By Piaget
Located in New York, NY
Two Rings Of Onyx And One Of Diamonds
Piaget spent the 1970s treating the dial as a place to set stone rather than print numbers, and this reference is among the more ambitious results. Everything is 18K white gold, which keeps the metal cool and lets the black do the work. The dial is built in layers, a central onyx disc, a string of brilliant diamonds around it, then an outer ring of onyx framing the whole thing. Read from across a table it looks like a piece of jewelry that happens to have hands on it, which was precisely the intention.
Cut From One Piece
The outer onyx ring is the part worth understanding. It is a single continuous piece of stone with no joins, cut and finished as one ring, which is difficult lapidary work and the reason most makers assembled these frames from segments instead. Onyx is unforgiving under a wheel and a mistake cannot be repaired. The bracelet matches that level of intent, a run of oval links integrated straight into the case, substantial in the hand and fluid on the wrist. It is not a construction that turns up often.
Uncracked Stone, Sharp Case
Condition here is very good. The onyx is uncracked throughout, both the central disc and the outer ring, which is the first and hardest thing to find on a vintage stone dial. The 18K white gold case and integrated bracelet are sharp and retain their original finish. As with every watch we offer, this piece has been verified as mechanically sound and is ready to wear.
A Centerpiece, Not A Companion
This is not a watch to wear alongside other things. It works as the single object on the wrist, and it works equally well on anyone regardless of how the catalog once categorized it. White gold, black stone and a ring of diamonds is about as legible a combination as jewelry gets, and the fact that Piaget built it as one continuous object rather than a watch on a bracelet is what keeps it interesting decades later. Pieces from this exact moment in the brand's history are the ones people are looking for now.
Key Specs
Reference: 12343A15
Model: Integrated B&W Tuxedo Watch...
Category
1970s Vintage Cabochon Watches
MaterialsDiamond, Onyx, 18k Gold, White Gold