Piaget: Andy Warhol and the elegance of Clou de Paris

Watchmaking is an art: is that why artists love watches? They love to paint them – as Dali’s melting watches remind us –, they love to design and decorate them – as contemporary artists do with some Hublot or Swatch collections –, but they also love to wear them. As did Andy Warhol, whose name is inextricably linked to an outstanding haute horlogerie brand: Piaget.

Although the American artist owned a hundred or so timepieces from the most prestigious Swiss brands, his love for Piaget was by far the craziest: it led him to own seven of the brand’s watches and regularly attend the Piaget Society.  Today, Piaget returns to pay tribute to the Pop-art genius with a re-edition of the Andy Warhol watch featuring one of Swiss watchmaking’s most elegant and refined decorations: the clou de Paris. With this timepiece, the Maison concludes the celebrations for its 150th anniversary in style.

ANDY WARHOL AND YVES PIAGET

The communion of intentions between the artist and the Maison was mainly due to the strong friendship that Andy Warhol developed with Yves Piaget. The two met for the first time in New York in 1979, but Warhol had discovered the beauty of the brand’s watches several years before. It was in 1973 that he bought the Black Tie, which over time became the very symbol of the bond between Piaget and Andy Warhol – although that was not the first Piaget watch that the painter wore on his wrist: he owned six others, four of which are currently part of the Swiss manufacturer’s private collection.

After his meeting with Yves Piaget, Warhol became a regular participant in the Piaget Society, travelling with Monsieur Piaget to the most glamorous events hosted in New York and Palm Beach, and hanging out with American high society in legendary venues of the Big Apple such as Studio 54 and Chez Régine in Paris. In fact, Andy Warhol embodied the spirit of the brand and the Piaget Society to perfection, and his historic and extraordinary friendship with Yves Piaget is now also recognised by the Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts. A friendship without which we would not have seen watches like the Piaget Andy Warhol, now in an unprecedented and precious version.

Seeing the new Piaget Andy Warhol Clou de Paris, one can imagine the artist sporting such a watch. Like Warhol’s own work, this piece, a direct descendant of the Black Tie, is an amalgam of postmodern design, appropriating styles from previous eras and reshaping them for a very contemporary presence on the wrist. Like the Black Tie, this timepiece modifies the Art Deco aesthetic to adapt it to modern tastes, adding a touch of tradition to the finish of the case, with a stylistic flair typical of Swiss haute horlogerie. 

PIAGET AND THE REFINEMENT OF THE CLOU DE PARIS

In fact, coming to Piaget’s novelty, what stands out compared to the Andy Warhol Watch we are accustomed to is the use of one of the most refined and elegant decoration techniques in watchmaking, the Clou de Paris. Here, it remains the sculptural and enigmatic design of the case, whose fluid and elegant geometry cannot decide whether to be a circle or a square. Instead, it is the Clou de Paris guilloché motif that catches the eye, featuring a pattern composed of tiny pyramids with a square base. 

To give you an idea of just how accurate the decoration is, it was entrusted to the in-house craftsmen of the Ateliers de l’Extraordinaire, entrusted with the creation of the finest versions of the watches and their finishing. Although the Clou de Paris finish is part of the Maison’s technical and artistic heritage (in the 1970s it adorned the brand’s most sought-after references, from round to shaped), it took the artisans 10 months to develop and perfect it. Especially since, let’s not forget, the white gold 45 mm case’s design had to be preserved as much as possible.

Piaget did this by developing the Clou de Paris at its best on the coussin case. The work had to be hand-finished to perfection but on a curved, rather than flat, surface. In addition, the aim was to maintain the same play of light and artistic quality as the original gadroon motif. An objective that was achieved, judging by the quality of the case on which, along with the guilloché, the beautiful satin-finished soleil bezel also stands out, lightening the watch’s overall design.

The design is complemented by the blue meteorite dial, which is a hymn to sobriety typical of this Piaget model. Apart from the fact that the use of the meteorite finish makes each watch unique, what gives the Piaget Andy Warhol an aura of essentiality is the absence of a date display, as well as the dauphine hands and elongated, applied, white gold indices. No seconds hand, no counter, no superfluous inscriptions other than the Piaget logo and the Swiss Made inscription at 6 o’clock.

Nor are there any inscriptions to disturb the elegance of the piece or betray the nature of the movement: the in-house 501P1 automatic calibre. This movement mainly equips the timepieces in the Limelight Gala collection, but its versatility makes it ideal for use in references such as the Andy Warhol Watch. It is a movement that works at 28,800 vibrations per hour, with a power reserve of around 40 hours. Despite the fact that it is not visible, Piaget has not refrained from finishing it in its own right: circular-grained Côtes de Genève machining on the plate, chamfered bridges, blued screws on the bridges. As is often the case with the Maison’s movements, its thickness is reduced to 3.63 mm.

CUSTOMISATION MADE IN PIAGET

The finish of the meteorite dial places this new Andy Warhol Clou de Paris watch in a field in which other precious reinterpretations appear, including those with dials in malachite, black, or even petrified wood, as in the case of the Metaphoria, presented in 2023 as part of Piaget’s luxury jewellery. In addition to the dial’s extraordinary material, that reference is distinguished by the cut emeralds that frame it.

After all, this watch lends itself to being a blank canvas for personalisation, as befits a piece with art in its DNA. To give further strength to the relaunch of the Andy Warhol line, Piaget has in fact enhanced its Infinitely Personal ‘made to order’ service, thanks to which enthusiasts wishing to buy a watch can customise it to their liking. This ranges from the choice of material for the dial (in addition to meteorite, there are 10 other ornamental stones) to that of the leather strap (available in five colours), through to the case, in white or pink gold. Refined touch: even for the hands, there is a choice between dauphine and baton hands, original on the model worn by Warhol.

This extensive possibility for customisation is certainly not new. In fact, it dates back to the days of the brand’s first Geneva boutique in 1959, and has been relaunched in recent years through Infinitely Personal.  

Beyond its aesthetic and movement heritage, there is no denying the power of the Piaget Andy Warhol’s formality. Even in this version with a Clou de Paris case (by the way, the watch is priced at €67,500), it remains one of the most beautiful and elegant dress watches,full of history and charm. Even with a case diameter that is no longer so modern, the splendid white gold case and the sophisticated sensibility of its design always prove artistic and essential. For a watch in which everything superfluous has been stripped away and for which we have run out of adjectives, only one thing remains that cannot be defined: its charm.

By Davide Passoni