PIAGET•HOUPHOUET BOIGNY

18K Yellow Gold Piaget Honouring His Excellency Houphouët-Boigny
 
Beyond its rarity, this yellow gold Piaget tells a deeply personal story.
 
Created in tribute to His Excellency Félix Houphouët-Boigny, the first President of the Republic of Côte d’Ivoire and one of the most influential political figures in 20th-century Africa, this watch belongs to a tradition in which exceptional timepieces were presented as tokens of appreciation to close collaborators and distinguished members of the President’s inner circle.
 
Its history was shared with us directly by its current owner.
 
Her mother worked alongside President Houphouët-Boigny for more than thirty-five years. As one of his close collaborators, she was part of his immediate entourage and experienced firsthand the diplomatic and institutional world that surrounded him. Following her passing, only a few months after the President’s death in 1993, she bequeathed this watch to her daughter, who has carefully preserved it ever since.
 
When we met, she spoke with great emotion about her childhood in Côte d’Ivoire: Christmas celebrations spent with those closest to the President, official receptions, and the unique atmosphere of a time when political leaders, diplomats, and prominent figures of the nation gathered together. These memories give the watch an exceptional provenance and an almost intimate historical dimension.
 
Worn only on very rare occasions, it spent most of its life safely stored in a vault, which explains its outstanding state of preservation.
 
Far more than an elegant yellow gold Piaget, this watch is a genuine witness to an important chapter of Ivorian history, enriched by a well-documented family provenance and a remarkable story passed down through generations.