History
THE BEGINNING - 1874
In the Swiss Jura mountains at over 1000 meters altitude, sits the small village of La Côte-aux-Fées. This is where Georges-Édouard Piaget ignited the spirit of our Maison.
THE PIAGET DYNASTY
Georges-Édouard Piaget felt a passion for watchmaking from a young age, in 1874 at only 19 he set up his first workshop on the family farm. Here, he dedicated himself to creating high precision movements and components. Even in these early days, his motto "always do better than necessary" is what pushed him to have a self-surpassing attitude that would continue to motivate Piaget today.
From La Côte-aux-Fées to the world, from the farm to the Atelier, what drives Piaget remains the same, a dedication to excellence.
AN EVOLUTION
Piaget evolved at the hands of Timothée Piaget, Georges-Édouard's son. He transformed the company from being a manufacturer of movements to a creator of luxury wristwatches and pocket watches. In 1943 Piaget became a registered trademark and two years later, a new larger manufacture was set up in their home of La Côte-aux-Fées, laying the groundwork for the Piaget we know today. This acceleration was carried on by the third generation of the Piaget family, Gérald and Valentin Piaget.
THE REVOLUTION OF ULTRA-THIN
The obsession with the ultra-thin started with Valentin Piaget, who pursued this sleek technicality to cement it as a signature of the brand. In 1957, the mechanical hand-wound 9P caliber is what brought Piaget to center stage for ultra-thin movements, causing a splash at the Basel Fair. In 1960, the journey continued with the ingenious micro-rotor concept that enabled Piaget to create the thinnest automatic movement in the world, 12P caliber This established Piaget as the reference for elegance in men's ultra-thin watches.
HIGH JEWELLERY DEDICATION
In 1959, the first "Salon Piaget" was launched in Geneva. It was created to be a welcoming place where Piaget could share our creativity and savoir-faire, by showing the first of Piaget's luxury jewelry creations alongside refined timepieces.
Geneva also became home to Piaget's ateliers that specialized in goldsmithing and gem-setting, meaning the Maison could master every aspect of the production of our fine pieces.
THE AUDACITY OF STYLE
Another motto that has defined the history of Piaget was coined by Valentin Piaget when he asked Maison's designers to "do what has never been done before."
This instruction is what caused a sensation in 1963 when the first watches with ornamental stones set into the dial were released. This was explored further with the era-defining and vibrantly colorful "21st Century Collection".
It was these glamorous and daring designs that attracted the attention of some of the brightest shining stars of the time like Jackie Kennedy, Elizabeth Taylor, and Sophia Loren. This display of artistry is also what laid the foundations for great friendships with artists, beginning with Salvador Dalí in 1967.
INTRODUCING PIAGET SOCIETY
Piaget became synonymous with elegance, luxury and "beautiful people" under the 4th generation of the family with Yves Piaget.
Piaget events became the place to be. The relaxed elegance of the time was crafted in gold in 1979 with the Piaget Polo watch, becoming the emblem of an era of luxury and tying the brand to Polo, the sport of kings.
AN ERA OF VIBRANCE
At the end of the 20th century, Possession was the collection that allowed Piaget's spirit of freedom to flourish, with playful pieces that expressed the complete mastery of savoir-faire developed by the Maison.
From luxury watches to fascinating high jewellery creations, it marked the future of Piaget and brought in the new century. It also marked the birth of Altiplano, an ultra-thin watch from the collection which was renamed after the South American plateau.
In 2001 Piaget also opened a new Atelier in Plan-les-Ouates, sowing the seeds for the exciting future of Piaget.
