Piaget Altiplano Art & Excellence Feather Marquetry
Piaget Altiplano Art & Excellence Feather Marquetry
2017 GPHG Artistic Crafts Category Finalist
Piaget return to the scene of last year's success with a rush of vibrant natural colours, and a hand laid bed of peacock feathers against white gold and diamonds.
With the taste of the celebratory champagne still lingering from 2016, when the spectacular micro-mosaic of its Protocole XXL "Secrets & Lights" took the honours in the Artistic Crafts category, this time high luxury maison Piaget turn their artisanal skills to the delicate matter of marquetry of an avian breed.
Encased in a slim white gold case beset with a diamond bezel, the rich exotic hues of peacock, duck and rooster feathers, interspersed with silver gilt leaves, creates a most unusual palette of colour and texture. Each feather segment is hand applied on the dial, having been selected for brilliance and contrast, and cut into tiny sections. The Altiplano Art & Excellence Feather Marquetry is elegant, opulent and very feminine.
Celebrating sixty years of production the Altiplano has been a cornerstone in Piaget's luxury watch division, and its sleek profile and refined pure lines have made it an iconic dress watch for the sophisticated. Inside beats a beautiful hand winding movement, measuring a mere 2.1mm tall, and created in house by the Piaget Manufacture.
A win would be the icing on the cake in this anniversary year, but is a back-to-back strike likely?
The Watch Press prediction
No. While the dial is intricate, artful and beautiful, I think it unlikely this time. For me it will come down to the Vacheron Constantin and its enchanting day and night feature, and Kari Voutilainen for his breathtaking Aki-No-Kure. Meanwhile the Joker looks on, grinning.
The pertinents
REFERENCE: G0A42060
CASE: White gold
BRACELET/STRAP: Satin
BUCKLE: Pin buckle
MOVEMENT: Manual winding mechanical. Power reserve: 43 h, 21'600 vph
FUNCTIONS: Hours, Minutes
SIZE: ø 38 mm
THICKNESS: 8.6 mm
WATERPROOFNESS: 30 m
PRICE EXCL.VAT: CHF 47'000
Beautiful beyond words, hypnotic in its three-dimensional detail, and perfection in its immaculate finishing, the Vingt-8 Aki-No-Kure by Kari Voutilainen is a masterpiece within a masterpiece.