Wristwatches · Wristwatch
Piaget Emperador 'Mini Warhol', 1970s
- Maker / attribution
- Piaget (maker)
- Date
- 1970s
- Historical period
- Quartz Revolution (1969 – 1990)
- Country of origin
- Switzerland
- Object type
- Wristwatch
- Dimensions
- Case 32 mm
- Stock no.
- 40991977
- Credit line
- Dealer listing, Analog/Shift (40991977)
- Catalogue title (original)
- Piaget Emperador 'Mini Warhol' (English)
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Record summary
Catalogued by Analog/Shift (dealer), New York (stock number 40991977), this is a wristwatch by Piaget, made in Switzerland, dated 1970s. The Atlas places it in the Quartz Revolution period (1969 – 1990) of its Wristwatches collection. Recorded dimensions: Case 32 mm. The record is illustrated with 6 photographs.
Assembled from the source record's structured fields. Dates and attributions are given as the source states them; where a field is missing the Atlas leaves it blank rather than estimating.
Catalogue description
Dealer description — Analog/Shift
Of the storied Swiss watchmaking houses, few were quick to pivot to quartz when the writing was on the wall in the early 1970s. One exception was Piaget. Despite its founding in 1874 as a movement manufacturer — and its reputation as a designer and producer of ultra-thin calibers, in particular — Piaget released its first quartz movement, the Calibre 7P, in 1976. This pivot to battery-powered technology, and the brand’s specialization in ultra-thin movements, no doubt had an impact on its ability to weather the quartz storm. The particular Piaget dress watch we have here is an example of the maison’s quartz watches from that period. Dating to the 1970s, it’s a thin, handsome piece whose clean lines are unbroken by the presence of a conventional crown. (A small wheel on the caseback sets the hands.) It features a 32mm 18K yellow gold ‘stepped’ case with a mineral crystal, a lovely sunburst 'champagne' dial with applied indices and a matching ‘dauphine’ handset, and black leather strap with a matching signed yellow gold pin buckle. Powered by a reliable quartz movement, this piece is suitable for almost any wrist and makes for an absolutely perfect option for a grab-and-go dress occasion. It’s a design-focused piece that nevertheless boasts some serious horological chops — just not mechanical ones!
Historical context
Quartz Revolution (1969 – 1990)
Seiko's Astron begins mass quartz timekeeping; traditional industries contract sharply.
Quartz and digital watches transformed the market after 1969. Swiss employment collapsed, Japanese and Hong Kong production soared, and the Swatch (1983) helped the Swiss industry recover; mechanical watches survived as luxury goods.
Read the period in the timelineMore wristwatches from this periodEarlier: Modern Mechanical Horology
Atlas type guide
Wristwatches
Bracelet watches were worn by women from the early nineteenth century — Breguet made one for Caroline Murat, Queen of Naples, in 1810–12 — but the wristwatch only became a man's instrument with military use and aviation in the early twentieth century. Between the World Wars it overtook the pocket watch; the 1920s and 1930s brought rectangular Art Deco cases, water-resistant cases and the first automatic winding systems.
After 1945 the wristwatch became a carrier of identity — dress watches, sports and dive watches, chronographs, calendars — produced by Swiss, American, Japanese, German, Soviet and Chinese industries. The quartz revolution after 1969 and the mechanical renaissance since the 1990s, including the rise of independent watchmakers, complete the story.
What to look for
- The reference number (between the lugs or inside the case back) and serial number, the starting point for dating.
- The calibre: its maker and number are often stamped under the dial or on the bridge.
- Originality of dial, hands and crown — refinished ('redial') dials are common.
- Case material marks: 18K/750, 14K/585, stainless steel, gold-filled, plated.
Dating clues
- Wire-lug cases: before c. 1925.
- Water-resistant screw-down cases: from 1926.
- Quartz movements: from 1969; sapphire crystals widespread after c. 1980.
General guidance written by the Atlas editors about this kind of object. It is not a statement about this particular piece; for that, rely on the source record above and on physical examination.
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