Watches & Wonders 2022: Piaget’s New Watches Boast the Best of Watchmaking and Fine Jewellery

If you’re a fan of Piaget, Watches & Wonder 2022 Geneva couldn’t have come at a better time.

This year, the Swiss luxury watchmaker and jeweller has gone all out on the horological and jewellery front, creating new timepieces that will easily earn you double takes. Read on to learn more about these mechanical and gem-set wonders.

Polo Skeleton

Diamonds might be a girl’s best friend, but Piaget wants to make a case for the big boys too. The Maison has redefined sports chic this year with the 42mm Polo Skeleton, this time shedding its mechanical demeanour for a look that’s way dressier. 

An exemplary example of its high watchmaking and fine jewellery expertise, the new skeleton watch sees 1,747 brilliant-cut diamonds paved around the bracelet and case, its brilliance and grandeur is only shadowed by the technical feat that is its 2.4mm thick movement within, the 1200S1 self-winding ultra-thin skeleton Manufacture calibre. It’s currently one of the world’s thinnest mechanical self-winding movements, and the intricate marvel bares itself for all to see here, with contrasting grey finishes that help the movement stand out even more from its icy facade.

Altiplano Ultimate Concept

Anyone well versed in the art of watchmaking knows just how much every millimetre counts, and while big is always better, the opposite is always true when it comes to creating watch movements. Piaget has always been a competitive player in the world of micro-engineering, most evidently from the Altiplano Ultimate Concept.

The watch, which won the prestigious Aiguille d’Or prize at Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève in 2020, measures only 2mm in height, thanks to an ingenious solution of merging the movement with the case. While once a concept, Piaget is now offering the watch for sale as a unique piece. The dial isn’t randomly dotted with Superluminova stars either; instead, its placement replicates the night sky above the watchmaker’s manufacture in La Côte-aux-Fées at the exact date and time of the watch’s creation. This detail is also inscribed at the 2.30 position within a small window.

To keep the focus on the mechanical wonder within, Piaget keeps the rest of the watch simple with a satin-finished bezel, caseback, and lugs, as well as a dark blue alligator strap.

Limelight Gala High Jewellery

Swathed with over 250 diamonds and crafted from 18-karat white gold, the Limelight Gala is hard to miss. Despite its tremendous elegance, Piaget reiterates that its not just another jewellery watch; instead, it’s a show of the brand’s goldsmithing and gem-setting expertise. Over 175 hours are required to complete just one of these iced out babies. 

A fully integrated and articulated diamond-set bracelet hugs the wrist ever so gently, blurring the lines between timepiece and jewellery. 

Limelight Gala Aventurine

Another iteration of the Limelight Gala that turned heads at Watches & Wonder Geneva 2022 is this aventurine version. The starry dial— flanked by an elegant swirl of 62 brilliant-cut diamonds — transforms the entire timepiece here, which is by now already well known for its distinctive asymmetrical lugs that extend into a sweeping curve around the face. 

The design — which has history dating back to the 1970s — is complemented by an equally noteworthy movement: the self winding 501P1 manufacture movement. This updated movement beats at 4Hz instead of the previous 530P’s 3Hz, lending greater beat stability whilst keeping power reserve at a solid 40 hours. An intricate Milanese mesh strap, which takes at least eight artisans over 100 hours to create — keeps things classy and wearable for any occasion.

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