Once again, the Chinese New Year of Snake is quickly approaching. The exact date is February 10, so many watch manufacturers have already prepared their special editions dedicated to this occassion. One of them is Piaget who unveiled its Altiplano Chinese Zodiac Snake Watch (the referent number is G0A37540).
This newcomer features a beautiful cloisonné enamel dial with a snake motif. The snake is brought to life with this exquisite technique which consists of creating cavities to form a motif. The contour of the motif is first marked out with either gold or silver strips of wire. Considering the fact that Piaget’s main goal is to produce timepieces which are characterized with utmost quality, the hollows are crafted exclusively from gold wire in the cloisonné enameling technique.
When the motif has been reproduced, the wires are fixed to the gold base with “tragacanth gum” which is a special type of glue that disappears during the firing. The cavities thus mark out a number of hollows that corresponds to the various color zones. The enamel is then set in each of the hollows and fired for a number of times until the color gets the desired intensity. Finally, after the last firing, the piece is polished and glazed to create the finishing effect.
Piaget Altiplano Chinese Zodiac Snake is housed in a round case crafted from 18-karats white gold and set with 78 brilliant-cut diamonds (approximatellt weighing 0.7 carats) which are nicely arranged around the narrow bezel. Its simple-looking, yet glamorous case measures 38mm in diameter.
Piaeget Movement Decorated in the Spirit of True Haute Horlogerie
This special edition Piaget is powered by the in-house-made ultra-thin mechanical hand-wound movement. Piaget Caliber 430P provides the usual set of functions (hours and minutes), while providing no less than 40 hours of power reserve. This hand-wound mechanism is one of the slimmest in its category – only 2.1mm. The 18 jewels movement is beautifully decorated with Côtes de Genève, a circular-grained mainplate and bridges, bevelled bridges and traditional blued screws. Piaget Caliber 430P beats at the frequency of 21,600 vibrations per hour.
Finally, Piaget Altiplano Chinese Zodiac Snake is mounted on a black alligator leather strap with 18-karats white gold pin buckle. As it is reported from Piaget, this watch will be also available in a pink gold version. Each of them will be presented in a limited quantity of only 38 numbered pieces.
According to the Chinese zodiac, people born in the year of the snake are considered to be powerful, insightful and ambitious. The Snake under the Chinese zodiac is quite an interesting person, just like this Piaget timepiece.
