After 45 years, the Polo returns to its origins: a sporty/chic watch completely in gold, now equipped with an ultra-thin automatic movement. And it opens the year celebrating Piaget's 150th anniversary.
In 1979 Piaget wanted to ride the wave of the emerging sporty/chic categorybut in a personal way. The Polo was born. First of all, it was not a steel one but a gold one. It also reflected the aesthetic codes of the time not so much focusing on forms as much as on the complete and total integration of case and braceletso fluid that it seemed as if the watch had been made in one piece. And then, to characterise it, there was that distinctive and original horizontal ribbed motif that extended over the entire surface of the watch continuously in an interplay between glossy gadroons and satin-finished parts.
After being taken off the market in the late 1980s, the Polo was reintroduced in new, sportier versions, starting with the Polo FortyFive that introduced the use of titanium. And then In 2016 came the Polo S, still defined by a cushion case: dynamic, modern and colourful, with various references to 1970s design, also saw the entry of some skeleton versions.
Piaget's sporty/chic elegance in yellow gold
Polo 79: an ultra-flat automatic movement.
In the year celebrating its 150th anniversary, Piaget chose to bring back the Polo in its original designalmost a kind of bracelet with an integrated dial, highly unusual at the time of its birth. And which, for the occasion, returns as Polo 79. This is a perfect modern re-edition with a few changes. First of all, the movement. In fact, Piaget's Polo was originally designed with quartz. In the Polo 79, which now has a sapphire glass back, the movement is the ultra-slim 1200P1 self-windingA 2.35 mm thick micro-rotor gauge.
The case, in 18-carat yellow gold, is slightly larger with a diameter of 38 mm and a thickness of 7.35 mm (in the original model the diameter was 34 mm) to match current trends. The horizontal ribbed motif, characterised by the alternation of polished gadroons with brushed surfaces, remains unchanged. It also runs seamlessly across the dial with tone-on-tone minute track and Dauphine hands, also in gold.
Glossy gadroons and satin finishes for Polo 79
Piaget brings the Polo back to its original design.
The bracelet is a real gem with its tapered links and fully concealed folding clasp so as not to disturb the horizontal motif of the shiny gadroons.
The pole thus returns to express its true essence. We like that bold, 1980s-style elegance, which in the new millennium manages to perfectly combine Piaget's goldsmithing savoir-faire with its great tradition of producing ultra-flat movements, a true speciality of the brand.
Price 82,000 euro.
