Movements
New mechanical movements, heralding a year set to feature a wealth of technical developments for Piaget
The Watch Quote™ - March 19th, 2006
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In the early days after its founding, Piaget earned itself an enviable reputation by supplying exceptional movements to the most prestigious Swiss watchmaking brands. Subsequently, from the early 20th century onwards, it chose to create and to highlight its own brand by presenting exceptional watch and jewellery creations. By equipping its timepieces with proprietary Manufacture-made movements, the company quite logically found its place among the select circle of genuinely all-round players in the demanding field of Haute Horlogerie.
Eleven new movements in eight years…
In keeping with its rich history, the latest decade has been one of intense creativity for Piaget in terms of mechanical movements. The company has conceived, developed, produced and marketed no less than eleven of its own mechanical movements over the past eight years. Even among other brands operating at the peak of Haute Horlogerie, few can claim such a level of creativity. Although barely begun, the year 2006 will show that the pace has been stepped up even further.
A promising 2006 vintage…
As the first fruits of what looks set to be a bountiful harvest, Calibre 850P also stems from a know-how that is cultivated with great passion. Conceived, developed and produced by the Manufacture de Haute Horlogerie Piaget, this calibre is a mechanical self-winding movement indicating the hours, minutes, seconds, date and second time-zone.
Representing the latest generation of Piaget movements, this complicated calibre is entirely in tune with current trends and demands. It has gained in volume (12'''calibre, 4 mm thick). Equipped with two barrels, calibre 850P provides a 72-hour power reserve and beats at a cadence of 21,600 vibrations per hour, the natural frequency of traditional Haute Horlogerie. The movement is wound by a bidirectional oscillating weight engraved with the Piaget emblem.
In the same creative vein, Piaget also unveils its new ultra-thin Calibre 450P, a mechanical hand-wound Manufacture-made movement showing the hours and minutes, as well as the small seconds off-centred on a subdial at 10 o'clock (9''' calibre, 2.1 mm thick).
Both calibres display refined finishing details: circular-grained plate, bevelled bridges, blued screws and circular Côtes de Genève decorative motif.
These mechanical movements are in direct line from the legendary calibres on which Piaget built its reputation, including several world firsts. The early ones were called 9P and 12P, which later evolved to become other benchmark calibres such as 430P, 500P and 551P, to mention but a few.
Equipping itself with the means to achieve its goals, thoroughly fine-tuning fundamentals and making major investments in Research & Development: such are the driving principles behind the Manufacture-related aspect of the Piaget strategy.
Fifty years after the 1956 world première viewing of its famous ultra-thin hand-wound Calibre 9P, at a mere 2.1 mm thick, the Manufacture de Haute Horlogerie Piaget once again proves that it has the necessary resources and know-how to achieve genuine innovations.
















