I probably don’t need to tell you who Andy Warhol is. The godfather of Pop Art and kingmaker of Cambell’s Soup is one of the most influential figures in any media. Vivid, colourful prints and a mass-produced approach to find art firmly entered him into the creative hall of Fame. His intense, eclectic selection of watches inducted him into the horological collectors’ club. Now, Piaget is leaning on that creative heritage with the new Piaget Andy Warhol Clou de Paris.
Andy Warhol & Yves Piaget
Piaget isn’t the only brand that Warhol wore. He’s perhaps best known for his Cartier prints, but the artist owned no less than seven Piaget watches of various sizes, shapes and calibres. Yet there was one that he became inextricably linked with: the Black Tie Watch of 1972. So, when Piaget revived the rounded square, dress watch design in 2014, it quickly became known as the Warhol watch. The latest version though makes that name official.
As of this month, Piaget have partnered with the Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts to officially rename the timepiece the Andy Warhol Watch. It’s a small thing, but to make the name official is a stamp of approval from the people that know Andy’s legacy best. It also comes with a shiny new interpretation that might be the loveliest yet.
Piaget Black Tie Watch of 1972
The Andy Warhol Clou de Paris watch combines that rounded square of a cushion case – 45mm across of white gold – with the titular hobnail engraving pattern. Not on the dial mind you, but the bezel. The double row of engraving takes the place of some of the collection’s signature tiers and it looks magnificent. The dial on the other hand has been mainly left to its own devices, which makes sense; that blue meteorite is stunning enough that you wouldn’t want to interrupt it, except with slim indexes for readability’s sake.
Previous versions of the watch have used plenty of stone dials. Even before stone was in vogue, this was one of the few collections you could be guaranteed a slice of lapis of malachite. The meteorite is in a similar vein (pun intended) but with a much more modern, metallic hue. That combined with the Clous de Paris make this one of the more wearable in the collection.
The Andy Warhol Watch is powered by the 501P1 calibre automatic movement, a slim, 4hz number with a 40-hour power reserve, the perfect kind of movement for a dress watch like this.
I’ve always loved the Black Tie Watch as a kind of horological curio, something I’d be very unlikely to pick up myself but appreciate nonetheless. This version however I could certainly be tempted by. The new Clous de Paris bezel and blue dial make for a much more modern watch and a much more wearable one at that. Sure, it’s (eye-wateringly) pricey at £55,500, but as dress watches go this is one of the more creative – which is certainly fitting. The only downside is that it doesn’t come with a pop art print. With a price like that, it probably should.
Price and Specs:
More details at Piaget.
