Wristwatches · Wristwatch
Piaget watch, ref. 9120, serial no. 740XX, ca. 1980
- Maker / attribution
- PIAGET (maker)
- Date
- c. 1980
- Historical period
- Quartz Revolution (1969 – 1990)
- Country of origin
- Unrecorded in source
- Object type
- Wristwatch
- Materials / technique
- gold, lacquer
- Auction house
- Invaluable auction listings
- Lot
- Lot 9F0929F6D1
- Credit line
- Auction lot record: lot 41, 30th November - Fine Watches & Fountain Pens, Setdart Auction House (2026), via Invaluable
- Catalogue title (original)
- PIAGET watch, ref. 9120, serial no. 740XX, ca. 1980. Quadratical 18k white gold case, ultra-thin design, Art Deco-inspired. (English)
View the source record (auction lot) ↗ (opens another website in a new tab)Suggest a correction
Record summary
Catalogued by Invaluable auction listings (lot Lot 9F0929F6D1), this is a wristwatch by PIAGET, dated c. 1980. The Atlas places it in the Quartz Revolution period (1969 – 1990) of its Wristwatches collection. Materials and techniques recorded by the source: gold, lacquer. The record is illustrated with 3 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
Lot description — Setdart Auction House
PIAGET watch, ref. 9120, serial no. 740XX, ca. 1980. Quadrangular 18k white gold case, ultra-thin design inspired by Art Deco. Bezel decorated with radially arranged incised geometric lines marking the hour positions and alternating with a sunburst pattern. Fluted crown at the 3 o’clock position. 18k gold screw-down case back. Strap with a fabric exterior and leather interior, featuring the original 18k gold buckle. Flat sapphire crystal. Hand-wound movement, Piaget 9P caliber. It works. Shows wear on the rhodium plating of the crown and buckle, as well as imperfections and damage to the dial’s lacquer finish. Measurements: 30 x 23 mm (case, excluding the crown). In the description of the watches, when it states “it works,” it means that the watch is functioning. Since collector’s watches typically have delicate and complex mechanisms, the buyer is responsible for any general servicing, inspection, battery replacement, adjustment, or repair that may be necessary.
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.
Related records
Wristwatches · 1970
Wristwatch by Heno, Switzerland, 1970
Museum Rotterdam
Wristwatches · 1970s
Wristwatch, plastic, by Gucci; Italy, 1970s.
Victoria and Albert Museum, London
Wristwatches · 1978
Calculator wristwatch by Suwa Seikosha Co. Limited, Japan, 1978
Science Museum Group, London
Wristwatches · 1980
Wristwatch, 1980 (no. 71413)
Museum Rotterdam
Wristwatches · 1980
Wristwatch, 1980 (no. 91477)
Museum Rotterdam
Wristwatches · 1980–1982
Wristwatch, Space Shuttle; plastic, Japan, 1970-1979?
Victoria and Albert Museum, London
Wristwatches · 1949–1992
Timex `Electric' wristwatch, with electrically operated balance wheel mechanism, United States, 1949–1992
Science Museum Group, London
Wristwatches · 1960–1986
'Tri-Compax' calendar chronograph wristwatch in gold case, by Universal, Geneva, Switzerland, 1960–1986.
Science Museum Group, London