Wristwatches · Wristwatch
Piaget White Gold 'Lapis Lazuli' Dress Watch, c. 1970s
- Maker / attribution
- Piaget (maker)
- Date
- c. 1970s
- Historical period
- Quartz Revolution (1969 – 1990)
- Country of origin
- Switzerland
- Object type
- Wristwatch
- Materials / technique
- white gold
- Dimensions
- Case 22 mm
- Stock no.
- 40990252
- Credit line
- Dealer listing, Analog/Shift (40990252)
- Catalogue title (original)
- Piaget White Gold 'Lapis Lazuli' 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 40990252), this is a wristwatch by Piaget, made in Switzerland, dated c. 1970s. The Atlas places it in the Quartz Revolution period (1969 – 1990) of its Wristwatches collection. Materials and techniques recorded by the source: white gold. Recorded dimensions: Case 22 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
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 a 22mm 18K white gold 'rounded square' case with a fantastic, matching integrated white gold bracelet and a signed locking clasp. Inside, you'll find a striking, blue 'lapis lazuli' stone dial with a matching 'dauphine' handset, and a manual winding movement. In excellent condition, this example dates to circa the 1970s is a funky, hand-wound 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.
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