The Gouverneur Perpetual Calendar watch is one of Piaget’s updates to the Black Tie collection last year, and extends a model line-up that already includes a flying tourbillon and a flyback chronograph. Perpetual calendar aside, the 855P calibre powering the watch also sports a GMT function. The full range of information is, however, presented on just three sub-dials supplemented by two retrograde indicators.

The watch displays the local time via central minute and hour hands, with the small seconds indicator housed at four o’clock. Meanwhile, the second time zone is tracked via the sub-dial at eight o’clock, which combines a 12-hour and day/night indicators. The perpetual calendar accounts for the remaining displays – the month and year in the sub-dial at 12 o’clock, and the day and date on the two retrograde indicators at the sides of the dial.

In terms of design, the Gouverneur Perpetual Calendar watch actually has a round case and inner dial, but the ellipses marked by its outer dial and bezel’s inner edge elongate the watch visually. The dial layout reinforces this illusion by arranging the various indicators symmetrically but spacing them in a way that accentuates the outlines of case and bezel. The result is a watch that looks longer than it really is, yet manages to fit smaller wrists at 43mm thanks to its shorter lugs. Apart from the play with geometric shapes, the timepiece also creates visual interest – both on the dial and case back – using various decorative techniques. From the front, one is able to observe the sunburst guilloché that has been engraved on the outer dial. Flip the watch over, and the decorated movement reveals itself, with details such as a circular grained mainplate, bevelled bridges, and Côtes de Genève on the oscillating weight.

Given Piaget’s expertise in creating ultra-thin timepieces, it comes as no surprise that the Gouverneur Perpetual Calendar watch measures just 10.5mm thick. Despite having 343 components, including a full-sized rotor, Calibre 855P is only 5.6mm high, which allows the maison to minimise the case’s thickness.

Specs

• Dimensions: 43mm (10.5mm thick)

Functions: Hours, minutes, small seconds, second time zone, day/night indicator, date, day, month, leap year

Power reserve: 81 hours

Movement: Self-winding Piaget Calibre 855P

Water Resistance: 30 meters

Material: Pink gold

Strap: Brown alligator with pink gold deployant buckle

Story Credits
Text by Jamie Tan

This article was originally published in World of Watches