Founded in 1874 by a young 19-year-old in the village of La Côte-aux-Fées, Piaget was originally nothing but a means for Georges Piaget to earn some extra money as he worked on movements and watches during the winter. After decades of producing watches for other brands, it was not until 1943 that the watchmaker would begin to sign their own watches and develop as the famed watchmaker that they are today. From then on, Piaget began to experiment with ultra-thin watches and push both horological and design boundaries, which eventually led to the brand expanding into jewelry in 1959, perhaps the brand’s best-known avenue today. With their impeccable craftsmanship, audacious style, and dedication to the spectacular, Piaget’s timepieces and jewelry began to coalesce, resulting in timepieces much like the “Disco Volante” ref. 961 pocket watch that we have here. Boasting an 18kt yellow gold circular case measuring 42mm in diameter and an interesting crosshatch pattern on its champagne dial and 18kt yellow gold bezel and a basketweave patter on its caseback, the ref. 961 is a wonderful piece of Piaget design. Powered by Piaget’s wonderfully thin and very well-known manual-wind cal. 9P1 movement, the ref. 961 is a thin watch in and of itself, and so it has garnered a nickname based on its visual similarity to Disco Volante wrist watches that are thin, circular, and UFO-shaped, just like this wonderfully well-executed pocket watch.

Expertly executed, the ref. 961's textured surfaces and champagne dial combine with its unusually-thin 18kt yellow case to create a pocket watch that leans into Piaget's prowess as a design powerhouse.