The appeal of women wearing vintage hand-wound Piaget men's watches
Piaget Watches
When you hear the word Piaget watch, you probably imagine a thin watch with elegant, luxurious jeweled details and a thin movement.
In fact, until I discovered vintage Piaget, I also thought of Piaget as a brand that specialized in jewelry.
In particular, men's watches have a tight fit and the case size is just right for women, and high-end watches with eye-catching diamonds and other jewels are attractive even to me as a woman.
But when a woman wears it, it's a different story.
Men's Piaget watches tend to look borrowed when worn by women.
However, if you wear a vintage Piaget watch as a man or as a woman,
It's really cool.
So, this time I got an antique Piaget.
Although it is simple, vintage items often have gold bezels and cases in pink or yellow tones.
The best thing about them is that they have a wide range of leather strap products, so by changing the strap you can customise them to look very stylish and unique, regardless of gender.
Simply put, it transforms into a hand-wound watch that's "my Piaget."
・Vintage Piaget
Mechanical (hand-wound) 15 jewels
Case: 33mm (excluding crown)
Lug width: 18mm
Case material: 18K gold filled
Case color: Yellow gold
Band material: Leather
Year of manufacture: 1940-1949
- The ratchet wheel of the movement is clearly engraved with "Piaget".
Piaget began as a watchmaking workshop founded by Georges-Édouard Piaget in a small village in the Swiss Jura Mountains in 1874.
Their precision watch movements were so excellent that within a few years, they were receiving numerous requests from luxury brands, and Piaget's movements quickly became all the rage.
It was passed down to his son with great success.
However, we remain primarily a manufacturer of precision mechanical movements.
In 1943, Piaget went beyond technical performance to also focus on design.
This was the birth of the "Piaget" watchmaker brand.
So the performance of vintage Piaget manual-winding watch movements is quite impressive.
The thin movements, which are a particular characteristic of Piaget, are still present in vintage Piaget watches.
An even thinner movement was released in 1957, but I prefer this thinness.
Doesn't the pink gold dial give it a feminine feel?
I can't believe this is a men's item.
The 33mm case doesn't feel large, as most modern ladies' hand-wound watches are quite large.
If the case is large, it will be very noticeable if worn by a woman.
And a hand-wound watch will stop if it is not wound for 1-2 days.
Unlike quartz watches, which have a limited lifespan, hand-wound mechanical watches will continue to function if you rewind the mainspring.
If treated with care, it will last a long time, and since Piaget was originally a pioneer in precision movements, you can get an idea of its performance.
The men's leather band has the holes at the farthest back, making it a perfect fit for women.
The more decorative a watch is, the more expensive it becomes.
The value of this piece as a "Piaget" is immeasurable, not just its decorative value.
"It's a really fancy and expensive looking watch..." "How much does it cost..."
Rather than what others think, "That's a Piaget watch," or "How did you get that?"
I think it's very valuable to say that.
That may be the essence of antiques and vintage items.
Most importantly, I was addicted to it.
Antique Piaget and watch straps
Here's a piece of advice about bands.
Do you know how much room your watch band should have around your wrist?
It is said that the ideal watch band should fit around your wrist with a thickness about the same as that of a pencil.
In my case, there was about a pencil and a half of space at the backmost hole of this men's band.
I also like this unique yet sophisticated leather strap because the "PIAGET" on the dial stands out.
As it is a vintage Piaget, the leather strap has deteriorated and has been replaced.
I considered whether a pastel pink leather strap would be good to match the pink gold of the dial,
I decided to take the plunge and replace this vintage Piaget manual winding watch.
So I decided to make an inquiry at Piaget, which is located in a department store.
The crocodile strap, which is thought to be the most expensive, can be replaced for around 40,000 yen.
However, you won't know if you'll find something in your favorite color until you go there.
It depends on the stock situation.
When it comes to men's hand-wound watches, pastel pink is hardly a thing.
Luxury brand watches such as Hermes and Vuitton are made by handling leather products in-house.
You can also order,
In the case of the luxury watch brand Piaget, the straps are outsourced.
If that's the case, it's best to have the luxury leather belt made directly by an outside supplier.
Yes, there is.
That's Camille Fornet.
This is a luxury watch strap manufacturer founded in France in 1945.
Camille Fornet Japon Co., Ltd. was established in 1992, and will hand-make watch straps to order for individuals.
The price is about 10,000 yen cheaper than ordering through Piaget.
Best of all, you can order a completely original leather watch strap.
What's more, the craftsmen in the atelier will even repair your belt by hand, making this a wonderful shop.
As a manufacturer that is very conscious of the latest trends, they offer a wide variety of leather strap colors.
-Camille Fournet is engraved on the back of the belt.
The lining is made of soft suede material and feels great against the skin.
It has elasticity like a sponge.
Baby pink goes well with vintage Piaget dials.
I wanted pastel pink, but I quickly changed my mind and went with baby pink because it felt more summery.
As for the clasp, of course, Piaget metal fittings are used.
However, Camille Fournet uses classic clasps to suit any occasion and type of watch.
They have a great attention to detail in their products, including stocking extendable buckles called "D buckles", invented by Cartier in 1910, so it's worth checking out the store.
There are not only gold clasps, but also colored clasps available, and the clasps have to be sewn on, so the downside is that you can't easily replace them yourself.
If you plan to have several leather straps to match your case, we recommend a product with a clasp.
That will make it easier to replace.
*Currently, the watch straps are sold at 40 department stores and watch shops nationwide, mainly in Tokyo.
In this way, vintage and antique Piaget originally started out with precision movements, but today they also place emphasis on decoration.
The performance of a vintage Piaget and its true form is a "Piaget" with little decoration.
You'll never get tired of it, and you can add individuality to your everyday watch by changing the strap to suit the season.
You can also wear it for both formal and casual occasions by changing the leather strap.
It is a truly luxurious experience, and it creates a value that cannot be measured in monetary terms.
We also accept orders for custom belts.
