Andrew McCutchen
So far, there have been several scenes on the trip to Discovery Studios, which began in Melbourne in August 2023.
On a hot summer night in Melbourne, the studio’s underdog X Time+Tide “Pizza Watch” was released, transforming the space into an Italian trattoria. Red checkered tablecloth. Breadstick. red wine. Singalon. And so many mini pizza boxes were scribbled out, all with my signature or Richard Benk. In most cases, both. Belissimo!
The Heuer Sundowner tag was then released in London last November. It was so cold outside that the condensation was very warm with a crowd of 100 people striped the windows. I stand in front of a huge photo of a big screen clock, remembering what I was lost in words. We were in London. We did watches under brands we respected as children. There was a lot of fog in the window, which made it look like a sauna. Surreal. Of course, the clock was the hottest thing in the room.
And at the sharpest and most angled edge of the watch culture spectrum, we were privileged to help Phil Toredano and Alfred Chan launch their amazing brand in the physical realm. It had a B1 online feel. The results of the auction for B1/M met stone confirmed the brand’s advantage. However, there were no in-person events for the tribe of fans and supporters to grow. The studio was there to set this stage. What a night. Some of the world’s most respected collectors have found their way to the Oxford Circus, along with many of the 200 clients fortunate to own T&C.
There will also be a closure event that transforms Discovery Studio into a decadent alter ego, “Springbar” nightclub. Yes, spring bar. You can thank that one “Time+Tide All” group chat! Spring bars are bad brothers that come out when the more buttoned siblings close the store. The light will dim. The music gets bigger. This is where the British watchmaker Daybrand knocks down their hair after their big day. This was a house cocktail, not a clock, where the studio’s underdog gimlets and horrors were. To be honest, we’re still rubbing this off the floor. It’s very tasty. Adhesive!
But there was no box. A big high-end festival. Black tie waiter. Million dollar watches. An invisible setting of high jewelry pieces with hard stone dials, hand-fished cases, dials, bracelets and elaborate bracelets worn by movie stars. Magnum champagne topped with crystal glassware.
Please enter Piaget.
Also enter Maison’s incredible child-family heads and decades of extraordinary design luxury. Alain Borgeaud and I took the Piaget Time Machine on an Express trip that recreated the 2mm thin 9p movement of the 50s that was in many of the vintage pieces in the room, and the 2mm thin 9p movement that was in the thinnest automatic movement of just 2.3mm in the world at the time. I used my credit card to demonstrate how ridiculous its thinness is. And this is before curing, be careful. Pre-cad.
The 70s and 80s brought polo stories into their rooms, while the 90s gave them an excuse to touch Dazzler, a $1.4 million baguette diamond set.
Overall, it was an incredible show of power and greatness. When I told them in the room there was no brand that didn’t capture the imagination of the next wave of clock designers like Piaget, I wasn’t exaggerating. I was able to prove that. I presented a tray of watches in stock in the studio. All of them were strongly influenced by the brand. Balto Tiprism Studio Editions in three hard stone dial variations: Orange Agate, Lapis Lazuli, and Jade. Next was the new Toledano & Chan B/1.2 asymmetric case shape and Tahitian mother-of-pearl dial. Finally, a woven metal bracelet and a stepped case from the Furlan Marri Disco Volante. Everything speaks a little louder, and some even softer to the classic Piaget Code.
After the speech was completed and the speech was finished, there was one last note to hit. I asked Alan what, in his view, would have a great Piaget event. “The ability to touch the pieces,” he said without hesitation. We bid everything in the room to avoid leaving without doing exactly that. Place the room clock around your wrist. And then the fun began.
past. the current. A passionate watch enthusiast. This was created for Watch Discovery Studio. Thank you Alain. Piaget, thank you for trusting us, bringing heat and allowing this magic to happen.
