Swiss watchmaker Piaget has been long inspired by the works of American visual artist Andy Warhol, who owned no less than seven Piaget watches. The brand has now taken inspiration from the ‘Collage,’ a self-portrait artwork of the artist from 1986, to create a limited edition watch of 50 pieces, in collaboration with The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts. 

The 45 x 43 mm watch (Ref. G0A50243) is the latest addition to the Andy Warhol watch collection, which in itself was rebranded and launched earlier this year, and marked by its distinct stone dials. It  is encased in 18-karat yellow gold, a metal chosen in obeisance to Warhol’s own watch from 1973. It features a collage crafted with three striking stones: Yellow serpentine, pink opal, and green chrysoprase, propped on a black onyx dial. Putting the artwork in the spotlight, the watch opts out of hourmarkers, while displaying hours and minutes through Dauphine gold central hands. It is powered by the Manufacture 501P1 automatic mechanical movement and offers a power reserve of 40 hours. The movement is round shaped, while the watch  features the cushion shape of Piaget Andy Warhol watches. There is a recessed crown sitting at 3 o’clock in its signature stepped case. 

Yves G. Piaget, Chairman of Piaget, and Andy Warhol met in New York in 1979. Warhol, who was already a fan of the brand and owned seven Piaget timepieces, became a regular member of the "Piaget Society," a circle of clients and celebrities cultivated by Yves Piaget.  

"I started building these exchanges as some artists, painters or sculptors do, who present their work directly to collectors. I wanted to show that our watches and jewellery are real works of art and that the people who make them are real artists,” says Piaget. It is this meeting that led to the creation of this watch.