Scrabble the Seconds: Piaget and the Shape of Things to Come

In case you haven’t been paying attention, Piaget has been having a major moment over the past few years, particularly in 2024. That is because, last year, the Maison notched two significant anniversaries: the 150th of the brand and the 45th of one of its most iconic models, the Polo.

Beyond these special milestones, Piaget’s historic design codes are especially resonant in the current climate, one that’s favoring modest sizing, vintage-inspired designs, experimenting with color as well as materials, and unusual case shapes.

Piaget has long marched to the beat of its own drum, creating unique designs outside fleeting trends. In addition to the creative license it takes with elements like stone dials or bracelet composition, the Maison hasn’t shied away from getting playful with all aspects of the watch, including case shape.
 

Round watches are, of course, the most traditional shape, and in Piaget’s early years as a watchmaker, this was its jumping-off point. As the Maison became more established, it began to take more risks. About 75 years into Piaget’s history, we began to see the brand establish the personality and design language that has come to define its watches.
 

The 1960s saw the birth of collections like the Limelight, marked by its oval cases, the Protocole collection with its rectangular cases, and the Emperador with its tonneau-shaped cases. From that moment forward, Piaget has no longer adhered to one specific geometry as its trademark.
 

As an added layer of expertise to the Maison’s development of a wide variety of case shapes, Piaget also specializes in ultra-thin movements, which, ultimately, inform case proportions and give its vast catalog of cases both aesthetic and technical flair.

In the wake of a milestone year that has built up expectations, predicting how a brand will continue to give us a wow factor can be challenging. Last year’s Watches and Wonders releases focused on celebrating the Polo as well as the brand’s strides in ultra-thin calibres with the Altiplano Ultimate Concept Tourbillon.
 

In addition, we got a handful of high jewelry watches from the Maison, from a stunning sautoir to a gorgeous cuff.

Without the constraints and expectations that come with anniversary editions, we hope to see Piaget let its imagination run wild this year. We love a brand that’s excited to buck the norms and give us something unexpected and one-of-a-kind.
 

Will we get something ultra-thin, angular, or asymmetrical? With Piaget’s bold spirit, there’s no telling what the brand might deliver – the sky’s the limit.