Winner of the Ladies' Watch Prize at the Grand Prix d'Horlogerie de Genève 2021 Edition, the rose gold Limelight Gala Precious Rainbow stood out with green tsavorites and coloured sapphires as well as the signature Palace Décor on the dial and bracelet.
Piaget continues to reinterpret the iconic timepiece, with a white gold version and a high-jewellery edition launched last week at Watches & Wonders Geneva 2022.
Green hard and precious stones grace the new Limelight Gala Precious, whose malachite dial is framed with a gradient setting of tsavorites and diamonds on the asymmetrical bezel.
The challenge was to find beautifully-coloured tsavorites with a round brilliant cut. The custom-cut green gems have the same number of facets as the diamonds for a harmonious setting that does not compromise on the intensity of the colour or light.
Sourcing and selecting the perfect stones, 22 tsavorites and 174 diamonds, took several months in order to obtain the optimal gradient, which strongly contrasts with the malachite dial.
Piaget also has the highest selection criteria for the semi-precious stone, using only deeply-coloured malachite featuring a regular grain with contrasts, curved lines and showing no presence of crystals in its structure.
The malachite dial is illuminated by a central circle fully paved with diamonds using the snow setting by which different-sized stones are juxtaposed in a seemingly random pattern.
The Limelight Gala Precious is housed in a 32mm case paired with an engraved Palace Décor bracelet, whose supple texture makes it look like fabric.
Piaget's gemsetting and goldsmithing expertises are nurtured at Les Ateliers de L'Extraordinaire, located within its second manufacture in Plan-les-Ouates, on the outskirts of Geneva.
The master gemsetters worked on the demanding white gold Limelight Gala High Jewellery edition with 250 diamonds, whose brilliant, baguette and marquise cuts capture and reflect light differently for a mesmerising effect. The mix of cuts is combined with a medley of setting techniques that showcase the meticulous craftsmanship.
On the dial, the snow setting seamlessly blends diamonds of varying diameters while leaving as little metal visible as possible.
Marquise-cut diamonds are positioned using a claw setting developed in the 19th century to allow light to enter and pass through the stone that is exposed both top and bottom.
Channel setting positions baguette-cut diamonds side-by-side for a clean continuous line. The technique involves cutting into the metal and indenting a groove for the stones to sit in and closing the lip of the metal to secure them in place.
Grain setting starts with an engraving of the metal to produce a small grain or bead, which holds the brilliant-cut diamonds in place. These beads are barely visible, and the stones are extremely close to one another, ensuring no visible gaps, resulting in an encrusted and dazzling overall appearance.
The brilliant-cut diamonds sparkle on the fully integrated and articulated bracelet, which hugs the wrist like a second skin.
