Dragon and Phoenix: a Legend by Piaget

By associating its 40 professions, Piaget is creating a unique watch collection representing a pinnacle achievement in its ongoing quest for excellence. Piaget, the talented goldsmith, master-watchmaker, creator of timeless beauty, jewellery watch designer extraordinaire and shaper of fantasies, has successfully married its numerous skills in crafting a stunning collection encompassing more than 20 models, magnificently reinterpreting the imaginary world of chinese imperial symbols and forming a collection more than ever destined to inspire and nurture dreams. In honour of the year of the dragon and the rich gifts to the world represented by chinese thought and culture, Piaget proudly presents the exceptional dragon and phoenix watch collection. Celestial harmony: When the dragon meets the phoenix The dragon and phoenix also came to represent the unification of their respective spheres of symbolic influence as symbols of the emperor and empress, and together showed the nobility and authority of the imperial court. The dragon and phoenix, therefore, also represent on a more essential level the two fundamental creative forces of the universe, as envisioned in traditional taoist cosmology: yin (feminine) and yang (masculine.) the harmony of yin and yang thus symbolizes not only marital unity, but a cosmological harmony which lends abundance, good fortune, and auspiciousness to every human endeavour. A unique collection celebrating a mythical couple The dragon and the phoenix form an imperial couple. It is this legendary noble image that inspired Piaget for this unique collection. It is no coincidence that Piaget immediately sensed an affinity with this myth, since the word nobility is directly related to the name Piaget in chinese. Over 20 models will set a perfect stage for piaget to showcase its mastery of all the arts relating to watchmaking. At the heart of these astonishing creations beat precious movements from the workshops in la côte-aux-fées, from elegant ultra-thin calibres to the spectacular tourbillon relatif. To provide these exceptional mechanisms with adornments worthy of the imperial couple, Piaget has called upon the most talented artisans. Jewellers, gem-setters, engravers and enamellers have devoted their sensitivity, their expertise and their experience to this collection that is exceptional both for its intrinsic quality and for its magnitude. on the theme of the dragon and the phoenix, Piaget will indeed offer interpretations of the brand’s most iconic models as well as several one-of-a-kind pieces. Through this brilliant demonstration of its creativity and its know-how, piaget intends to celebrate with imperial splendour 2012, the year of the dragon. The dragon: master of the elements the chinese dragon is not the malevolent creature of western mythology, but rather a symbol of both the beneficent power of nature and the highest achievements of human wisdom. as one of china’s most ancient and revered symbols, the dragon has naturally come to encompass an amazing diversity of meanings. The phoenix: symbol of virtue piaget decided to celebrate the phoenix, which, as the feminine mate of the dragon, has its own special significance in traditional chinese iconography. The chinese phoenix’s origin is to be found in the exercise of prudence and compassion. A creature of unsurpassed beauty, the phoenix is said to have acquired its brilliant plumage as a gift from all other birds when, during a time of famine, it shared the grain it had stored against just such an eventuality, despite the derision of other birds, who mocked it for its drab feathers. The phoenix distributed its bounty unselfishly when hunger threatened, and each bird, in gratitude, gave its most beautiful feathers to the phoenix, endowing it with an incomparably elegant appearance to match its compassionate spirit. Thus, the phoenix has come to represent the five virtues of benevolence, righteousness, propriety, wisdom, and sincerity. More than just an engraving, the technique employed here is a form of sculpture that gives life to the animals. The engraver carves out the animal’s contours from a solid block of 18k gold to create the exterior volume and to adjust it to the size of the altiplano module. Then comes the sculpting work as the animal takes shape. The entire work is done by hand using various burins named knife-edge cutter, round-edge graver, flat-edge graver... the engraver begins with thick-pointed (3 mm) burins, with the tools becoming accordingly thinner as the design is gradually refined and the details become more intricate. On the dragon and the phoenix, tips as small as 0.2 mm are used to fashion infinitely precise motifs. Each type of burin (knife-edge cutter, round-edge graver, flat-edge graver) enables a different kind of workmanship and engraving line: rounded, flat, bevelled... it takes around three weeks to create an animal. The gem-setting of the animal is entirely done by hand. when the shape of the animal is complete, the gem-setting can begin. the gem-setter carefully selects diamonds of various sizes in order to follow the shapes of the animal and to sublimate its beauty. The result resembles “snow setting” and lends the models a refined and delicate touch. piaget and enamel Today piaget can proudly proclaim its mastery of three main techniques used in grand feu enamelling, which are being used to create a unique dragon and phoenix collection to delight watch connoisseurs.