Friendship Bracelets: Unveiling the Piaget Andy Warhol Clou de Paris

Andy Warhol was a social animal. His diaries, published in 1989, catalog eleven years of parties, portraits, and notations of expenses, plus observations about the personal lives of his famous friends and associates.

High society was equally fascinated by Warhol, with one of his most interesting friendships being with the social butterfly Yves Piaget, the then-president of the watchmaker and dashing fourth-generation descendant of Piaget’s founder, who hosted the glitterati at fabulous parties in Paris, New York, and Florida.
 

Of course, one could argue that in the 1970s and ‘80s, Piaget was the official timepiece of the jet-set. One could equally argue that Warhol, through his famous portraits of celebrities like Jackie O and Bianca Jagger, was its chronicler.

Yet, despite Piaget and Warhol’s longtime connection, today it became official with the launch of the Piaget Andy Warhol Clou de Paris.

Andy Warhol first met Yves Piaget in 1979 in New York City. Together, they navigated the demi-monde of nightclubs such as Studio 54 and Chez Régine. In 1983, Piaget was even profiled by Interview magazine, a publication founded by Warhol in 1969.

However, the artist was a fan of Piaget’s timepieces before the pair became pals. Warhol acquired his Piaget Black Tie watch in 1973, adding to the six other Piaget timepieces he already owned (four of which are today part of Piaget’s Private Collection).
 

This distinct model – with its yellow gold, cushion-shaped case featuring gadrooning, anthracite dial, and Calibre Beta 21 quartz movement – became the artist’s signature. So much so, in fact, that among its cultish fanbase, the Black Tie was nicknamed “The Andy Warhol.”

Later, on the 30th anniversary of Warhol’s death, Piaget collaborated with the Andy Warhol Museum in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, to host a one-night-only “Time Keepers” event at the legendary Annabel’s nightclub in London featuring Piaget-themed treasures from Warhol’s “Time Capsules,” including Piaget watches collected by the artist.
 

Among the items featured at the event was a gold bracelet watch with a precious onyx dial and a secret watch concealed in a gold ingot and fitted with the large Beta 21 movement. It was peak Piaget Society.

Now Piaget is making its unofficial moniker official by remaking the time-only Black Tie into the Piaget Andy Warhol Clou de Paris.

Interestingly, Piaget has tinkered with the Black Tie in the past, like 2023’s Black Tie Vintage from the Metaphoria High Jewelry collection that featured baguette-cut emeralds framing a petrified wood dial.
 

This 2024 edition, however, marks the first time that The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts has authorized a Piaget Timepiece. To mark the occasion, the Maison has upped the ante by replacing the classic stepped case of the original with an edgier Clou de Paris pattern.

The Clou de Paris – also known as hobnail – is a guilloché technique featuring pyramid-like studs. It is a decoration that Piaget frequently employed in the 1970s, so it feels authentic to the vintage feel of this formal watch.
 

Yet, despite the pattern’s natural fit, it still took Piaget’s Ateliers de l’Extraordinaire ten months to perfect the Clous de Paris finish on the curves of its 45mm, white gold, cushion-shaped case. However, the effort was worth it because the result is a meticulously hand-finished case that replicates the sense of artistry and wondrous play of light created by the original’s gadroons.

Just as Warhol’s world was a seamless marriage of downtown counterculture danger and uptown old-money elegance, the Andy Warhol Clou de Paris emanates luxury effortlessly. And it’s the piece’s one-of-a-kind blue meteorite dial that really spins this disco-meets-deco design into the stratosphere.

This cool hue pays tribute to Piaget’s skills with ornamental stones. Meanwhile, dauphine-style hands and simple indices add an extra layer of elegance.
 

Lastly, because Piaget is a leader not just in gem setting but also in technical innovation, the original quartz movement has been updated with the in-house 501P1 Manufacture self-winding movement without sacrificing the slim silhouette of the case.