In-Depth A Brief Tour Of Piaget's Modern History In Nine Watches

To better understand this connection between past and present, we caught up with Jean-Bernard Forot, head of Piaget's patrimony department and gatekeeper to Piaget's archive of 1,200 watches and 250 pieces of jewelry. Plus, Forot worked closely with Yves Piaget, the fourth and final generation Piaget, before the company was sold to Richemont in 1998, and which makes Forot something of a gem: he had a front row seat to how the house transitioned from a family-owned business to part of a larger group.

At the core, Piaget's is a family story. "We're in a global group now, but before there was a kind of discrepancy – between how a family thinks about its business, and how the group thinks about the business," Forot says.

And ironically, it was never about the family. "It was always the client, then craft and artisanship, and the family after. The family has never been first," says Forot. "If the client wanted something, somewhere – even on Christmas Eve or New Year's Eve – Mr. Piaget would deliver. His own family was always after."

Understatement was truly Piaget's raison d'être, which partly explains why its history – and mastery of ultra-thinness in particular – feels somewhat eclipsed these days, most notably by Bulgari and its award-winning Octo Finissimo. But Piaget has never been one to shout about its achievements, which today feels at odds with the slick marketing machines and high-profile launches that have become the norm. "It's very complex to understand today because we are in the world of image – with artistic directors and strong visibility," explains Forot. All that's likely to change, however, as Piaget CEO Benjamin Comar – previously head honcho at Chanel and Repossi – heads into his second year in the top job.

But till then, in full Piaget spirit, we're letting the savoir-faire do the talking. Here, we ask Forot to pick nine important watches from Piaget's archives that have played a starring role in its history – and today.

Founded in 1874 in the small Swiss village of La Côte-aux-Fées, Piaget's history is defined by one key date – 1957 – which marks a kind of Before-and-After in Piaget's history. This was when the house introduced its ultra-thin 9P hand wound mechanical movement, a caliber that would revolutionize both the brand and the watch industry itself.

But the seeds of ultra-thinness were planted well before 1957. "Even in the advertisements of 1916 or 1922, there was mention of ultra-thin components and ultra-thin movements. So it was always a main focus," Forot says.

Cutting its teeth as a subcontractor supplying watch components for other brands, Piaget evolved to a maker of wristwatch and pocketwatch movements. With Gérald and Valentin Piaget, the third generation of the Piaget family, at the helm, the company registered its trademark in 1943. The 1940s were a time for exploring ultra-thinness, like in this pocket watch, and a collection of standout coin watches. The latter essentially sliced a 20-dollar coin in half, integrated a tiny movement, then fixed it all shut with a clasp.

"When you close the clasp, it looks almost like the original coin, but just a bit thicker," Forot says. "This is the perfect expression of ultra-thin watchmaking. Piaget has never done big watches. In 1942 and 1943 we were already doing this kind of coin watch, which paved the way for the arrival of the 9P."

The 9P movement of 1957, at a groundbreaking 2mm thick, made it possible for Piaget to create super-sleek watches that were much thinner than others on the market ("They looked thin, but ours looked very, very thin," Forot explains). It also meant more fabulous jewelry watches with bigger dials.

Ultra-thinness was a deliberate choice. "Piaget wanted to be different," explains Forot. "1957 is pretty late for a first watch versus the competition and Piaget decided not to focus on functionality – the watch of the driver, the watch of the aviator, the watch of the submariner. They decided to create a watch that was a kind of passport of distinction. So, basically, a dress watch."

Once the 9P arrived, "the house said 'This is the Piaget style. The Piaget aesthetic.' And the rest was left aside."

That also explains why nearly all vintage Piaget watches are either yellow or white gold, or platinum, the latter reserved for the most high-end pieces (rose gold was super rare, says Mr. Forot). "Piaget decided only to use precious metals because the movement was so sophisticated," Forot says. After registering its trademark in 1943, the house had produced steel watches. but only until the 9P landed in 1957. The material wouldn't appear again until 2000.

This particular white gold 9P is from 1957 and hints at an imminent icon. "In this piece, we already have all the stylistic elements of the future Altiplano. At that time, there was no model name. It was only 'an ultra-thin watch,' or 'a jewelry watch,' or 'a cuff watch'," Forot explains, pointing to the striking, stick-style hour markers. "They're exactly the same that we will find in 1998, when the name Altiplano arrives."

Three years later came the 12P, the self-winding follow-up to the 9P. Sized slightly bigger at 2.3mm, the proportions were unheard of compared to the usual 4mm thicknesses of other self-winding movements on the market, at nearly two times thinner. "There were watchmaking experts at the time saying that the 12P movement was too thin – that it couldn't work," Forot says. "It really was a revolution."

The advertisements say it all. "The thinness of the movement was always a subject of promotion – 2.3 millimetres was written on the advertisements because it really was that amazing," Forot explains.

Set with a striking ruby root dial, this watch signaled the arrival of the ornamental stone dial. It will become another key Piaget design hallmark – and continue to baffle its peers along the way.

"Mr. Piaget told me that at the time, his competitors didn't know how to make these kinds of dials. It's a very specific know-how," Forot recalls. "Other brands were dyeing their dials with lacquer, because they wanted the color. They understood the revolution of color, but didn't know how to make an ornamental stone dial. Later they got it, of course. Chopard and others. But at that time, Piaget was first."

In 1967, former First Lady Jackie Kennedy bought this oval-shaped beauty rimmed in diamonds, with four emeralds matching its eye-catching green dial. The dial is especially unique – its range of greens and striations underscoring how each stone dial truly is unique. "They were very distinctive," Forot says, and adds that apart from onyx, "where black is black," the likes of Piaget's opal, coral, and lapis lazuli stone dials each give off unique shades. Plus, the dial's thickness of only 0.7mm made it even more precious. "There's no gold base, so it can break very easily."

Piaget started producing this model around 1965 (they continued till the 1990s, and today elements of its style can be found in the Extremely Lady collection). In its heyday, the model was a true must-have. Forot recalls seeing the cover of an American society magazine where eight women from Dallas were all sporting the model; the likes of Sophia Loren and Elizabeth Taylor were also fans. "The watch was really up-to-date and fashionable," Forot says.

For a few short but defining years between 1969 and 1972, Piaget created the 21st Century Collection. A futuristic name for a line with a daring, fashion-forward aesthetic. The collection was created to be worn with the most avant-garde Parisian fashions from the likes of André Courrèges, Yves Saint Laurent, and Paco Rabanne. "Piaget wanted the creations to be really integrated in the era, and not just to create something out of nowhere," Forot explains.

The collection was exemplified by textured yellow gold and bold, vibrant color, like the turquoise and lapis lazuli plates in this fabulous cuff watch, the yellow gold carved into a bark-like finish.

"I chose this piece because it has a lot of Piaget's style elements: the gold work and combination of two ornamental stones. The presence of colour is very strong," Forot says. The bark effect also nods to Piaget's main muses – nature and couture – while the clasp highlights the engineering (it's hidden behind the colored plates, for a fully integrated look). And they're powered, of course, by the 9P movement.

Produced for only a few years, the 21st Century Collection is especially coveted by collectors today. Piaget's archives include rare designs with jade, lapis lazuli, and tiger's eye, but it's an unusual coral and jade number that, for Forot, is the one that got away. "I couldn't buy it at Christie's in Geneva. I'm still angry because it was an amazing piece and I'm still dreaming of it."

This piece, inspired Piaget's Limelight Gala collection, launched in 2013 on the watch's 40th birthday. The design stands out for the bracelet's carved gold finish, which adds dimension and texture, and a motif that also extends to the dial. 

"This watch is so elegant – it's shiny but not too much," Forot says. "The art of the engraver is to make the structure [of the bracelet's links] disappear." Meanwhile, the gem-setting is equally masterful and fine. "Each diamond is independent, so you can lay the watch flat. It's not something very bulky."

When the Polo launched in 1979, its name nodded to the sporting pastime of the "Piaget Society" beau monde – which included tastemakers like Elizabeth Taylor, Andy Warhol, and Salvador Dalí; the latter two were even collaborators with the house. And the watch of choice? This ultra cool, second-skin-like yellow gold Polo with a notably integrated bracelet and specially treated dial to echo the clean, striking lines – the whole thing was crafted in satin and with polished effects.

The Polo was equally fashionable within, too: Powered by Piaget's in-house extra-flat 7P quartz movement, which launched in 1976, the caliber was the thinnest quartz movement at the time at 3.1mm thick. "It was very chic to have a quartz movement then," Forot says. "You put it on the table and it still worked when you put it on again." The 7P helped to shelter Piaget from the biggest crisis to ever hit the watch industry, as Japanese quartz movements flooded the market. "Piaget decided to anticipate and develop its own movement, so the majority of Piaget Polos all had the 7P or the smaller 8P," says Forot (the 7P being for men's models and 8P for women's, with both often purchased as his-and-hers watches).

The mens' 25mm square model and 34mm round model were the most popular, and looks-wise, really struck a chord with the style set who were channelling the era's move to more relaxed, sporting luxury, and seeking pieces for everyday versus the elegant evening watches of yore. "Polo was our first elegant sports watch," Forot says.

It was also the maison's first model with a name. This came courtesy of the American market. "Piaget had decided not to give the watch a name, but the director of the US was such a good businessman and so convincing, that they accepted 'Piaget Polo'," Forot recalls. "He wanted to order 40,000 of the Polo a year, in steel and gold. But Piaget refused. They only wanted gold – either white and yellow or bi-colour. They never accepted to produce steel – even with an order of 40,000. They had one idea – and they kept to it."

Owned by legendary musician Miles Davis, this skeleton piece shows the Polo collection's evolution, with this particular movement produced from 1982 to 1985 (the Polo collection was discontinued in 1992 and revived in 2001).

This watch was gifted to Davis in appreciation for his regular appearances at the Montreux Jazz Festival. "Our archives have images of him wearing Piaget. Miles Davis loved watches – he always had a small box backstage with some pieces, and just before performing, he'd open it, take out a watch and go on stage. One of those was this Piaget," Forot says.

Naturally ultra-thin in construction, the watch also features a double diamond bezel and a cool, architectural case and unusual lugs that are all finished with satin effect and polished gadroons. The back also has a delicate clou de Paris finish. "Normally there's no use including that decoration," says Forot. "It's a kind of a sophistication – where the back is as important as the front. The watch is truly a jewel."