Piaget’s Aura Timepiece Dressed In Midnight-Blue Sapphires

Since 1957, when Piaget decided to only use precious materials and to treat High Watchmaking and High Jewelry with equal passion and attention, the Maison has mastered the art of making High Jewelry watches that are both refined and dramatic. Always one step ahead of the curve, the Maison honed in on the cocktail or dress watch to complement evening jewellery in the 1960s. In 1989, Piaget introduced the Aura, the pinnacle of High Jewelery watches with a fully integrated gem-encrusted case and bracelet, the diamonds in near-invisible settings allowing light and luminosity to ripple across the dial and around the wrist, thus giving the watch its name.

Introducing the new Aura Watch! Piaget's ultra-thin hand-wound mechanical movement drives this modern classic at Watches And Wonders 2023, while the Maison's mastery of jewellery and gem-setting is on full display in the Aura. In this case, a diamond-set sunburst dial is encircled by a dégradé composition of precisely calibrated sapphires in tones ranging from icy light to midnight blue. A one-of-a-kind piece that took over 260 hours to create.

The Aura name captures the illuminating design and the daring spirit of those who dare to wear it, as the watch is set with individually calibrated baguette-cut diamonds. Piaget has brought back the Aura, but this time he uses diamonds and sapphires. It took the designers over eight months to find and select the perfect blue sapphires to use in the watch's design, and the resulting baguette-cut stones are a perfect fit for the watch's integrated case and bracelet.

The ultra-thin claws provide an invisible-like setting where maximum light permeates the creation and power the Piaget 430P Manufacture ultra-thin hand-wound mechanical movement that gives the watch its extraordinary luminosity. The design is given even more brilliance by the sunburst setting on the dial. Requiring more than 260 hours of gem-setting work, the watch comes in two different sizes and two unique colour gradations.

At Piaget, we practise and hone age-old techniques until they become second nature. From transforming gold into couture-like fabrics to hand-sculpting the material to reflect nature and capture light; from acquiring the most emblematic ornamental stones to its expertise in high jewellery gem-setting, Piaget has always strived to blend refinement with bold, audacious creativity – and elevate elegance and extravaganza as a form of art.