The story
Founded by Georges Piaget in 1874, in La Côte-aux-Fées.1
Origins
In 1874, Georges Edouard Piaget set up his first workshop on the family farm, situated in the small village of La Côte-aux-Fées in the Swiss Jura mountains. Situated in the Neuchâtel region, the company was dedicated to crafting pocket watches and high-precision clock movements.
In 1911, Timothée Piaget, the son of Georges Piaget, took over the family firm. The company's policy has been to be dedicated to the production of wristwatches ever since.
Starting in the 1940s, the founder's grandsons, Gérald and Valentin Piaget with the assistance of sales director Camille Pilet, expanded the brand. Pilet, while not part of the family, was an important influence on the development of the brand. The Piaget brand became a registered trademark in 1943. Since then, the manufacturer at La Côte-aux-Fées has produced its own creations. As a result of this expansion, the family business opened a new factory in 1945, again in La Côte-aux-Fées.
Ultra-thin movement and jewellery
In 1957, the manufacture at La Côte-aux-Fées brought out the Calibre 9P, the first ultra-thin (2 mm), hand-wound mechanical movement.
In addition to coin watches, ring watches, brooch watches and cufflink watches, Piaget created their first pieces of jewellery.
In 1957, the Emperador men's watch was launched and since its relaunch in 1999 has become one of the brand's emblematic models.
Building on the success of these ultra-thin movements, Piaget continued to innovate throughout the decades. In 2014, they introduced the Altiplano 900P, the world's thinnest mechanical hand-wound watch at just 3.65mm thick. The Altiplano 900P broke the previous record held by Jaeger-LeCoultre, incorporating the case and movement into a single unit to achieve this remarkable thinness. This watch exemplified Piaget's commitment to technical innovation and minimalist design, continuing their legacy in setting world records for ultra-thin watches.
The company's expansion led to the opening of a new factory in Geneva, dedicated to jewellery and, in 1959, their first boutique.
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In 2014, Piaget presented the Altiplano 900P. At 3.65 millimeters (around 1/8th of an inch) it is the world's thinnest hand-wound mechanical watch.
Rapid expansion
In 1964, Piaget presented their first watches with dials worked in precious stones: lapis-lazuli, turquoise, onyx and tiger's eye. Piaget then launched the cuff watch. 1976 saw the launch of the Calibre 7P, a quartz movement, during the quartz crisis.
The Piaget Polo watch with its avant-garde style, was brought out in 1979 and became one of the brand's models. The Dancer collection was launched in 1986.
The company has been under the presidency of Yves Piaget since 1980.
Merger
The luxury Vendôme group, now Richemont, purchased the Piaget manufacture in 1988.
In the 1990s, several new collections were launched: Possession, Tanagra, Limelight and Miss Protocole with its interchangeable straps.
Piaget brought out the Altiplano watch and in 1999 reinvented one of their classics, the Emperador line.
Watchmaking was regrouped in one collection: Black Tie.
21st century
In 2001, a Piaget Haute Horlogerie manufacture was opened in Plan-les-Ouates, just outside Geneva. The movements continued to be produced at La Côte-aux-Fées, the family's birthplace. The new building grouped together over 40 professions in the fields of watchmaking and jewellery.
The manufacture developed mechanical movements and in 2002 brought out the first Piaget Manufacture tourbillon movement, the Calibre 600P, the thinnest tourbillon in the world with 3.5 mm thickness.
In 2024, Piaget celebrated their 150th anniversary.
From Wikipedia’s article on Piaget SA, shared under CC BY-SA 4.0.4