Nestled high in the Jura Mountains, the Vallee de Joux is Swiss watchmaking's cradle of haute complications: an 18th-century Silicon Valley. And, back then, Mr Georges-douard Piaget was the one providing the microchips. Founded in 1874, his workshops supplied components and movements to some of the most prestigious watch brands. By the 1920s, Mr Piaget had become a creator of complete watches, finally placing his own name on a dial in 1943. By 1957, Piaget's stock in trade was cemented: innovative ultra-slim dress watches. And more recently, dress watches with a penchant for the high life a glamorous bent that Richemont Group couldn't resist, snapping it up in 1988 and positioning it at the top of its horological tree.