The mass manufacturing of well-built timepieces has been a boon for the modern watch buyer. Everywhere one turns, one is confronted by watches of good quality and solid build — and this is to say nothing of pieces from high-end independents and practitioners of haute horlogerie. But for those who crave a hand-made quality — a certain je ne sais quois that often feels absent from modern timepiece production — looking to the past can provide an answer.
Piaget’s mid-20th century output, for instance, heralded a creative renaissance in dial design — one in which semi-precious stones, colored metals, unusual shapes, and innovative bracelets held sway. Today, these vintage pieces have captured the imagination of collectors in search of something just a wee bit left of center. Take this incredible ‘Twin Time’ with a tiger’s eye dial in yellow gold, for example.
Masters of ultra-thin watchmaking, Piaget outfitted a 34mm yellow gold case with dual hand-wound movements to provide the wearer with the time in two time zones. Measuring just 8.5mm tall, the case features dual crowns at 3 an 9 o’clock, an acrylic crystal, and a smooth, polished bezel. The dial, fashioned from a piece of magnificent tiger’s eye stone, features horizontal striping behind dual left and right dials, each of which features painted ‘Roman’ and ‘dash’ indices as well as an ‘alpha’ handset.
For the collector in search of an offbeat approach to the dual-time complication, this magnificent, precious-metal piece from Piaget offers a revelatory answer. Paired to a black leather alligator strap with a yellow gold pin buckle, it promises many more decades of head-turning wearability and elegant timekeeping.