NY Vogue-Magazine Nov-'72 (photo on bottom-right): The Beta21 Andy Warhol... wanted to have. Worn by a lady on this magazine-photo but a men watch for sure, with its 44mm diameter. And it is exactly (!sic) the watch that we have -- the Piaget Warhol No. 1.
Yes, Andy Warhol was in love on first sight with it, but unfortunately all examples of this small limited edition of the first Piaget Black Tie Beta21 aka The Warhol were already sold in Nov-'72, when he first saw it. Of course: the hottest watch (first Swiss quartz Beta21) made by the hottest brand (Piaget) in super-high quality in very low numbers: approx 50pcs with many different dials in a overall limited edition. And Mr Andy Warhol didnt have the direct line to Mr Yves Piaget back then (1972) as they met just a couple of years later. And so the Artist had to take a 1973 arriving Beta22 with a 5-stepped case instead of the original limited edition Beta21.
Well. But he insisted to have at least for sure the same dial: a fascinating sunburst purple / anthracite / grey / brown decorated with hand-made and specifically set indexes that created the fascinating parallax effect, simulating a deep dial. And he got it. The dial of AWs first Piaget, the 5-stepped Beta22 was made exactly like the one that was shown in NY Vogue-magazine 1972 and that he, Andy Warhol saw and loved on first sight. Not a definable single color but a changing according to the incoming light; and with a stunning sunburst-effect under the inside-curved sapphire-crystal; and the indexes that only Piaget used: each unique.
Indeed, Piaget made watches for Cartier, for Baume & Mercier and several others but never Piaget made their signature-dial effect for a competitor: #soooPiaget.
See details about this fascinating watch and its history here: *klikk
Ad 2024-12-17: Our watch was delivered to NY in July 1972 and sold there by Van Cleef & Arpels. The watch shown in Vogue-mag 1972-Nov is also a VCA-sold Piaget ref15101 Beta21 with exact same dial-configuration. We expect that no more than 8 of these with the Warhol-dial ever existed (if at all) and probably just this one with VCA-retailer print: Piaget Warhol No. 1, unique. So, it is one of the most important Piaget: it was the first quartzwatch by Piaget, it was in Vogue-mag and it made Andy Warhol wanting his first Piaget: the 5stepped-successor ref15102 with the same dial. See here: *klikk