Tropical Beta21: Andy Warhols-Love, Rare

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WHY WE LOVE IT: Because Andy Warhol saw & loved exactly this watch (!sic) in 1972 (New York Vogue-magazine) and it was the ignition of the AW-Piaget-relationship: unfortunately it was a strictly limited and already sold edition (Beta21 limited to approx 50pcs) and so the famous artist had to accept the successor ref15102 (Beta22) with the exact same dial: aubergine / grey / purple / anthracite with parallax indexes but 5 instead of the original 3-stepped Beta21. And it was delivered to him one year later: AW received his 5-stepped Beta22 (unlimited edition and successor of the limited Beta21) in Aug-1973. Ah, we love it even more because we love vintage Piaget and this seems to be one of the most important vintage Piaget (#seeOurBlog).

Piaget Stepped Cushion Case, also known as Black Tie and now officially known as the Piaget Andy Warhol: One of the most impressive rarest Beta21 and for sure the highest quality 1st Swiss quartz-watch made in the early 1970s. It beats Pateks icon 3587 in size and quality by far and not without reason it was Andy Warhols most loved Piaget. This impressive masterpiece has a beautiful patinaed double-signed Van Cleef-dial and is today a piece-unique.

This icon became a lot of attention in the last months because it was remade and now officially named AW -- although not with a similar important and remarkable (humming at 256Hz and sweep second) Beta21 quartz-movement.

Exactly this watch had a scene in the New York Vogue-magazine in November 1972 -- see last photo. And the details for this photo: New York, November 1972, she is leaving his apartment and whispers "Thank you for last night." before moving by taxi to the JFK-airport for a Paris-weekend with the girls; to make sure, he wants to see her again, she took his favourite watch from his bedside-table this morning: the Piaget Beta21; the one that he bought at Van Cleef & Arpels during summer this year (1972) and that made Andy Warhol so jealous yesterday in his studio "The Factory";

Photo: NY Vogue, Nov-'72 showing the VCA-doublesigned Piaget Beta21, that was delivered to VCA-New York in July 1972;

In short:

- produced by Piaget in 1971 (Beta21 zero-series);

- sold by Van Cleef & Arpels NY in 1972;

- shot for Vogue NY in November 1972;

- making Andy Warhol jealous until August 1973, when he received his Beta22 with the same dial;