01 Feb Piaget Altiplano Skeleton High Jewellery Métiers d’Art
The new Altiplano Skeleton High Jewellery Métiers d’Art G0A49119 timepiece is an exceptionally rare creation that showcases Piaget’s signature skeletonised movement adorned with diamonds and sapphires, further enhanced by Grand Feu cloisonné enamel.
Yves G. Piaget summed up the essence of the Maison, founded in 1874 in the Swiss village of La Côte-aux-Fées, when he described a watch as, above all, a jewel.
While initially specialising in ultra-thin movements, Piaget revolutionised its aesthetic in the early 1960s by introducing vibrant ornamental stone dials to its refined timepieces, powered by the iconic 9P calibre. This creative evolution bridged the worlds of haute horlogerie and high jewellery, inspiring artisans to translate couture elegance into watchmaking (read the brand’s history here).
Today, this artistic fusion continues, as Piaget’s skeletonised designs are elevated by an intricate setting of precious stones. The meticulous craftsmanship extends even to the smallest curves and angles of the 1200D manufacture movement, refined into the calibre 1201D1.
Limited to just eight pieces, the Altiplano Skeleton High Jewellery Métiers d’Art bears the dual signature of Piaget’s Ateliers de l’Extraordinaire and renowned enameller Anita Porchet.
The timepiece marks a new milestone, uniting the crafts of skeletonisation, gem-setting, and métiers d’art in a single creation. True to Georges-Edouard Piaget’s philosophy, “Always do better than necessary,” the Maison entrusted its diamond and sapphire-set skeleton movement to Anita Porchet, a longstanding collaborator since 2006.
With her mastery of Grand Feu cloisonné enamelling, Porchet has created a striking blue, green, and violet cameo, embellishing not only the dial but also the case back and extending onto the bezel. The seamless transition between the baguette-cut gemstone gradient and the enamelling enhances the illusion of fluidity, transforming the Altiplano Skeleton Métiers d’Art into a mesmerising display of light and transparency.
Continuing Piaget’s legacy of ultra-thin watchmaking, this creation features a case measuring 40 mm in diameter and only 7 mm in thickness, even slimmer than the traditional skeletonised version.
With the combination of three highly sophisticated techniques such as skeletonisation, gem-setting, and cloisonné enamel in the Altiplano Skeleton High Jewellery Métiers d’Art, ref. G0A49119, Piaget has crafted a timepiece that redefines the standards of artistic watchmaking.
curated by ozzie small
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