Cover Piaget Andy Warhol Watch “Collage” Limited Edition
Piaget Andy Warhol Watch “Collage” Limited Edition
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Piaget distils Andy Warhol’s 1986 Polaroid self-portrait into a bold, limited-edition marquetry timepiece
To understand Piaget’s enduring allure, one must look beyond mere timekeeping and into the realms of art and culture. Since its earliest days, the Swiss luxury watch and jewellery maison has captivated a clientele that sees the wrist not merely as a place for a watch, but as a canvas for self-expression.
Few relationships better epitomise this dialogue between art and horology than the one Piaget shared with the late American artist Andy Warhol, a leading figure of the 1960s Pop Art movement.
Warhol was a collector of profound and often delightfully contradictory tastes, amassing everything from cookie jars to contemporary art. By the time of his passing in 1987, his collection included more than 300 timepieces, seven of which were by Piaget. The most recognisable was a black‑and-gold cushion-shaped model he acquired in 1973, originally known by its reference 15102 and later affectionately nicknamed the “Black Tie”. For decades, that connection remained a storied piece of watchmaking lore until, in 2024, Piaget formalised its relationship with The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts, officially christening the contemporary reinterpretation the Andy Warhol Watch.
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Above The watch’s cushion-shaped case pays homage to the artist’s own 1973 Piaget timepiece
The watch’s cushion-shaped case pays homage to the artist’s own 1973 Piaget timepiece
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A year on, the partnership deepens with the launch of the Andy Warhol Watch “Collage” Limited Edition, a capsule creation that transcends tribute to become a compelling work of applied art. The challenge lay in interpreting an artist whose most recognisable motifs—the soup can, the banana, the silkscreen Marilyn Monroe—are already iconic and perhaps even too familiar for a contemporary collaboration.
Piaget’s artistic director, Stéphanie Sivrière, and her team travelled to New York to immerse themselves in the foundation’s archives, seeking a subtler, more personal lens through which to honour Warhol. “We quickly learned that we wanted to express Warhol, but without being obvious. To suggest, rather than to show,” Sivrière explains.
“The Foundation encouraged us to approach the project with freedom and to interpret Warhol in Piaget’s expressive, unbounded style. The result is a watch that tells the story of our collaboration [while] standing on its own as a work of watchmaking art, a collectible inspired by one of history’s most prolific collectors.”
Above The watch is inspired by Andy Warhol’s 1986 Polaroid collage self-portrait
The watch is inspired by Andy Warhol’s 1986 Polaroid collage self-portrait
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The team’s focus turned to colour, which was a cornerstone of Warhol’s visual vocabulary, drawn from the bright, seductive language of commercial art. Their inspiration came from one of his late-career works: a Polaroid collage self-portrait from 1986, a fragmented composition of geometric planes that distilled the artist’s essence through abstraction.
Piaget translated this vision into watchmaking through the ancient métier d’art of marquetry, in which delicate slices of ornamental stone are carefully cut and assembled with microscopic precision. The dial begins with a base of deep black onyx—a nod to the hue of Warhol’s own vintage Piaget—upon which artisans have carefully placed pieces of yellow Namibian serpentine, powder pink opal, and bright green chrysoprase. The composition bursts with energy yet retains a refined asymmetry, evoking the free spirit of Pop Art without reproducing a single familiar Warhol image.
Above The caseback of the Andy Warhol Watch “Collage” Limited Edition bears an engraved interpretation of his celebrated 1986 Polaroid collage self-portrait and his signature
The caseback of the Andy Warhol Watch “Collage” Limited Edition bears an engraved interpretation of his celebrated 1986 Polaroid collage self-portrait and his signature
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In homage to the artist’s personal 1973 timepiece, the watch is framed by a bold 45mm cushion-shaped case in 18-karat yellow gold, a material introduced to the contemporary Andy Warhol Watch collection for the first time. Its distinctive stepped profile, imagined by former Piaget creative director Jean-Claude Gueit, strikes the perfect balance of retro flair and modern grandeur.
Within the case beats Piaget’s in-house 501P1 self-winding calibre, a slim, meticulously engineered movement with a 40-hour power reserve that exemplifies the brand’s mastery of ultra-thin watchmaking. The final flourish resides on the caseback, where an exquisite engraving of the self-portrait that inspired the dial is overlaid with both the Piaget signature and Warhol’s unmistakable autograph.
With only 50 pieces, the Andy Warhol Watch “Collage” Limited Edition is a miniature canvas, marrying Piaget’s ultra-thin mechanical expertise with the bold, playful spirit of Warhol. The result is a timepiece that transforms legacy into living art, carrying Warhol’s inimitable spirit directly onto the wrist.
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Annabel Tan is the Editor of Watches and Jewellery at Tatler Singapore, where she covers all things luxury timepieces and fine jewellery across both print and digital platforms. She is also the Editor of Tatler GMT Singapore, a role that deepens her fascination with the ever-evolving world of watchmaking. Outside of work, she’s usually on the hunt for her next favourite watch that she can’t afford, planning her next beach getaway, or catching up on the latest Formula 1 race.
