LONDON — Piaget is concluding its 150th anniversary year by renaming the Black Tie watch the Andy Warhol watch.
Under a new license with the Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts, Piaget was finally able to put Warhol’s name on a style the pop artist had favored and that became closely associated with his style.
Piaget said Warhol was a key member of the Piaget social circle, known as the “Piaget Society.” He owned no less than seven Piaget watches and was most associated with the Beta21 movement, also known as the Black Tie watch, which he purchased in 1973. That very watch is now part of Piaget’s private collection.
The artist met Yves Piaget, the fourth-generation leader of the then-family business, in 1979. The pair soon developed a close bond, traveling and partying together in cities like New York and Palm Beach.
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For the occasion, Piaget unveiled a modern interpretation of the style — created in 1972 and produced for less than a decade before its revival in 2014 — called the Andy Warhol Clou de Paris watch. It comes with a gadroon pattern on the case that has been tweaked with a Clou de Paris that was previously only in patrimony, as well as a deep blue meteorite dial.
The new model is available via the brand’s made-to-order personalization service, which invites collectors to create their own Andy Warhol watch.
The brand offers a host of customization options, including up to 10 different ornamental stone dials, and the meteorite dial, up to five different colors for the leather strap, a case in either white or rose gold, and the option for either the new dauphine-style hands or the original batons.
“We are deeply honored and delighted by the trust that the Andy Warhol Foundation is showing in Piaget, highlighting the deep and sincere relationship between the Maison and Andy Warhol. A new dawn for this very unique timepiece, beloved by all,” said Benjamin Comar, chief executive officer of Piaget.
