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Press release
“The Biennale has become an inescapable venue for jewellers from around the world, and Piaget naturally finds its place there. We are taking part for the first time this year with 60 models illustrating the brand’s creativity and the skill of our artisans.”
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| 18-carat white gold watches |
Since 1962, when the first Biennale or Antiques Fair was held in Paris, the Grand Palais has regularly welcomed (once very two years, as its French name implies) one of the finest international art events. Pierre Vandermersh, President of the National Union of Antique Dealers, first had the idea of this Antiques Fair in the late 1950s. The support of André Malraux, the iconic Minister for Cultural Affairs under General de Gaulle, enabled him to bring his project to fruition.
Inaugurated in 1900 at the World Fair, the Grand Palais is undoubtedly one of the world’s most prestigious exhibition centres. The restoration work undertaken between 2001 and 2007 now enables the Biennale to spread over a full 13,500 square metres within this exceptional Palace of Fine Arts.
The Piaget booth is located right in the middle of the Allée des Joailliers (Jewellers’ Avenue), at the centre of the Grand Palais beneath the 45 metre-high glass dome.
"Piaget, a tradition of excellence"
Piaget’s first participation in the Biennale des Antiquaires in Paris is a natural continuation of the brand history.
The tradition of prestige and excellence cultivated by Piaget since its founding in 1874, combined with its creativity and its successive encounters in the world of Art make it a first-class player in this event. From the famous ultra-thin hand-wound Calibre 9P to the 600P world-thinnest shaped tourbillon movement, the exceptional talent of the Maison Piaget lies in its ability to perpetually reinvent time-honoured techniques, to inspire dreams by creating surprises and emotions around gold and diamonds. In the late 1950s, jewellery began acquiring increasing importance for Piaget, with the appearance of jewellery-watches. In the 1960s and 1970s, the brand’s penchant for boldness was expressed fully and freely, creating an inimitable style and an immediately recognisable identity. The brand brought extravagance to the extremely traditional world of watchmaking by introducing hard stone dials, cuff-watches, ring-watches and amazing sautoir-necklace watches. Piaget was one of the first companies to combine Haute Horlogerie and Haute Joaillerie, to create watches that were pieces of jewellery and vice versa. To look at time differently, as a precious entity that deserves the finest materials and the most accomplished expertise. To combine watchmaking know-how acquired through over 135 years with a constantly pioneering spirit. That was what led the brand in the 1960s to acquire workshops specialising in goldsmithing and precious stones in order to gain complete control of its production. Today, Piaget is a fully integrated watch manufacturer encompassing over 40 crafts and professions dedicated to the subtle and refined arts of Haute Horlogerie and Haute Joaillerie.
"The Biennale, a tribute to Haute Couture"
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| 18-carat white gold necklace set with 1095 brilliant-cut diamonds, and cuff-watch with interchangeable satin lace |
A last fitting session before the presentation of the collection! Checking the drape of a material, a bow, a net motif, tightening the lacing of a corset. In this particular case, it’s a question of lace and ribbons made from gold, diamonds and other precious stones. Diamond, rings, bracelets and watches are inspired by delicate net patterns, light embroideries, dancing fringes. Thousands of hours of work are laid out before our admiring gaze. The expertise of the 12 jewellers of the Maison Piaget is known for the care lavished on details. Each millimetre of gold is gem-set, engraved, polished or decorated. Lightness and suppleness are the watchwords. This exemplary workmanship is reflected in the choice of gemstones, which meet the highest scientific and qualitative standards.
The Maison Piaget is presenting 60 Haute Joaillerie models inspired by the world of Haute Couture. These two prestigious fields share a number of common denominators including the same pursuit of aesthetic sophistication, quality craftsmanship, sensuality and luxury, as well as creativity, extravagance and femininity.
A couture workshop was the natural choice to set the scene for the booth. Against a mainly blue monochrome backdrop, the sketches on the wall are a final reminder of a fashion runway show schedule. Inside the showcases, the gems sparkle amid the threads, swathes of silk, exquisite lacework and sewing needles. Before the fittings, the jewellery models are presented on Stockman mannequins bearing the name of Piaget. Rows of diamonds twine like the straps of a corset around a watch or a necklace. Hundreds of brilliants sparkle in a fascinating net motif on a bracelet or a ruff. Diamond ribbons are tied on a sautoir necklace. Pear-cut diamonds are “embroidered” on a diamond choker.
A gourmet nod to the preview evening
The preview evening of the Biennale des Antiquaires is one of the most elegant events on the international social calendar. The greatest art and jewellery dealers welcome collectors who flock from around the world to view, to admire and to purchase the rarest objects. This is when the most important transactions are made – in a festive atmosphere, and far from prying eyes and ears.
At Piaget, the preview takes place every day. But the cocktails and delicious nibbles will be composed of the most precious ingredients. In a showcase on the right-hand side of the booth, diamonds and colourful gemstones will be set on an astonishing series of jewellery creations. On the cocktail-inspired Limelight rings, the sugar crystals of a Sex on The Beach are transformed into diamonds, while the Piaget-style Mojito reflects the minty green shade of an almost 24-carat green tourmaline surrounded by 120 emeralds and a lemon-slice shaped citrine.
New rings inspired by delectable cakes and representing irresistible temptations will make their first public debut. These tiny colourful diamond-set éclairs and cream puffs once again highlight the amazing jewellerymaking creativity displayed by the Maison Piaget.
A second showcase will feature some of the most extraordinary complicated men’s watches born in the workshops of the Geneva-based Manufacture, thus providing a perfect expression of the twin fields of expertise so brilliantly mastered by Piaget, Haute Horlogerie and Haute Joaillerie.
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| Enamel Piaget Polo Tourbillon relatif. 18-carat white gold case and dial with grand feu enamelling according to the champlevé technique |
Piaget has an exceptionally rich watchmaking heritage, which includes an exceptional portfolio of mechanical movements entirely conceived, developed and produced in-house. But the fact that Piaget is a Manufacture de Haute Horlogerie that is truly unique in its kind is also due to the fact that this technical excellence is supported and enriched by authentic expertise in the field of jewellery.
Extreme horological complications are in the spotlight here, set off to their best advantage by their finely crafted diamond-studded cases.
The Piaget Polo watch equipped with a Tourbillon Relatif, a model exclusive to Piaget thanks to its mobile carriage suspended from the minute hand, boasts almost 730 diamonds totalling 19.3 carats. Its gem-setting alone took over 200 hours to complete.
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| The profile at 9 o’clock shows the Jardin des Tuileries, the monument of the National Assembly, the Grand Palais, the Arc de Triomphe and the Arche de la Défense |
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| The profile at 3 o’clock represents the view of several historical monuments: the Louvre and its Pyramid, the Ferris wheel located on Place de la Concorde, the Eiffel tower, and the banks of the River Seine. The winding crown, at the centre of the Ferris wheel, is set with a diamond (0.04 ct) highlighting the beauty of the capital |
Meanwhile, the Tourbillon Relatif enamel, an exquisitely enamelled model paying tribute to the city of Paris is a nod to the Biennale des Antiquaires, which since 1960 has presented the finest works of art in the City of Lights. This model combines the complexity of the Tourbillon Relatif with the sophistication of the enamelled motifs on the case. On the dial, the 12 avenues fanning out from the Place de l’Etoile are engraved in 18-carat white gold, while the sides depict the famous monuments and landmarks that have earned the city its peerless reputation. The exceptional talent of the Piaget craftsmen lies in their ability to perpetually reinvent time-honoured techniques and to inspire dreams by creating surprises and emotions around gold and diamonds.
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| Secret watch. 18-carat white gold case set with 78 brilliant-cut diamonds |
Interview of Philippe Léopold-Metzger CEO of Piaget
"The Biennale is destined to become a can’t-miss rendezvous for Piaget in the world of Jewellery".
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| Philippe Léopold-Metzger |
"The Biennale is destined to become a can’t-miss rendezvous for Piaget in the world of Jewellery". "The Biennale des Antiquaires in Paris is a red-letter event for jewellers the world over. Because of its activity in the field of Haute Joaillerie, Piaget finds a natural place within this context. We are taking part for the very first time and with our own weapons, meaning talent, inventiveness, the extreme care devoted to crafting our jewellery, and the know-how of our artisans. In due course this new adventure will doubtless lead us to review the timing of our Haute Joaillerie collection launches, since the Biennale is destined to become a can’t-miss rendezvous for Piaget in this field.
For this first edition, we are presenting 60 exceptional creations. We have opted for a specific approach corresponding to the DNA of the Maison Piaget. Rather than exhibiting large gemstones, we have chosen to display our creativity and our know-how by unveiling some highly inventive jewellery sets, including many that represent significant technical accomplishments. There will also be some playful nods. Two years ago, we launched a series of cocktail rings, and for this edition of the Biennale, we have created some “cake rings”. This is our way of emphasising the festive atmosphere of this event.
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