Wristwatches · Wristwatch
Piaget White Gold 'Coral' Dress Watch, c. 1980s
- Maker / attribution
- Piaget (maker)
- Date
- c. 1980s
- Historical period
- Quartz Revolution (1969 – 1990)
- Country of origin
- Switzerland
- Object type
- Wristwatch
- Materials / technique
- white gold
- Stock no.
- 40991627
- Credit line
- Dealer listing, Analog/Shift (40991627)
- Catalogue title (original)
- Piaget White Gold 'Coral' Dress Watch (English)
View the source record (dealer listing) ↗ (opens another website in a new tab)Suggest a correction
Record summary
Catalogued by Analog/Shift (dealer), New York (stock number 40991627), this is a wristwatch by Piaget, made in Switzerland, dated c. 1980s. The Atlas places it in the Quartz Revolution period (1969 – 1990) of its Wristwatches collection. Materials and techniques recorded by the source: white gold. 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
There’s nothing more classic and appealing than a simple dress watch. Though to be fair, when we say “simple,” we mean “uncomplicated” — not unattractive! The 21st century saw a plethora of such watches hit the market. Generally available on leather straps and featuring two or three hands, these reliable wristwatches kept time during the classiest decades of the past 100 years. However, some were more innovative than others. This particular dress watch from Piaget — which specialized in ultra-thin watchmaking — is one such example. It features an 18k white gold case with a fantastic, integrated white gold bracelet with 'bark' finishing and a signed locking clasp, a diamond encrusted bezel, and mineral crystal. Inside you'll find an absolutely gorgeous, orange coral dial with a matching 'dauphine' handset, and a manual winding movement. In excellent overall condition, this piece dating to circa the 1980s is a funky piece from a time when Swiss manufacturers were experimenting with new shapes and designs. What better way to dress to the nines than with a stunning watch like this on your wrist? *Due to the design of this bracelet, sizing alterations may require custom work. Lead time after measurements are established is 4-6 weeks.*
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 · c. 1980
Piaget wristwatch, ref. 7141 C5, c. 1980
Antiquorum auction archive, Geneva
Wristwatches · c. 1984
Piaget Polo Square ''zebra'', ref. 7131 C 701, c. 1984
Antiquorum auction archive, Geneva
Wristwatches · c. 1990
Piaget Lady Gold and Diamond Watch, ref. 16033, c. 1990
Antiquorum auction archive, Geneva
Wristwatches · c. 2000s
Piaget wristwatch, ref. PI0002, Limelight, circa 2000s
Antiquorum auction archive, Geneva
Wristwatches · 1970
Wristwatch by Heno, Switzerland, 1970
Museum Rotterdam
Wristwatches · 1960–1986
'Tri-Compax' calendar chronograph wristwatch in gold case, by Universal, Geneva, Switzerland, 1960–1986.
Science Museum Group, London
Wristwatches · 1969–1970
Beta 21 Quartz wristwatch movement, made in Switzerland, 1970.
Science Museum Group, London
Wristwatches · c. 1969
Omega Speedmaster Moonwatch, ref. 145022-69st, c. 1969
Antiquorum auction archive, Geneva