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SIHH 2014 Introducing the Piaget Emperador Coussin Tourbillon Diamond-Set Automatic Skeleton

Piaget Emperador Coussin Tourbillon Diamond-Set Automatic Skeleton

Before our SIHH reporting team bring us the detailed reports, this is the first look at the Piaget Emperador Coussin Tourbillon Diamond-Set Automatic Skeleton.

Piaget Emperador Coussin Exceptional Piece 49 mm,
Diamond-set ultra-thin self-winding skeleton tourbillon
18K white gold case set with 650 brilliant-cut diamonds (approx. 4.4 cts), 92 emerald-cut diamonds (approx. 2.9 cts) and 44 baguette-cut diamonds (approx. 7.7 cts)
18K white gold crown set with 8 baguette-cut diamonds (approx. 0.2 ct)
14K gold movement with platinum micro-rotor. Movement set with 561 brilliant-cut diamonds (approx. 1.8 cts) and 71 baguette-cut diamonds (approx. 1.1 cts), 6 mm thick
Sapphire crystal case-back
18K white gold folding clasp set with 24 brilliant-cut diamonds (approx. 1.7 cts)
Black alligator leather strap
Numbered edition
G0A39039

It combines the Piaget prowess at watchmaking and gem-setting to continue their pre-eminence in those fields.

Apart from being the only watch manufacture that offers gem-setting on the functional components of an ultra-thin skeleton movement, Piaget raised the standards this year by offering a unique baguete-set skeleton automatic flying tourbillon movement.

The concurrent launch of the world's thinnest watch (Altiplano with 900P movement) cements Piaget's position as the Master of Ultra-thin. Many Piaget movements are the thinnest of their type.

Diamond-setting

600D

On the gem-setting side, Piaget surprised us in 2005 with the first gem-set skeleton movement ever made - 600D - the thinnest shaped flying tourbillon at 3.5mm thin. That was followed with skeleton gem-set round movements like the 838D (3.1mm) and 1200D (3.0mm); record-breaking thin-ness in their market segments.

1200D

1270D

Sparkling baguette-cut diamonds form a figure-of-8 around the rings encircling the flying tourbillon carriage and the oscillating weight. Each gem was re-cut and adjusted individually to create a harmoniously undulating line.

The diamond-set movement plates are made of 14K gold while, the oscillating weight entirely paved with baguette-cut diamonds is made of platinum to improve the winding efficiency. The down side is that platinum is softer than gold and paradoxically more difficult to work with.

1270D Front

Calibre 1270D posed a plethora of challenges as Piaget achieved another first in their craft; it is entirely set on both the bridge side and the main-plate side. The 71 baguette-cut diamonds (totalling approx. 1.1 carats) are accompanied by 561 round diamonds (1.8 carats) set on either side of the functional components.

Piaget gem-setters created a unique work of art, showcasing three different gem-setting techniques: rail setting for the baguette-cut diamonds, grain setting and “pushed-grain” setting for the round diamonds.

To top it all, and perhaps with cheeky flair, Piaget went on further to set the sides of the bridges. This was an unprecedented daunting task because the surfaces involved are so tiny that they can only be prepared and set by the most experienced artisans using the “pushed-grain” technique.

Piaget has even gem-set certain screws of Calibre 1270D – another amazing feat when one considers that the shape of these screws had to be specially designed to house a diamond while preserving optimal tightening torque.

This exceptional gem-setting requires 47 hours of work for each movement. Paving the entire main-plate also requires paving the functional parts – the enormity of this feat is unrecognised by non-jewellers. At just 6.0 mm thick, the 14K gold movement poses a formidable strain on the artisan's concentration to avoid distortion and preserve the functionality of the movement.

Finishing

"Toujours faire mieux que nécessaire "; in keeping with its motto "Always do better than necessary", Piaget complements the brilliance of diamonds with sublime handcrafted finishing to the mechanism. The motto is even engraved on the finished movement; a tradition that is reserved only for the best-of-the-best Piaget timepieces. Firstly, the skeletonisation has been intricately performed so there is an airiness about it. The main-plates and bridges are polished and hand-bevelled with a file before gem-setting.

The finishes include polished and gem-set platinum oscillating weight; sunburst or mirror-polished wheels hand-bevelled with a file; blind-hole and mirror-polished pillar screws; a mirror-polished barrel hand-bevelled with a file; as well as tourbillon carriage bridges hand-bevelled and hand-drawn with a file. Mirror polishing is a 'black art' involving polishing the parts with a circular movement so as to achieve a perfectly smooth surface free of the slightest protrusions in such a way that this entirely unmarked surface reflects a deep black colour.

Calibre 1270D

To realise this unique movement, Piaget went back to the automatic Calibre 1270P tourbillon movement introduced in 2011, which it recreated in 14K gold before fenestration to obtain a skeleton-type structure – with due diligence anticipating the constraints involved in gem-setting functional parts.

Remaining true to the signature features of the original 1270P movement with the oscillating weight set with baguette-cut diamonds and the bridges are visible on the display side, while the tourbillon and the hour and minute displays are in off-centred positions.

An iconic 'P' for Piaget on the flying tourbillon hovers mesmerisingly in mid-air at 2 o’clock position, weighs a mere 0.2 grams despite its 42 components including three titanium bridges. The main-plate entirely set with round diamonds reveals its radiantly seductive elegance through the sapphire case-back.

Coussin Case

The cushion-shaped white gold case is given a cloak of diamonds individually sized to envelope but to maintain the unique aesthetic of the Emperador Coussin. Highlighting the exclusive character of the movement, the case itself is a masterpiece of gem-setting requiring 136 hours work for a single watch.

Using 794 diamonds (15.2 carats) from a variety of baguette, round and emerald cuts – delineate the bezel, case profile, lugs and crown, while 24 baguette-cut diamonds (1.7 carats) adorn the clasp of the strap.

This superlative and exclusive Emperador Coussin Tourbillon diamond-set automatic skeleton exceptional piece is adorned with a total of 1,450 diamonds totalling 19.8 carats, dazzling both the mechanism and the exterior.

The may be the ultimate tourbillon man-bling and certainly achieves the Piaget themes of Master of Ultra-thin and Jeweller of Watchmakers.

What say you fellow forumners:  

As a technical and aesthetic marvel  -  Yay or Nay?

Regards,

MTF

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