In brief
- The Colours of Extraleganza collection closes the maison’s anniversary trilogy with 65 high jewellery creations.
- The technical inspiration comes from the ultra-thin 9P calibre designed by the manufacture in 1957.
- The flagship pieces combine bold chromatic associations of sapphire, black opal and Paraíba tourmaline.
The high jewellery maison Piaget presented its “Colours of Extraleganza” collection, the final chapter of a creative trilogy celebrating the manufacture’s 150th anniversary. Unveiled at the Villa Cypris, this 65-piece line marks the culmination of an artistic cycle initiated in 2024. By combining ornamental stones of character with historic technical virtuosity, the Swiss brand reaffirms its unique identity, on the borderline between watchmaking audacity and jewellery splendour.
The collection in detail: · Maison: Piaget · Collection: Colours of Extraleganza
The collection in detail:BR· Maison: PiagetBR· Collection: Colours of ExtraleganzaBR· Artistic direction: Stéphanie SivrièreBR· Volume: 65 high jewellery piecesBR· Key stones: Black opal, Paraíba tourmaline, Madagascar sapphire, tiger’s eye, aventurine, thulite
A technical heritage born in 1957
An exceptional technical heritage
To understand the genesis of this collection, one must go back to the second half of the 20th century. In 1957, Piaget introduced the 9P calibre, a manual-winding mechanical movement with a historic thinness of just two millimetres. This feat of ultra-thin engineering freed up precious space beneath the dial glass, allowing the workshops to insert coloured hard stone dials. Lapis lazuli, malachite, turquoise and tiger’s eye thus entered the maison’s repertoire, transforming a purely technical innovation into a globally recognised aesthetic signature.
The Extraleganza adventure unfolded over three consecutive years to celebrate the manufacture’s 150th anniversary. In 2024, the first chapter, named “Essence of Extraleganza”, revisited the close ties linking Yves Piaget to major artists such as Salvador Dalí and Andy Warhol. The following year, the “Shapes of Extraleganza” collection explored geometric design through unique minerals such as jasper, chrysoprase or sodalite. For this final opus, artistic director Stéphanie Sivrière chose to focus on pure colour, approached with a colorist’s logic where the vibratory interaction between the gems takes precedence over their gemmological value alone.
The chromatic challenge of the Blue Illusions necklace
Bold chromatic creations
The Blue Illusions necklace perfectly illustrates this artistic approach and required more than 900 hours of work in the Geneva workshops. At the heart of this piece is a 13.98-carat Australian black opal, surrounded by an 8.52-carat cushion-cut Madagascar sapphire and a 3.30-carat Paraíba tourmaline. The opal plays the role of a chromatic connector here, capturing and redistribuiting the blue and green nuances of its two neighbours. An articulated white gold lattice set with custom-cut sapphires and baguette tourmalines gives the whole piece an almost liquid fluidity.
The reinvention of the 1969 sautoir
With the “Flamboyant Links” creation, the maison returns to its roots by reinterpreting an iconic 1969 model from its “21st Century Collection”. This archival piece is reborn in the form of a sautoir-watch structured by rose gold links alternating with tiger’s eye, a duo of materials abandoned since the 1970s. A cushion-cut mandarin garnet weighing 4.13 carats brings a solar warmth to the jewel. Faithful to the tradition of flexibility of the workshops of the era, the creation offers total modularity: it easily transforms into a choker or a bracelet-watch.
The pop audacity of the Memphis movement
The “Gems Pop” set dares a more frank and colourful aesthetic break, drawing inspiration from the famous 1980s Memphis design collective. The artisans combined spessartite, orange aventurine, pink sapphires and thulite to form a particularly energetic graphic palette. The sautoir-watch in this set features an orange aventurine dial and is equipped with a detachable pendant capable of transforming into a table clock. In parallel, the “Gold Swirl” set introduces the godron motif, a historic signature of Piaget watches, into its high jewellery universe for the first time.
The revival of ornamental stones
The redemption of ornamental stones
This trilogy celebrates the creative independence of the Swiss manufacture, on the borderline between watchmaking audacity and jewellery splendour. This exceptional artistic cycle thus finds its culmination with the presentation of these 65 high jewellery pieces at the Villa Cypris.
