being melted by firing at over 800°C. Several firings are indeed required in this process that culminates in a lapping process designed to smooth out the enamel and a glaze firing to give the work its final shiny appearance.

Calling upon both the art of the engraver and that of the enameller, this technique has been chosen by the Manufacture Piaget to embellish to a 38 mm white gold Altiplano model. Sublimated by a deep black enamel, the contours of the petals on the Yves Piaget rose thus spring to life and sparkle thanks to the gemsetting composed of brilliant-cut diamonds accentuated by a thin white gold border. Adding a further touch of graceful charm, paillons or spangles, created by a thin sheet of cut-out metal foil tucked between two layers of enamel and serving as a decoration, endow the enamel with additional brilliance and a delicate shimmer that further enhance the beauty of the motif which thus sparkles with dazzling radiance. A the crossroads between traditional technique and modern design, this exclusive 8-piece limited edition involves meticulous work and creates a powerful graphic effect that will appeal to the most demanding watchmaking devotees as well as to the most experienced art connoisseurs.

PIAGET ALTIPLANO CHAMPLEVÉ ENAMEL WITH PAILLONS

Reference: G0A38084

Case: 38 mm in diameter, 18K white gold set with 78 brilliant-cut diamonds (approx. 0.7 cts).

Dial: Black grand feu enamel dial crafted according to the champlevé technique and adorned with paillons. Yves Piaget rose made of white gold set with brilliant-cut diamonds.

Movement: Manufacture Piaget 430P, ultra-thin mechanical hand-wound movement.

Strap: Satin with white gold pin buckle

Production run: Limited edition of 8

Miniature enamelling

Among the various techniques, miniature enamelling, also known as miniature enamel painting, is probably the one that calls for the greatest patience and artistic expertise. The enameller covers a gold plate with a layer of fired enamel that will serve as the supporting base for the motif. The latter is then entirely hand-painted, layer by layer, repeatedly fixing the paint at each stage by a firing operation. Since the colour of the enamels becomes more intense with each firing, the enamel artist must fully master the enamels and be well acquainted with their chemical and physical properties. She must also foresee the progressive effect on the colours of the successive and to-and-froing between the workbench and the furnace in order to plan on the number of firings required for the creation to achieve its full brilliance. Once the painting is complete, it is protected using the Geneva technique involving a transparent flux enamel that gives a distinctive depth and glow.

The materials for enamel work -  the enamel powders ...



Some stored in bottles, some in containers ...







Raw enamel comes in pieces, and then ground to fine powder ...



Enamel powder mixed with oil-based to create the desired colour



Samples of the enamel colours ...



Little by little, details were painted on by the master enameler ...

More than just an exceptional hand-crafted technique, miniature enamelling calls upon the art, the dexterity and the artistic sensitivity of the master-enameller who thus also becomes a painter. An art based on rigorous care, patient endeavours and concern for details, miniature enamelling continuously inspires the Piaget designers who thus give free rein to their talent and their imagination.

This year, the designers of the Manufacture de Haute Horlogerie Piaget drew inspiration from the Yves Piaget rose. Housed within an ultra-thin white gold Altiplano watch with its iconic design, this precious and delicate miniature painting by the exceptional enamelling artist Anita Porchet features a surprising delicate pastel pink background against which a flower with intense and vigorous petals blooms in radiant splendour. Crafted in various shades of white and grey, this rose offers a stunning combination of depth, subtle details and nuances. It appears to literally spring to life before our very eyes, as if preparing to blossom even more fully. A magnificent one-of-a-kind creation that will delight devotees of Fine Watchmaking and of exceptional works of art.

PIAGET ALTIPLANO MINIATURE ENAMEL DIAL

Reference: G0A38083

Case: 38mm of diameter, 18K white gold case set with 78 brilliant-cut diamonds (approx. 0.7 ct).

Dial: Grand feu enamel dial with a Yves Piaget rose realized in miniature enamel.

Movement: Manufacture Piaget 430P, ultra-thin mechanical hand-wound movement.

Strap: Satin with white gold ardillon buckle

Limitation: Unique piece

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