Richard Mille Unveils The World’s Lightest Chronograph

The Richard Mille RM 50-03 McLaren F1 Split-Seconds Tourbillon Chronograph weighs 40 grams (1.41 ounces), which the watchmaker says makes it the world’s lightest mechanical chronograph ever on the market. Its weight achievement is due to the use of ultra-light and high-strength materials for the case and the movement.

For this timepiece, Richard Mille teamed with McLaren-Honda, one of the best-known builders of racing cars and a company known for its work with ultra-lightweight and high-strength alloys. The watch had its first full public showing at the recently concluded Salon International de la Haute Horlogerie (SIHH).

The bezel and caseback feature Graph TPT, a Carbon TPT material whose physical properties have been improved by the injection of graphene, a nanomaterial six times lighter than steel but 200 times more resistant, according to the watchmaker. 

Richard Mille collaborated with The University of Manchester (where graphene was first isolated by Professor Andre Geim in 2004 who won the Nobel Prize in Physics for its discovery), McLaren Applied Technologies and North Thin Ply Technology, to produce a watch case machined with what it calls an improved form of Carbon TPT. 

The RM50-03 caliber has a “record-breaking” weight of just seven grams, according to the watch brand, achieved through the combination of high-tech materials and skeletonization. The baseplate and bridges are made of corrosion resistant and rigid grade 5 titanium. Some of the bridges of the split-seconds chronograph are made of Carbon TPT, as is the transverse carriage that supports the caliber with the barrel and tourbillon bridges. Attached to the caseback, this carriage circumvents the need for a casing ring, allowing the movement to be integrated into the case. The company says the caliber, despite its ultra-light-weight, was tested to be resistant to shocks of 5,000 Gs and has a 70-hour power reserve. 

The split-seconds mechanism features a new Richard Mille column wheel that now has six columns, as opposed to eight in previous versions. The watch brand says this optimizes simultaneous movement, maximal function locking and greater adjustment durability. The helical spring was replaced by a blade on the split seconds wheel of the RM 50-03.

The pusher at 8 o'clock starts or stops the seconds hand of the chronograph. The pusher at 4 o'clock stops the split seconds hand and allows an intermediary time to be read off while the chronograph is engaged. When this pusher is pressed again, the split-seconds hand catches up with the chronograph hand and simultaneously continues its course. The pusher at 10 o'clock resets the hands.

A torque indicator displays the tension of the mainspring and makes it possible to optimize the winding of the watch. A function indicator displays winding, hand setting or the neutral position—similar to the gearbox on a car—when the watch crown is pulled out. A hand at 4 o'clock displays the selected mode: W (Winding) – N (Neutral) – H (Hand Setting).

Outside of its light weight and new advancements, RM 50-03 retains all of the codes of a Richard Mille watch, including the signature Tourneau-shaped case. In addition to the fabric strap, it is available in a rubber strap injected with graphene.

The watch will be available as early as June in a limited edition of 75 pieces and a price of $980,000.

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Mouawad Opens Shiny New Boutique In Geneva

Mouawad celebrated the official opening of its newest boutique at Rue du Rhône 8 in Geneva. It is the luxury jewelry and watch company’s first boutique in Europe and the 15th globally. 

Located near Place Bel-Air, one of the most prestigious shopping street of Geneva, the store represents a modern look for the 126-year-old family business, according to Fred, Alain and Pascal Mouawad, the three brothers who serve as co-guardians of the family business.

“Not only does this boutique reflect Mouawad’s continued expansion and growth in the world, it also captures the forward-looking vision as to how the brand enchants its customers,” Alain said.

Furnishings, carpets and wall treatments in shades of grey with gold details reflect Mouawad’s corporate colors. The rounded lines throughout the space gently lead people through the displays of luxury jewelry and watches, which include a dedicated watch area and a private space for bridal jewelry. 

Strands of white-colored flower-shaped figures hang in rows from the ceiling serve as a central design element. They are styled after the company’s “Flower of Eternity” jewelry collection made of three heart-shaped petals that combine into a flower. 

Exclusively featured in the new boutique is one of Mouawad’s latest masterpieces, the Divine Muzo Pears, a diamond and emerald suite of jewels, consisting of five pear-shaped, vivid green emeralds mined in Colombia, paired with white diamonds.

Mouawad designs, manufactures and sells its own jewelry and timepiece collections ranging from boutique collections and high jewelry to bespoke pieces and objects of art. 

In addition to its jewelry and timepiece design and production, Mouawad manufactures rough diamonds through its joint venture company, Premier Diamond Alliance. 

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MB&F Goes For Speed With New HM8 Can-Am Watch

Swiss luxury watchmaker MB&F turned to the world of auto racing for its newest high design and technically advanced watch creation. The Horological Machine Number 8 (HM8) takes its inspiration from the Can-Am racing series, which would have celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2016. 

The Canadian-American Challenge Cup was a sports car racing series held from 1966 to 1987. Bruce McLaren developed his first car for the Can-Am series; Lola, Chaparral, BRM, Shadow and Porsche all had manufacturing teams. Class restrictions in the Can-Am were minimal and allowed for unlimited engine sizes, turbocharging, supercharging and basically unrestricted aerodynamics. 

The case design of the HM8 Can-Am is both curvaceous and angular with dual optical prisms vertically displaying bi-directional jumping hours and trailing minutes. The battle-axe winding rotor (a distinct feature of MB&F watches) is visible on top.

The most notable design feature is two titanium bars that run across the front of the watch that mimics a racing car’s roll bars. The back of the case reveals another automotive inspired design detail, dual “oil sumps.”

The HM8 Can-Am is powered by an in-house developed bi-directional jumping hour and trailing minute indication module on a Girard-Perregaux base movement (or engine as the company refers to it). The movement, with a 42 hour power reserve, is in full view from the top.

The bi-directional jumping hour and trailing minute displays on HM8 use overlapping discs (one for the hours, one for the minutes), completely covered in Super-LumiNova. The effect of large numerals is created by masking all of the “lumen,” with the exception of the numbers.

The visual aspect of being able to see the numbers is further enhanced by using separate sapphire crystal prisms for the hour and minute displays so light is reflected (and reversed) from the horizontal indications to the vertical rather than refracted (bent), the company says. A convex lens on the front provides magnification. 

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Piaget Launches Polo S Watch In New York With 9 'Game Changers'

Polo S chronograph with blue dial

Swiss luxury brand Piaget came to New York to launch the newest version of its iconic Polo S timepiece at an event Thursday at the Brooklyn Navy Yard. In addition, the brand unveiled nine men they described as “game changers,” who have been chosen to wear and represent the timepiece.

Polo S watch with slate-grey dial

Philippe Leopold-Metzger, Piaget CEO, said the Piaget Polo watch always had a strong association with New York, which is why the brand returned to the city for this year’s launch.

Polo S watch with silver dial

“It was here in 1985 that the Piaget polo team celebrated the watch by riding down Manhattan’s Fifth Avenue,” he told the crowd of approximately 800 retailers, VIP customers and press from around the world. “Thus, there could be no greater city or place for Piaget to celebrate the legacy of the original Piaget Polo with the launch of a new watch, for a new generation.”

Polo S chronograph with silver dial

The 42mm watch is housed in a round case that surrounds the cushion-shaped face. There are two models: the automatic Piaget Polo S, equipped with the 1110P movement with a blue, silver or slate-gray dial for $9,350; and the Piaget Polo S Chronograph with the 1160P movement for $12,400.

Polo S watch with blue dial

As part of the launch Piaget selected nine men to wear the Piaget Polo S and to be a “friend of the maison," describing each as a “game changer in his own profession and an influencer with digital power.”

They are led by actor and producer, Ryan Reynold, who is Piaget’s international brand ambassador.  The other eight men are:

* Malcolm Borwick, businessman and polo player

* Joël Dicker, novelist

* Hu Ge, actor and singer

* David Goffin, tennis player

* Mohammed Sultan Al Habtoor, artist and businessman

* Michael B. Jordan, actor

* Miyavi Musician, singer, songwriter and actor

* Jean-François Piège, chef

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Ulysse Nardin, Artemis Racing Win America’s Cup Race In Chicago

When the Artemis Racing finished first in scoring this past weekend during the Louis Vuitton America’s Cup World Series preliminary race in Chicago, Ulysse Nardin also came out a winner. That’s because the Swiss luxury watch brand is a sponsor of the Swedish sailing team. 

After four races on Lake Michigan over a two-day period Artemis took a strong early lead and held on to squeak out a three-point win with 61 points. The weekend’s performance was enough to pull Artemis from sixth to fourth place in the overall preliminary standings. 

The America’s Cup finals will be held June 2017 in Bermuda. The scoring system for the America’s Cup is a bit convoluted but the team with the most points overall during the preliminary rounds will have the opportunity to earn the equivalent of a win in the finals before actually racing.

The weekend’s race made history as it was first time in the event’s 165-year history that it was held on fresh water. With a dramatic view of the Chicago skyline in the background, the racers glided across the lake in conditions ranging from scorching hot and calm to cool and blustery.

Sailing competitions such as the America’s Cup attract a sophisticated and affluent crowd. They are smart enough to understand that in America’s Cup racing—although the boats are exactly alike and teams are evenly matched—racing conditions vary constantly and oftentimes the team that leads in the start of the race has a direct path to victory. So you pick a team, usually based on a person’s nationality, hope for the best and have a good time. 

Ulysse Nardin is promoting three timepieces for the event. The first is the Artemis Racing Marine Diver, with a “deep-ocean blue” dial augmented with bursts of the signature yellow of the sailing team on the hands and hour markers. The dial also has a pattern of sailing vessels that seem to float on the sea. The power reserve indicator at 12 o’clock features the Artemis Racing logo. The small seconds subdial window at 6 o’clock reads, “Challenger 35th America’s Cup Artemis Racing.” The logo and expression also appear on the stainless steel caseback. 

The 44 mm watch is powered by the UN-26 automatic caliber. The Artemis Racing logo and yellow stripes also appear on the blue rubber strap. Good luck trying to find this watch, however. Limited to 250 pieces and only available through Ulysse Nardin’s worldwide retail network, the watch is almost sold out, according to an official of the watch brand.

The FreakWing, Ulysse Nardin’s high-tech timepiece, contains features of the Artemis catamaran. For example, the upper bridge for the minutes is inspired by the internal structure of the rigid sail, while the texture of the rotating hours disc evokes the mesh net of the multihull. The bezel and case back are forged from carbon fiber, an element that is omnipresent in high-level sailing. 

The tourbillon in the center rides high with the Artemis Racing logo on the back. The UlyChoc safety system is a new generation of shock absorbers. Created and built in-house, it replaces three traditional microelements with just one made of silicon. The black DLC titanium case a carbon-style strap with yellow stitching makes the FreakWing lightweight and sturdy. 

In the absence of a crown, the upper and lower bezels, integrated into the movement, perform the various functions. The caliber UN-210 has an eight-day power reserve. It is limited to 50 pieces.

The Classico America is the artistic timepiece of the series. In 18k white gold and rose-gold with enamel cloisonné, the dial has an authentic depiction of the “America” schooner, which raced in the first America’s Cup in 1851. The daunting terrain of the Isle of Wight is its backdrop and pales in comparison to the ship’s colossal masts and sails. Handcrafted in-house at Donzé Cadrans, a member of the Ulysse Nardin group of companies, the process of enamel cloisonné is extremely intricate. Each cloisonné dial requires 50 hours of artisan expertise and 26 processes to complete. 

The 40mm watch is powered UN-815 COSC certified movement with a 42-hour power reserve. It is available in a limited edition of 30 pieces. 

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Daniel Craig’s James Bond Omega Seamaster Up For Auction

The Omega Seamaster 300 Bond Edition. The same watch worn by Daniel Craig in the Bond movie, Spectre will be sold at Christie's

By Gretchen Friedrich, Jewelry News Network’s social media manager 

Christie’s London is celebrating the release of the movie, Spectre, the latest installment in the James Bond series, on DVD and Blu-Ray by doing what it does best, holding an auction. Proceeds from the February 18 sale will benefit several charitable organizations. 

Items from the Spectre auction at Christie's London King Street location include an Omega Seamaster 300 Bond Edition, one of eight watches worn by James Bond himself, Daniel Craig, throughout the film. 

The Omega Seamaster 300 Bond Edition in case, photographed at Shreve, Crump & Low

Owning this Seamaster 300 is extraordinary for several reasons. In addition to gracing the wrist of an international movie star, the Seamaster 300 is an exceptional timepiece, even without the Hollywood provenance. 

Omega produced only 7,007 Seamaster 300s, the first Bond watch with a limited production. “This piece is completely sold out worldwide, making it more difficult to obtain,” said Brian Walker, marketing VP for Shreve, Crump & Low. 

The Boston jeweler is one of a select group of exclusive boutiques to carry the Omega watch line. 

Walker adds that the second hand on the dial is a retrospective of the 1950s Seamaster design, one that resembles a lollipop. Other retro features are the NATO strap and the casing, which are similar to the watch worn by the original James Bond, Sean Connery. The strap holder on the bracelet reinforces the spy theme with a "007" engraving. 

The box for the Omega Seamaster 300 Bond Edition, photographed at Shreve, Crump & Low

The classic features house modern technological mechanisms, with a Co-Axial escapement that increases precision and durability. Plus, it's resistant to magnetic fields greater than 15,000 gauss, as well as water depths up to 1,000 feet. 

The presentation box is very Bond-esque as well with a combination lock securing the precious timepiece. Even Q would be proud to wear one with this kind of hardware. 

Christie's estimates the watch will sell for £15,000-20,000 ($21,000-$28,000). The Seamaster 300 Bond edition originally sold, directly from Omega, for $7,500. 

The live auction at the London showroom is limited to invitation-only guests. Interested parties can bid on the Seamaster 300, and the other Bond-related items (such as the Aston Martin DB10, designed specifically for the movie) online on Christie's website, and by phone. 

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Jewels (And One More Watch) For Year Of The Monkey

Earrings in 18k black rhodium gold, fancy sapphires, tsavorites and fire opals by Lydia Courteille

It wasn’t easy finding jewels depicting monkeys, and more specifically the “fire monkey,” which is the animal to be celebrated for the upcoming Chinese New Year.

The Lunar New Year or Spring Festival will be celebrated Feb. 8 this year. It is near and dear to those living in Asia and those of Chinese descent all over the world. Below is a selection of jewelry (and in one case a ladies watch) from the US and Europe with artistic portrayals of the animal.

The well-known Parisian high jewelry designer, Lydia Courteille, specializes in creating wild, colorful and innovative representations of flora and fauna. So she had no problem designing two sets of whimsical earrings created with colorful diamonds and precious gems and crafted in extraordinary detail. In both instances, the pavé jeweled monkeys are dangling off of a vine attached to a pavé jeweled rose.

Earrings in 18k black rhodium gold with pink sapphires, brown diamonds, black diamonds and pink opal by Lydia Courteille

One is in different shades of pink and brown with its other hand holding a cluster of grapes made of pink opal. The second in blue shades is holding a single teardrop shaped blue agate.

This motif goes to extreme lengths with another pair of earrings in fiery reds and oranges with the monkeys in the same position enclosed in a circle of tsavorites and fire opals (top picture).

Meanwhile, the artistic Spanish jeweler, Carrera y Carrera, made a yellow gold monkey head ring with the gold on the top of the head meticulously carved in intricate detail (pictured above). The gold-carved skull is then topped with rows of colorful precious gems.

Borgioni, an American jeweler with Italian roots, created a playful charm necklace featuring a brown diamond pavé monkey in a classic pose scratching its head (pictured above). Beside the figure are two bananas made of yellow sapphire pavé.

I did a story on Year of the Monkey watches but missed one and here it is. Jaquet Droz has created two timepieces in two versions based on its Petite Heure Minute collection and inspired by the legend of Sun Wukong, also known as the Monkey King.

The dial of the Petite Heure Minute Monkey (pictured above) depicts the animal leaping onto a branch to pick a peach. These painted dials are presented in 35 or 39 mm red gold cases. The bezel of the smaller watch is set with brilliant-cut diamonds.

The Petite Heure Minute Relief Monkey (pictured above) is made of lacquer and mother-of-pearl then sculpted in gold, perched on the branch of a peach tree against a background of foliage. The artwork has been created in two versions. One is enclosed in a red gold case and the other in a white gold case with diamonds. The oscillating weight, designed to match, marries gold that is first engraved then patinated, with black onyx.

Both models are powered by the Jaquet Droz 2653.P automatic movement with a 68-hour power reserve. They are available in a limited edition of 28.

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Unique Baume & Mercier Capeland Shelby Cobra Watch Placed On Auction

Capeland Shelby Cobra 18k red gold flyback chronograph

Baume & Mercier and legendary race car manufacturer Carroll Shelby International Inc. created the Capeland Shelby Cobra chronograph collection that was released in June. 

Modeled after the Shelby Daytona Cobra, the two limited-edition watches honored the 50th anniversary of the car’s greatest achievement: finishing first in 11 out of 20 races to be crowned 1965 FIA GT champions. It was an unlikely victory as the small American car maker and its team of drivers beat the best-known and most-established car manufacturers in the racing world. 

Baume & Mercier US officials say that it was the company's most successful watch lunch in memory.

Now the two companies are partnering in a release of a one-of-a-kind Capeland Shelby Cobra 18k red gold flyback chronograph that will be auctioned at Antiquorum in New York on December 15. All proceeds will go toward the Carroll Shelby Foundation, which raises funds to help families and children affected by heart disease and provides schooling and education for underprivileged young people in the US. 

A view of the La Joux-Perret mechanical movement from the sapphire crystal caseback

An auction estimate has yet to be set for this new timepiece. Bids may be placed online, over the phone or in person.

The unique version of the Capeland Shelby Cobra is inspired by the same graphic identity codes of the Shelby Cobra race car. Unlike its predecessors, which replicated “Guardsman Blue” racing color with transparent dual racing stripes, the watch up for auction has an off-white dial with sky transparent dual blue racing stripes. There’s also blue accents on the dial and hands, a 44 mm polished/satin-finished 18k red gold case, a black calfskin strap with round-scale blue alligator lining and gray stitching, and an 18k red gold pin buckle. The inscription “Shelby Cobra 1965-2015, Unique Piece” is engraved on the case back, framing a sapphire crystal bearing Carroll Shelby’s signature. 

The Shelby Cobra

The flyback chronograph mechanism is driven by a Swiss-made mechanical self-winding movement from Manufacture La Joux-Perret. The watch comes in an exclusive presentation box that will also house an additional black leather alligator strap with round-scale blue alligator lining and gray stitching.  

The Shelby Cobra stripes

Along with the watch, the winning bidder will receive a “VIP package experience,” which the watch brand says is valued at $10,000. It includes a visit to the Shelby World Headquarters in Las Vegas, an original illustration of the Cobra signed by the Cobra driving legends, a Cobra driving experience, two custom-made racing suits, a VIP factory tour, a personal item of Carroll Shelby and a photo opportunity aboard an historical Cobra CXS2000. 

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The Ulysse Nardin Limited Edition Artemis Racing Marine Diver

The Ulysse Nardin Artemis Racing Marine Diver was unveiled Friday during a preliminary America’s Cup World Series competition in Gothenburg, Sweden. The city is one of the hosts for the sailing competition. The culmination of the 35th America’s Cup will be held in Bermuda in June, 2017.

The luxury watch brand created the limited-edition timepiece to highlight its sponsorship of the Swedish sailing team.

The Artemis Racing Marine Diver has a mixture of textures, including stainless steel and rubber. It features a “deep-ocean blue” dial augmented with bursts of the signature yellow of the sailing team on the hands and hour markers. The dial also has a pattern of sailing vessels that seem to float on the sea.

The power reserve indicator at 12 o’clock features the Artemis Racing logo. The small seconds subdial window at 6 o’clock reads, “Challenger 35th America’s Cup Artemis Racing.” The nautical theme continues with a subtle wave pattern on the unidirectional rotating bezel. The logo and expression also appears on the stainless steel caseback.

The 44 mm watch is powered by the UN-26 automatic caliber and is water resistant to 300 meters.

The Artemis Racing logo and yellow stripes also appear on the blue rubber strap. The watch is limited to 250 pieces and is available through Ulysse Nardin’s worldwide retail network.

In the 19th Century, Ulysse Nardin manufactured highly accurate marine chronometers for ships throughout the world. Patrik Hoffmann, Ulysse Nardin CEO, says this nautical heritage makes the partnership with Artemis Racing “a perfect match.”

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Yves Piaget Discusses Fashion, Watches, Jewelry And Roses

Piaget Mediterranean Garden earrings in 18K pink gold set with 5 pear-shaped emeralds (approx. 3.73 cts), 278 brilliant-cut diamonds (approx. 3.63 cts), 4 pear-shaped aquamarines (approx. 2.50 cts) and 2 pear-shaped green tourmalines (approx. 1.85 cts). You may recognize these earrings as the ones Scarlett Johansson wore on the Oscar's Red Carpet last month

Not everyone has a rose named after them. Yves Piaget does. He also has the surname of one of the world’s top luxury watch and jewelry brands.

Yves Piaget made a rare appearance in New York Thursday to promote the book about his family and company, Piaget, and for the New York unveiling of the Piaget’s new Mediterranean Garden high jewelry collection.

Piaget Mediterranean Garden necklace in 18K white gold set with 224 baguette-cut diamonds (approx. 44.82 cts), 45 marquise-cut diamonds (approx. 14.78 cts), 3 cushion-cut emeralds (approx. 7.66 cts), 3 cushion-cut green tourmalines (approx. 6.85 cts) and 2 marquise-cut emeralds (approx. 1.86 cts)

The 327-page coffee table book is the first definitive record of the brand in its 140-year history, in which Yves oversaw 50 of those years. He currently serves as chairman of Piaget, a brand now owned by the Richemont luxury holding company. The book was a two-year undertaking and the difficulty of putting such a book together was compounded because of the difficulty of finding early company records.

Piaget Mediterranean Garden Pinkb racelet in 18K pink gold set with 1 oval-cut black opal (approx. 14.82 cts), 8 marquise-cut blue tourmalines (approx. 2.88 cts), 6 marquise-cut emeralds (approx. 1.86 cts) and 12 brilliant-cut diamonds (approx. 0.73 ct)

The business was founded in 1874 in the village of La Côte-aux-Fées by Georges Piaget, a farmer who built pocket watches during the winter for extra money, according to Wikipedia. In 1911, Timothée Piaget, the son of Georges, took over the family firm and made the timepiece business a full-time endeavor. Its watches were built for other companies who placed their name on the timepiece. The founder’s grandsons, Gérald and Valentin Piaget, registered the Piaget brand as a trademark in 1943. Since then, the manufacture at La Côte-aux-Fées has produced its own creations and the family name became an international brand.

Piaget Mediterranean Garden brooch in 18K pink gold set with 1 cushion-cut yellow sapphire (approx. 20.61 cts), 16 marquise-cut yellow beryls (approx. 6.80 cts), 8 marquise-cut spessartites (approx. 3.84 cts), 8 marquise-cut diamonds (approx. 2.80 cts), 16 round spessartites (approx. 2.32 cts) and 16 brilliant-cut diamonds (approx. 1.97 cts)

“We had to go back to the archives that we didn’t find so easily, because my family was very, very modest, very simple, very authentic,” Yves says on the second floor of the Piaget’s New York boutique on Fifth Avenue. “Also my great-grandfather never signed one of his watches. The logo Piaget came in the late ’40s beginning of the ’50s for the first time. Up until that time they manufactured very sophisticated movements of watches of high quality but they didn’t put their name on a watch. So we had almost no archive.”

Yves had two stipulations for the book. He wanted the world to be aware that Piaget was a family name. In addition, he wanted the company’s craftspeople and mechanics to receive proper acknowledgment. Piaget currently employs more than 1,000 people worldwide, including approximately 400 artisans at its locations in La Côte-aux-Fées and Geneva, Yves says.

Piaget Mediterranean Garden ring in 18K pink gold set with 1 oval-cut bluish-green tourmaline (approx. 18.74 cts), 382 brilliant-cut diamonds (approx. 6.49 cts) and 7 pear-shaped green tourmalines (approx. 1.96 cts)

“I was so pleased by this book because it is the link between the past and the present but through human beings. I insisted on that and wanted the book to talk first about the human beings behind that brand until my generation. Piaget was the name of a family,” he says. “It means there are people behind it.”

He adds, “Behind the name of Piaget there are people and still today the most important people in the company are our workers: artisans, jewelers, watchmakers, designers, engineers … thanks to them we are able to present our watches and jewelry collections. The book illustrates very much that spirit, basically about human beings and then about the collections so the 140 years are really described by both human terms and the evolution of the collections. This is very important for me because it’s a proof a legitimacy that Piaget can show (to others) that lasted for four generations in watchmaking and jewelry.”

Piaget Mediterranean Garden necklace in 18K white gold set with 1 pear-shaped blue sapphire (approx. 21.71 cts), 357 brilliant-cut diamonds (approx. 20.86 cts) and 4 pear-shaped blue sapphires (approx. 15.23 cts)

In the late 1950s, the company began making watches known for being thin. In fact, over the years, including this year, the company has created some of the thinnest watches in the world, particularly with its Altiplano line. Yves says the thin watches were first borne out of solving a common problem with timepieces then later became a fashion statement.

Piaget Mediterranean Garden watch; 18K pink gold. Case set with 668 brilliant-cut diamonds (approx. 8.68 cts). Silvered dial. Piaget 56P quartz movement. Bracelet set with 12 pear-shaped green tourmalines (approx.9.43 cts) and 488 brilliant-cut diamonds (approx. 6.92 cts)

“In the ’40s, watches were very small and it was very difficult to see the time so we developed a larger face and larger movement and also made it thinner in able to make it more fashionable,” he says. “It really crated the fashion of that time, beginning in the early ’50s. It was very ingenious to make this movement very thin and this movement was part of our identity and became our icon.”

Despite creating all of their watches and movements in house, Yves sees Piaget as first a fashion brand.

Piaget Mediterranean Garden ring in 18K white gold set with 1 cushion-cut rubellite (approx. 25.09 cts) and 345 brilliant-cut diamonds (approx. 3.56 cts)

“Piaget was always known for having a wide collection with many designs. We created the fashion of watches and we lead the fashion of watches having the ultra-thin movements in the ’50s and ’60s, having been the first to decorate our watches in semi-precious stones lapis lazuli, opal tiger’s eye, jade,” he says. “We were the first to use the thinnest quartz electronic movement. That’s really our identity. Our marketing is also influenced by this fashion of watches and I would say that we promoted our watches in a more flashy way than our colleagues … The last 15 years we (created) a number of new thin calibers and Piaget today can say it has a great and long-live legitimacy in mechanical watches.”

Piaget Mediterranean Garden necklace in 18K white gold set with 5 cushion-cut green tourmalines (approx. 35.90 cts), 4 oval-cut green tourmalines (approx. 21.08 cts), 6 oval-cut aquamarines (approx. 24.84 cts), 1 pear-shaped aquamarine (approx. 23.12 cts), 233 brilliant-cut diamonds (approx. 17.47 cts) and 1 cushion-cut aquamarine (approx. 5.65 cts)

The company began creating jewelry in the 1960s to complement its watches. Yves led this effort saying jewelry was a natural progression for the company because it already had the skills in house to produce jewels. The company dramatically increased its jewelry business in the past 15 to 20 years. Today, he says, high jewelry and other jewelry collections now account for more than a third of total sales for the company.

“It was a natural link as we are in high-end luxury watches. All of our watches are in gold and platinum. Most of our ladies watches are set with diamonds and precious stones. So my forbearers and my generation always considered a watch not as timepiece but as a piece of jewelry,” he says. “In the 1960s we started to develop the jewelry business because our company is vertically integrated. It means a Piaget watch always had been manufactured A to Z in our workshops. We have on one side, engineers, technical watchmakers who manufactur the movements and on the other side we had the jewelers who design the watch and the cases and bracelets and all the settings. We have lapidaries, gem cutters, gem setters all under the same roof. I think it was quite natural asking our designers not to design exclusively watches but to let their imagination go and design jewelry. It’s the same world, the same work to design jewelry. Now we can say that we are watchmakers and jewelers.”

Piaget Mediterranean Garden earrings in 18K white gold set with 84 baguette-cut diamonds (approx. 8.20 cts), 26 marquise-cut diamonds (approx. 5.55 cts), 2 marquise-cut emeralds (approx. 1.45 cts), 2 cushion-cut green tourmalines (approx. 2.83 cts), 2 cushion-cut emeralds (approx. 2.62 cts), 1 round green tourmaline (approx. 0.26 ct) and 1 round emerald (approx. 0.22 ct).

The Mediterranean Garden high jewelry collection is very much in the Piaget tradition focusing on watches and jewelry in roses and petals done in gold and platinum and set with a mix of diamonds and colored gems.

Yves says the collection is meant to replicate the carefree, casual lifestyle of the sun-drenched Mediterranean beaches.

Piaget Mediterranean Garden ring in 18K white gold set with 1 pear-shaped blue sapphire (approx. 8.48 cts) and 116 brilliant-cut diamonds (approx. 2.96 cts)

“Mediterranean Garden is a lifestyle,” he says. “It expresses joy and sunshine. It’s another spirit we can really express compared to the spirit of our (Swiss) mountains where we are more strict and discreet because of our nature. It expresses joy, pleasure, style and luck.”

The fact that the jewelry collection interprets roses, as many of the company’s collections do, is no coincidence. The namesake of Piaget also has an award winning rose named after him: Yves Piaget Rose. Yves has had a lifelong passion for roses and has been long-time advocate for the flowers.

Piaget Mediterranean Garden necklace in 18K white gold set with 19 fancy-shaped green tourmalines (approx. 23.44 cts), 89 brilliant-cut diamonds (approx. 9.62 cts), 10 pear-shaped diamonds (approx. 3.04 cts) and 9 round Paraiba tourmalines (approx. 0.92 ct)

“Yves Piaget rose was dedicated to me personally in 1982 because I have done for roses and for the rose world and because I am very close to the rose breeders and chaired a lot of international rose competitions,” he says. “In the Geneva competition the breeder of this particular rose spontaneously decided to name it Yves Piaget. It was a very emotional moment for me.”

While the company did venture into jewelry, Yves says it will never place its brand on other products and accessories it does not make. Even the Yves Piaget Rose will never become a perfume.

Piaget Mediterranean Garden earrings in 18K white gold set with 2 pear-shaped emeralds (approx. 8.56 cts), 2 cushion-cut emeralds (approx. 5.69 cts) and 150 brilliant-cut diamonds (approx. 1.37 cts).

“We have this expertise and this legitimacy of 140 years in watchmaking and nothing else. Piaget never will produce luggage or handbags or fragrances. We do what we know how to do,” he says. “Even with Piaget rose. I never had the idea to use the Piaget rose to make a fragrance out of it…. I think it’s another field.”