During the Dîner des Collectionneurs evening, organized Piaget together with us, a special series of six Black Tie watches was unveiled for Andrea Foffi.
As recounted in our article in Corriere della Sera, Yves Piaget did not sell watches but objects of desire. A brand ahead of its time, he understood very well the concept of belonging and exclusivity.
When founder Georges-Édouard Piaget opened his workshop at the age of 19, in a small village in the Swiss mountains, he already had clear ideas, one had to “always do better than necessary.” A motto that was later followed by Valentin Piaget, who told his designers, “Make something that has never been made,” and so it was.
The story of the relationship between Yves Piaget and Andy Warhol.
What does it mean to be ahead of your time? In nearly a century and a half of history, they pioneered ultra-flat watchmaking, the use of color and semi-precious stones on dials. As early as 1967, Piaget began collaborating with various artists such as Salvador Dalí or Andy Warhol, as well as appearing on the wrists of prominent personalities of the time, from Jackie Kennedy to Elizabeth Taylor and Sophia Loren, long before the concept of brand-ambassadors existed.
One of the most prominent names associated with this brand is that of Warhol. Although he has collected hundreds of other brands, when people talk about Andy Warhol’s watch, they are talking about his Piaget. His first approaches to the Maison occurred in 1973, when he began buying his first pieces, eventually owning a dozen, but it was not until 1979 that he met the visionary Yves Piaget.
What set his watch apart was the oversized stepped case, made to house the famous Beta-21 caliber. The 1980s were the roaring years of quartz, an invention at the time that was regarded as revolutionary, and one that played a key role for Piaget. The brand has kept this iconic shape alive with the name Black Tie – Vintage Inspiration, which sports the same features in a slightly revised manner and with a self-winding mechanical caliber.
Piaget Black Tie limited series for Andrea Foffi
Foffi stands out for his varied taste, ranging from the unconventional creations of independent watchmakers such as De Bethune or Urwerk to the more timeless classicism of a Patek 1518 or 5004. In recounting his experience, it becomes clear that making a custom watch is anything but a simple undertaking. One starts with a well-defined idea, but the creative path turns out to be a constant upheaval, with several trials to face.
Initially the idea for his Black Tie bespoke had fallen on a red-colored stone, such as grossularia, which he already has in several of his other collectibles. Then he wondered what combination might be most representative of Piaget’s essence.
This gave rise to 6 Black Tie with a platinum case (his favorite metal) and a unique onyx dial with baguette-cut hour markers. In several watches, two (smaller cut) stones are used to make up the hour markers, but not in Andrea Foffi’s Black Tie. There are in fact 13 large baguette-cut faceted diamonds, which also play an important role in readability.
You just have to hold it in your hand to be overwhelmed by a feeling of purity, elegance and retro style, because despite being a watch produced in 2023, it still retains its vintage character. What do you guys think of this edition?
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