Altiplano Feather Marquetry

Piaget Art and Excellence – Sublime Radiance

On the occasion of the 2017 SIHH, the Piaget Art and Excellence collection brings to the forefront two artistic crafts that are as rare as they are exclusive. The new highly original Gold Lacework models reveal the poetry and extreme precision of a brand new craft that this artist-artisan can rightly claim to have invented and an art in which she is indeed the sole proponent! A glowing tribute is also paid to Feather Marquetry in which absolute elegance meets unbridled extravagance and gives rise to exceptional works of art.

Piaget unveils both these exceptional and luxurious crafts with three new timepieces – the Altiplano Feather Marquetry; the Gold Lacework Altiplano Double Jeu and the High Jewellery Cuff Watch. These beautiful novelties pay tribute to the new creative heights reached by the Maison Piaget.

Piaget has dedicated the past five years to its jewellery icon, the Rose, creating beautiful variations highlighted through beautiful artistic craftsmanship. For 2017, Piaget continues in this tradition by showcasing its outstanding expertise in an extraordinary collection transcending the realm of creative liberty.

Calling upon a sense of boldness and surpassing personal limits, together with shared pleasure and stylistic freedom, Piaget is entering a new territory this year: Radiance, an essential part of the Maison’s DNA.

The Swiss Manufacture is cultivating its differences and exclusive nature to provide not only a masterful demonstration of its mission to perpetuate forgotten crafts, but also its ability to distinguish itself in unusual and extraordinary fields. This involves a continuous search from the Maison to seek out the finest artisans in their respective fields, in order to create exceptional models which continue to push the limits of innovation.

Altiplano Feather Marquetry (G0A42060)

Surrounded by boxes full of feathers of every colour and every size, the feather artist works like a painter in choosing her pigments and materials. Rigorously selected for its exact shade, its density and its texture and individually chosen to create the required effects, the feather is finally washed in soapy water before being stabilised in steam and meticulously recut by hand. Each feather is then smoothed, ready to be carefully arranged in its appointed place according to cleverly alternating contrasts and geometrical patterns. This enables the artist to reproduce the desired composition before being glued flat. The miniature feather art technique is very similar to that of marquetry. Each touch must be accurate, guided by a quest for harmony calling for a combination of technical mastery and artistic vision. The feather artist’s creativity finds a privileged field of expression in feather marquetry, thereby creating a captivating visual poem. Once this virtuoso feat of craftsmanship is complete, the pure lines of Altiplano, the ultra-thin mechanical icon beating in step with the hand-wound 430P movement, are arrayed in a feather marquetry composed of a mixture of duck, peacock and rooster feathers, partially covered with silver leaf. This work represents an authentic challenge that involves handling the infinitely small with extreme care and calls for considerable expertise. The result is a fascinating sight creating a truly mesmerising effect and a perfect optical illusion. The legendary peacock with its blue and green plumage, a symbol of immortality, appears to be spreading its majestic and radiant tail feathers in order to infuse the wrist with its magnetic strength. A fine work of art perfectly framed by a white gold case set with brilliant-cut diamonds and admirably completed by the unique strap with its haute couture touch, also skilfully arrayed in feathers.
An eloquent – and unmistakably Piaget – expression of ideal beauty.