Piaget

Piaget is a luxury Swiss watchmaking and jewelry company, founded in 1874 by Georges Piaget, in the village of La Côte-aux-Fées.

In 1874, Georges Edouard Paget establishes his first workshop in his family farm, located in the small village of the Swiss Jura of La Côte-aux-Fées. First, dedicated to the creation of pocket watches and to the production of high precision watch movements that renowned brands order from him, the Piaget name soon extends beyond the borders of the Neuchâtel region.  In 1911, Timothée Piaget, son of Georges Piaget, takes over the control of the family company. From then on the factory dedicates itself to the wristwatches.

Under the initiative of the grand-sons of the founder, Gérald and Valentin Piaget, the Piaget brand is registered in 1943. The Côte-aux-Fées factory produces from then on its own creations and develops worldwide.  As a result of its expansion, the family company opens a new factory more oriented towards the innovation and the extra-flat movements at La Côte-aux-Fées in 1945.

In 1957, the Côte-aux-Fées factory releases the Caliber 9P, first mechanical movement with extra-flat manual winding up (2mm thick). Furthermore, the Piaget collection becomes more diversified. On top of the money-watches, ring-watches, clips-watches or cufflinks-watches, the brand creates its first jewelry ornaments. In 1957, the Emerador watch for man, which has become a flagship model of the brand, is launched. The expansion of the company leads to the opening of another factory in Geneva dedicated to the jewelry, and in 1959, of its first boutique. Then in 1960, the Piaget watchmakers develop the Caliber 12P, the flattest mechanical movement in the world., with its 2,3mm of thickness (officialized in the Guinness Book).
Personalities such as Jacky Kennedy, Gina Lollobrigida and Andy Warhol will allow the jewelry to acquire a worldwide recognition. In 1964, Piaget presents the first watches with dials in hard stone: lapis-lazuli, turquoise, onyx or yet tiger eye. The luxury group Vendôme, presently Richemont, acquires the Piaget factory in 1988. During the 90s, new collections are launched. Possession, Limelight and Miss Protocole with its interchangeable bracelets. For the watches, Piaget releases the model Altiplano and reinvents in 1999 one of its classics, the Emperador line. The complicated pieces of fine watchmaking are regrouped in the same collection, Black Tie.

In 2001, the company develops several lines of mechanical movements including the first tourbillon movement Manufacture Piaget, the Calibre 600P, the flattest tourbillon in the world with 3,5mm of thickness, released in 2002. In 2004, Piaget celebrates the 130 years of its creation. Piaget is among the pioneers of the extra-flat movements with the movements 9P manual and 12P automatic, the flattest in the world of their category in 1957 and 1960.

A new generation of mechanical movements with automatic winding up is launched in 2006.

The 800P, with indication of the hours, minutes, central second and big date, includes two cylinders which guarantee a power-reserve of 72 hours.