Piaget Presents The Andy Warhol Clou De Paris With A Blue Meteorite Dial
At the beginning of this year, Piaget already spoiled us with its re-edition of Yves Piaget’s Polo Watch. But when your brand turns 150 years old, you don’t limit yourself to just one celebration. That’s why Piaget proudly presents another re-edition based on one of its biggest icons, the cushion-shaped Black Tie. For the occasion, the brand renamed the watch Andy Warhol after one of its most famous wearers. As a cherry on the cake, it has a Clou de Paris pattern on its extravagant white gold case and a blue meteorite dial.
To be more precise, the original watch on which Piaget based this re-edition wasn’t actually called Black Tie, but it was part of a collection that went by that name. The watch was first introduced in the ’70s and powered by the famous Beta 21 quartz movement. At the time, the watch was famous for its large 45mm size, its neither circular nor square shape, and, of course, its beautifully stepped case.
This is not the first time Piaget has presented us with a re-edition of the so-called Black Tie. For example, in 2015, there was the Black Tie Vintage Inspiration with a clean black dial and a white gold case. In 2017, there was a yellow gold version with a brown pietersite dial, and last year, there was a rose gold version with a green malachite dial. But today, Piaget introduces the watch under its new Andy Warhol name and with a never-before-seen Clou de Paris decoration on the case.
The Piaget Andy Warhol Clou de Paris
When you search Google for the Piaget Black Tie, you find many pictures of examples in white or rose gold with very minimalistic dials. The one that American artist Andy Warhol used to wear was rather distinct, though. His had a yellow gold case and a galvanized anthracite sunburst dial. It even came with applied indexes and a framed date window. It stood out among all those clean versions, just like the artist himself in the ’70s art scene.
So, what do you do when you want to honor the late Andy Warhol with his very own version? Well, you make sure it’s one in a configuration that has never seen the light of day ever before. May I present you with the Piaget Andy Warhol Clou de Paris? Its signature 45.4mm by 43mm lugless case is 8.08mm thick and made of white gold. The first part of the bezel has radial brushing, just like previous versions. But instead of the typical steps in the case, this new version has a Clou de Paris pattern encircling it.
The dial is made of blue meteorite, and instead of stick or baton hands, the Andy Warhol has dauphine-shaped hands. They go very well with the hobnail shapes on the case. Super slim hour markers finish off the clean layout. The watch comes on a matching blue alligator strap with a white gold buckle.
Powered by a different movement
The Piaget Andy Warhol Clou de Paris is powered by Piaget’s in-house automatic caliber 501P1. That’s a move away from the self-winding 534P that was in previous re-editions of the Black Tie. The 501P1 has a smaller diameter, but it’s slightly thicker. That’s probably why the Andy Warhol watch is also a bit thicker at 8.08mm versus 7.6mm for the previous re-editions.
The Piaget 501P1 movement runs at a frequency of 28,800vph. It features 23 jewels and holds a power reserve of 40 hours. You can’t see it because it sits behind a solid white gold case back. Nevertheless, it’s nice to know that it is decorated with concentric Geneva stripes, beveled bridges, and blued screws. As you probably already expected, the Piaget Andy Warhol isn’t the most water-resistant watch in the world, but it does have a genre-appropriate 30m rating.
Customization options
For the festive launch of the Piaget Andy Warhol, the brand also introduces its Infinitely Personal service. This allows you to customize an Andy Warhol watch to suit your tastes. You can choose from 10 stone-dial options, dauphine or slender pencil hands, and various leather straps.
The Piaget Andy Warhol Clou de Paris costs €67,000 (including 21% VAT). It’s not limited, but it probably won’t be very easy to get your hands on. I have to say, I like the Clou de Paris pattern on the case, but I’m not so sure about the combination with the blue meteorite dial. If I were to design one for me, I’d opt for a cleaner stone, like malachite. Anyway, I think there are many fans of the Black Tie/Andy Warhol watch out there, and this Clou de Paris version will probably be very highly sought after.
What do you think of the new Piaget Andy Warhol Clou de Paris? Let me know in the comments below.
