Piaget Unveils Andy Warhol Camouflage Watch Edition

Piaget has unveiled a new limited-edition timepiece, the Andy Warhol Camouflage, marking the latest collaboration between the Swiss manufacturer and The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts. Limited to 86 pieces, the watch transposes Warhol’s 1986 self-portrait series into a complex marquetry of gold and precious stones.

From 1979 New York Meetings to Modern Licensing

The relationship between the watchmaker and the pop art icon began in 1979 when Yves Piaget met Andy Warhol in New York. Warhol, already an avid collector of Piaget timepieces, eventually owned seven, including the reference 15102, which featured the Beta 21 quartz movement. These distinctive cushion-shaped watches with tiered gadrooned bezels became so closely associated with the artist that collectors began referring to them as the “Andy Warhol” model.

This unofficial branding was formalized in 2024 when Piaget signed a licensing agreement with The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts. The deal allows the manufacturer to officially rename the icon and offers the possibility of creating one collector’s piece per year. Following the 2024 “Clou de Paris” edition and last year’s collage-inspired model, this is the latest release of the partnership.

Piaget Uses Mixed Materials to Recreate Warhol's Camouflage Paintings

The design of the new timepiece draws directly from the 1986 camouflage self-portraits, a series created by the artist shortly before his death. While the original paintings were flat, the Piaget edition utilizes a mix of sodalite, turquoise, yellow gold, and rose gold to create a three-dimensional effect on the dial. The process requires more than one hundred hours of labor, reflecting the brand’s expertise in gold work and marquetry.

The watch features a 45mm white gold cushion case, dauphine hands, and the 501P1 automatic caliber movement. The back of the case is engraved with Warhol’s signature, the Piaget logo, and the series identification. The timepiece is currently priced at 90,500 euros, as noted by the manufacturer.

Supporting Contemporary Arts Through Licensing

The collaboration serves a broader financial purpose for the Foundation, which was established in 1987 in accordance with Warhol’s will. The organization has distributed over 300 million dollars in grants to support the creation and preservation of contemporary visual arts. Income generated from licensing partnerships, such as the one with Piaget, is channeled directly into these grant programs.

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