Piaget Black Tie in its Natural Habitat

Wednesday, March 18, 2026

What is a more natural habitat for the original 3-stepped Piaget "Black Tie" than the Oscars in Hollywood? Nothing I can think of and I am not alone: Usher wore the original 3-stepped Piaget "Black Tie" (1972) at the Oscars (Vanity Fair-party) and it was not only the most important (1st Swiss Quartz and father of the Piaget Emperador & grandfather of the Piaget Polo) and technically most interesting (8kHz-Quartz + 256Hz-vibrationmotor) watch worn by anyone this evening but also the most characteristic... not much to improve, right? Just... the top-right example would have made the red flower-brooch the dot on the i instead of just one of two on a Welsh ï.

But there is more in this watch selected by a mature & senior artist like Usher: it was not a brands choice; not a brands gift; not a PR-coup. Piaget pushes the 5-stepped Warhol and ignores the fact that the 3-stepped icon was the important original and even more, the ambivalent artist Andy Warhol wanted but not received the original limited edition 3-stepped Black Tie. Their story-telling begins with the artist and his 5-stepped icon; ignoring the 3-stepped original completely (see below for details) -- good but...

I am not sure it was a well-thought and correct decision by Piagets management (or whoever is in charge for this) to buy the name-rights from the AW-foundation and re-brand the (5-stepped) "Black Tie" to "Andy Warhol". Imagine: 3 or 4 artists (independent of each other and senior like Usher; not newcomers, preferably) on the Oscars red carpet, each in a Black Tie-suit with a Piaget "Black Tie" in perfect match of the strap, case-material and dial to the rest of the outfit... overwhelming.

But Piaget gave that out of hands and chose to go a different route by skipping the name "Black Tie" and re-naming it after a polarizing artist. Got it. But there is just one thing I dont understand about that, @Piaget. While the electrifying three-stepped original Beta21 is still the Piaget "Black Tie", is all else 5-stepped and automatic now a Piaget "Warhol"?


About the original Beta21 "Black Tie" and its connection to the artists watch klikk below:

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*Ad 2026-03-18: * Imagine the scenario that a handful of artists independent of each other wearing a Black Tie on the red carpet and the Piaget "Black Tie" made-to-fit their outfit... impossible to reach for any other watch and brand; especially given the relevance and presence of this oversized icon. But here is the point: then someone comes down the red carpet with an Omega Moonwatch. Never before was so much smile, attention and good mood in watches on the red carpet: memes, one-liners, aphorisms and PR material... on both sides: Piaget & Omega.