Piaget partners with Arab designers for House of Gold exhibition at Art Dubai

To celebrate its 150th anniversary, Swiss jewellery and watchmaker returns to show after four-year absence

Piaget's Limelight Gala watch is set with emerald, diamonds, rose gold and chrysoprase, a milky green quartz. Photo: Piaget

Swiss jewellery house Piaget has rekindled its partnership with Art Dubai – collaborating with Emirati jewellery designer Shamsa Alabbar and Saudi fashion designer Razan Alazzouni – for a glittering exhibition called House of Gold.

After an absence of four years, the maison has returned for the 2024 season with a major showing of its jewellery and watches. “It was a natural choice for us,” Piaget chief executive Benjamin Comar said about taking part in Art Dubai to mark the brand's 150th anniversary. The art show is at Madinat Jumeirah until Sunday.

The exhibition is described as a “dialogue between the maison's rich heritage and vibrant present”. This translates as a journey through Piaget's mastery of gold, with one-of-a-kind high jewellery masterpieces and a vintage favourite.

The Limelight Gala watch makes up a large section of the show, as it turns 50 this year. To mark this milestone, Piaget has brought together 16 iterations of the watch, from a matte gold timepiece encircled with ring of white diamonds, to one with a dial framed by a swirling comet of coloured gemstones.

Piaget also invited Emirati designer Alabbar to collaborate on a watch, which made its debut at Art Dubai.

The first Arab designer to etch a design into the dial of the timepiece, Alabbar's take on geometric patterning – now shown as shaded matte yellow gold on the dial – signals a key moment for both the brand and the region.

Drawing together Alabbar's signature Token motif, the precision of Arabic calligraphy and the repeating mashrabiya pattern, the watch has a dial marked with a linear, diamond design and is limited to 20 pieces.

Piaget also invited Saudi designer Alazzouni to create an artwork based on one of the Limelight Gala watches. Alazzouni selected a watch made in gold as her inspiration, with a starburst dial set with emerald, diamonds, rose gold and chrysoprase, a milky green quartz.

The watch's rich surface textures nestled closely together led Alazzouni to cover her garment in dense gold embroidery.

Also included in the exhibition is the reissued Polo 79. First released in 1979, it became a key design in the 1980s, and achieved a devoted following.

Made initially in response to Piaget customers requesting a sportier version, it was the maison's first foray into this less formal genre and was even water-resistant.

An immediate hit with clients, the Polo 79 is regarded as something of a cult piece. This 38mm reissue is limited to 79 pieces worldwide.