The firm Piaget was founded by Georges Édouard Piaget (1855-1931) in the heart of the Swiss Jura mountains. Specialised in the manufacture of certain parts of watch movements, Piaget supplied all the grand Houses such as Rolex, Breguet, Vacheron-Constantin and Audemars Piguet. In 1911, the firm produced part of movements, complete movements as well as whole watches. From 1940 onwards, the latter are signed and the firm is celebrated for its development of novelties: in 1956, a revolutionary flat movement, the 9p, was created and a remarkably light automatic movement follows in 1958. In 1945 appears the first watch that is also a jewel set with diamonds. In the 1960s many artistic designs were created when a jewellery workshop was bought in Geneva around around the same time: 500 models of bejewelled watches are launched in 1963 alone and during the 1970s, Piaget is famous for their watch cuff-bracelet as well as their watch sautoirs (lot 23).
When Yves Piaget was named Vice-President and Managing Director of Piaget in 1980, the firm is led by a fourth-generation descendent of Georges Édouard Piaget who was to have a considerable impact on the company's future. Having completed his studies as a horological engineer as a young man, he travelled to the United States and acquired a degree in gemmology in the mid-1960s. His qualifications and business drive as well as his sense of diplomacy and winning character catapulted him to the position of marketing and communications manager. He was chiefly responsible for the addition of jewellery to the Piaget range, and was a dedicated ambassador of the 'Piaget style'.
In 1988, Piaget joined with Cartier to eventually become a member of the Richemont Group, and in 1997, the House is commissioned by the City of Venice to restore the 500-year old clock adorning St. Mark's tower. The impressive diamond and emerald watch offered here shows why Piaget is not in vain known as 'jeweller to the watch'.