Not all images were able to load for printing. Please close the print window and try again. Spectacular New Editions of the Piaget Limelight Gala Precious
Showcasing Piaget’s expertise in fascinating hand-engraved gold surfaces, the new Limelight Gala models glow with a gradient setting of gemstones.
Having mastered the art of ultra-thin mechanical movements, Piaget made its foray into jewellery watches in the 1960s. Unveiled at the Basel Fair in 1969, Piaget’s 21st Century Collection showcased avant-garde jewellery watches, including textured gold cuffs with hardstone dials, powered by the brand’s ultra-thin 2mm manual-winding calibre 9P. In 1973, Piaget introduced the predecessor of the Limelight Gala. Designed by Jean-Claude Gueit, the oval-shaped model, with stylish, asymmetric curves and gemstone highlights, featured a supple textured gold bracelet. Favoured by leading ladies of the day and Yves Piaget’s jet-setting friends, the watch evolved over time to become the Limelight Gala. Just in time for Spring, two new references of the Limelight Gala light up the panorama.
While both models share 32mm diameters, a 10mm profile, and 18k rose gold cases, their looks differ radically. The first Limelight Gala Precious reference showcases Piaget’s famous Décor Palace engraving technique, a distinctive feature of its 1960s jewellery watches. In a departure from traditional smooth, polished gold surfaces used as structural supports, Piaget breathed life into the precious metal, endowing it with a more fluid, artistic temperament. Inspired by the traditional guilloché work used on dials, Piaget developed an original hand-engraved technique to create a rich, textile-like surface. Using the sharp tip of a burin, each groove is engraved by hand into the gold, ensuring that no two models will ever be alike. Executed on the bracelet and dial, the irregular pattern of horizontal lines sends light skipping across the gold surfaces.
The distinctive asymmetrical silhouette of the Limelight Gala Precious, with its sweeping bezel extending beyond the dial, is set with a gradient of 42 fancy coloured cognac diamonds and white diamonds. The richer, cognac diamonds at the extremities gradually decrease in intensity as they approach the dial. Using the serti descendu technique, gem-setters carefully select stones that are precisely graduated in size and colour to create a gradient. The next step involves carving away gold from the claws and grooves that grip the stone so that light can enter the stone from the sides, not just from above.
The second, more flamboyant Limelight Gala Precious model features a vibrant orange Grand Feu enamel dial. However, the technique used here, first introduced on the 2019 Extremely Lady watch, mimics the undulating scales of a snake. Entirely crafted by hand, master engravers create overlapping, organic scale-like patterns on the gold elements. Some scales are polished while others are engraved with fine lines, creating spectacular plays of light. On the gold snakeskin dial, the bright orange Grand Feu enamel is surrounded by a serti descendu setting of sunset-coloured spessartite garnets and diamonds.
The new references are powered by Piaget’s slim in-house automatic calibre 501P1 with a thickness of just 3.6mm and a 42-hour power reserve. After years of running on the brand’s in-house 690P or 59P quartz movements, Piaget upgraded its Limelight Gala collection with mechanical movements in 2020.
Prices are upon request. More information at piaget.com.
