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Piaget Ref. 9678 Gent's Gold Wristwatch, circa 1, c. 1970 — view 1 of 1
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Wristwatches · Wristwatch

Piaget Ref. 9678 Gent's Gold Wristwatch, circa 1, c. 1970

DocumentedDocumented from an auction catalogue; attribution as stated by the auction house.
Maker / attribution
Piaget (maker)
Date
c. 1970
Country of origin
Switzerland
Object type
Wristwatch
Materials / technique
gold
Lot
Item 26542882
Credit line
Auction lot record: lot 60043, 2014 May 22 Timepieces #5177, Heritage Auctions (2014), via LiveAuctioneers
Catalogue title (original)
Piaget Ref. 9678 Gent's Gold Wristwatch, circa 1 (English)

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Record summary

Catalogued by LiveAuctioneers auction archive (lot Item 26542882), this is a wristwatch by Piaget, made in Switzerland, dated c. 1970. The Atlas places it in the Quartz Revolution period (1969 – 1990) of its Wristwatches collection. Materials and techniques recorded by the source: gold. The record is illustrated with 1 photograph.

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

Lot description — Heritage Auctions

Piaget Ref. 9678 Gent's Gold Wristwatch, circa 1970's Case: No. 137522, two body, 18k yellow gold, bark finish to the bezel and sides, 32 mm x 25 mm, sapphire set crown Dial: fancy gold, radial black Roman numerals, blued steel leaf hands Movement: caliber 9P, rhodium finish, 18 jewels, adjusted to temperatures and five positions, monometallic balance, shock absorber Band: leather with 18k gold original buckle Signed: all signed Piaget

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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