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Lot 119 PIAGET
White Gold and Lapis Lazuli "Manchette"
The following six lots, 119 – 124, are a superb selection of Piaget’s bracelet watches from the late 1960s/early 1970s, including several models of the celebrated "Manchette" collection. It is no exaggeration to describe these examples as artworks, masterpieces of the jeweller’s craft. In common with all good design, their innate style transcends the vagaries of fashion, as utterly contemporary today as it was nearly fifty years ago.
Piaget
Founded in 1874 by Georges Piaget in La Côte-aux-Fées, Switzerland, the company opened its first showroom at 40, rue du Rhône, Geneva, in 1959. Piaget, “the jeweller of watchmaking”, rapidly became the specialist for the world's thinnest watches and the unique style of cases and bracelets in 18K gold or platinum, the only materials the firm allowed to enter its workshops.
From 1969, under the direction of Valentin Piaget, the company saw an unrestrained explosion of creativity. The designs created were resolutely avant-garde, breaking technical boundaries with dramatic uncompromising pieces carved out of solid gold and set with bold coloured stones. These “haute couture” pieces were totally in-tune with the wider world of fashion. When they were unveiled at the 1970 Basel Fair, the Journal de Genève of 15 April 1970 commented: “this year, Piaget has indulged its taste for colour by going for dials in precious stone, carved out of solid jade, lapis lazuli, opal, coral, turquoise and tiger’s eye. And this innovation, remember, is itself a creation of the House of Piaget”.
White Gold and Lapis Lazuli "Manchette"
The following six lots, 119 – 124, are a superb selection of Piaget’s bracelet watches from the late 1960s/early 1970s, including several models of the celebrated "Manchette" collection. It is no exaggeration to describe these examples as artworks, masterpieces of the jeweller’s craft. In common with all good design, their innate style transcends the vagaries of fashion, as utterly contemporary today as it was nearly fifty years ago.
Piaget
Founded in 1874 by Georges Piaget in La Côte-aux-Fées, Switzerland, the company opened its first showroom at 40, rue du Rhône, Geneva, in 1959. Piaget, “the jeweller of watchmaking”, rapidly became the specialist for the world's thinnest watches and the unique style of cases and bracelets in 18K gold or platinum, the only materials the firm allowed to enter its workshops.
From 1969, under the direction of Valentin Piaget, the company saw an unrestrained explosion of creativity. The designs created were resolutely avant-garde, breaking technical boundaries with dramatic uncompromising pieces carved out of solid gold and set with bold coloured stones. These “haute couture” pieces were totally in-tune with the wider world of fashion. When they were unveiled at the 1970 Basel Fair, the Journal de Genève of 15 April 1970 commented: “this year, Piaget has indulged its taste for colour by going for dials in precious stone, carved out of solid jade, lapis lazuli, opal, coral, turquoise and tiger’s eye. And this innovation, remember, is itself a creation of the House of Piaget”.
Piaget. A very rare and attractive 18K white gold bracelet watch with lapis lazuli dial
Signed Piaget, ref. 9852 D65, case no. 193'033, manufactured in 1970
Closed20 July 2020
Price Realised
CHF 15,000
More Information
Specialist note
According to the Archives of Piaget, the present watch was delivered in 1970.
It is one of the rare white gold examples of the "Montre Manchette", furthermore preserved in very gold overall condition.
It is one of the rare white gold examples of the "Montre Manchette", furthermore preserved in very gold overall condition.