The Art of Conservation: Piaget

For nearly 150 years, Piaget has stood as a symbol of Swiss excellence. Today, it takes a new name: stewardship and responsibility. 

For Piaget, conservation has taken many forms: protecting the environment through sustainable practices, preserving cultural heritage through the restoration of monuments and the safeguarding of artisanal crafts, and ensuring ethical awareness in the sourcing of precious materials. 

This article explores Piaget’s conservation journey, highlighting how the maison has embraced sustainability, cultural preservation, and ethical responsibility as integral to its identity. In doing so, it reveals how one of the world’s most prestigious watch and jewelry brands interprets the art of conservation in the 21st century.

What is Piaget?

Piaget is a Swiss luxury watch and jewelry brand founded in 1874 by Georges Édouard Piaget in the small village of La Côte-aux-Fées, Switzerland.

* Origins: Piaget began as a workshop producing high-precision watch movements. By the mid-20th century, it became renowned for creating some of the world’s thinnest mechanical watch calibers, a hallmark of the brand.

* Expansion into Jewelry: In the 1960s, Piaget expanded into fine jewelry. They began to set gems in watches, creating bold, artistic designs. Their watches often incorporate precious stones, gold craftsmanship, and distinctive creative aesthetics.

* Reputation: Known for elegance, innovation, and artistry, Piaget has become a symbol of haute horlogerie (high watchmaking) and haute joaillerie (high jewelry).

* Richemont Group: Piaget is now part of the Richemont luxury group, alongside brands like Cartier, Vacheron Constantin, and Montblanc.

* Sustainability and Conservation: Piaget has aligned itself with modern conservation themes. The company implements sustainable practices in its workshops, ensuring responsible sourcing of materials, reducing carbon emissions, and preserving traditional crafts and cultural heritage.

Piaget's Environmental Conservation Efforts

Piaget values the act of minimizing its impact on the natural world. The brand has steadily integrated sustainability into its manufacturing, retail, and sourcing practices.

Sustainable Manufacturing

• Piaget’s headquarters in La Côte-aux-Fées is designed with eco-conscious infrastructure. The facility relies on solar energy, smart building technologies, and CO₂ offsetting.

• Its Swiss facilities operate comprehensive recycling systems that process glass, paper, plastics, metals, chemicals, and organic waste, ensuring minimal landfill contribution.

• Single-use plastics have been eliminated across boutiques, offices, and workshops. Employees are given reusable bottles as part of a company-wide push for sustainable habits.

Carbon Reduction and Energy Efficiency

• To reduce carbon emissions from transportation, Piaget advocates for a “soft mobility” plan that promotes carpooling, public transportation, and train travel.

• The brand has installed 27 charging stations for electric vehicles. This makes green commuting more accessible for employees and visitors alike.

• Piaget’s retail spaces reflect its environmental philosophy: its boutique in Changsha, China, earned LEED Gold certification, a benchmark for sustainable building design.

Responsible Sourcing

• All paper-based products, such as packaging, catalogs, and stationery, are now sourced from FSC-certified suppliers. This ensures sustainable forestry practices.

• Piaget works closely with its suppliers to secure ethically sourced metals and gemstones.

• The World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) recognized these efforts, ranking Piaget in the “Upper Midfield” in its 2018 environmental report on the Swiss watch industry.

Conservation of Cultural Heritage

As a maison rooted in Swiss craftsmanship, Piaget invests heavily in preserving artistic heritage through maintaining its own artisanal techniques and supporting broader cultural restoration projects.

Preserving Craftsmanship

• Piaget safeguards traditional métiers d’art such as gem-setting, engraving, enameling, and ultra-thin watchmaking. These skills have become increasingly rare in modern industry.

• Its workshops in La Côte-aux-Fées and Plan-les-Ouates serve as guardians of these techniques, passing them down to new generations of artisans.

• This focus ensures that heritage crafts remain alive and relevant, even as technology reshapes the watchmaking landscape.

Restoration of Cultural Monuments

• In 1997, Piaget pledged technical and financial support for the restoration of Venice’s historic Clock Tower.

• The project, completed in 2007, included the refurbishment of the iconic Moor statues.

• By linking its brand to such efforts, Piaget highlights the importance of conserving shared history alongside natural resources.

Artistic and Cultural Inspiration

• Many of Piaget’s designs draw inspiration from the natural and cultural landscapes of Switzerland.

• Seasonal collections often reflect themes of flora, celestial motifs, or architectural elegance, acting as wearable art that bridges past traditions and contemporary creativity.

Heritage as Identity

• Piaget frames cultural conservation as part of its brand DNA: protecting not just objects of art, but the spirit of craftsmanship, artistry, and historical continuity.

• This dedication reinforces its reputation not only as a luxury house but as a custodian of intangible cultural assets.

Biodiversity and Ethical Awareness

Piaget acknowledges the responsibility luxury brands carry in shaping global supply chains and protecting biodiversity. Its initiatives focus on the responsible sourcing of raw materials and alignment with broader industry efforts to reduce ecological harm.

Ethical Sourcing of Materials

• Piaget prioritizes working with suppliers committed to sustainable and transparent practices, particularly for gold and gemstones.

• Like many leaders in the Swiss watch industry, Piaget has moved away from conflict-affected sources (e.g., gemstones from Myanmar after 2017).

Alignment with Richemont Group Standards

• As part of the Richemont group, Piaget adheres to the group’s sustainability framework, which emphasizes responsible sourcing, human rights protection, and environmental stewardship.

• This alignment allows the brand to contribute to broader biodiversity and ecological initiatives that span multiple luxury houses.

Industry-Wide Context

• Luxury watchmakers are increasingly supporting biodiversity-related causes, such as marine protection and reforestation.

• While Piaget’s focus remains primarily on responsible supply chains and sustainable practices, positioning itself within this wider movement underscores its role in reducing ecological pressures tied to luxury production.

Conservation Through Awareness

• By embedding ethical sourcing and biodiversity considerations into its brand narrative, Piaget signals to clients that true luxury respects both nature and people.

Conclusion

Conservation at Piaget is a philosophy woven into the fabric of the brand. Piaget demonstrates that luxury can be both timeless and forward-looking. By aligning artistry with responsibility, the brand safeguards not only its legacy but also the natural and cultural treasures that inspire it.

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