Relating to luxurious watches, few producers can look again on such a wealthy and enduring custom as Piaget. Piaget was based in 1874 as a watch motion producer and has discovered its manner into a number of the biggest watches in historical past, together with fashions from Cartier, Rolex, Ulysse Nardin and Bulgari.
After the Second World Battle, Timothée Piaget, the son of the model’s founder, based a manufacture in La Côte-aux-Fées, which enabled Piaget to develop and produce its personal actions, culminating within the 9P and 12P, Piaget’s authentic ultra-thin actions , discovered.
Across the identical time (1943), the model started producing full timepieces, positioning itself as one of many largest gold watch producers on the planet by the mid-Twentieth century.
Clocks from this era pioneered the usage of onerous stones and strange metalworking methods. They had been handmade, are naturally uncommon and are very fashionable at the moment.
However maybe Piaget’s most memorable watch is the 1979 Polo. Because the model’s personal response to the Seventies pattern for timepieces with built-in bracelets, Piaget adopted the lead of many different prime producers and developed its personal sports activities luxurious mannequin.
Conceived by Yves G. Piaget, the fourth technology of the household that ran the corporate, Piaget refused to bow to a typical theme of different sports activities luxurious watches; Whereas the thought behind most new timepieces was to make them out of metal, for Yves solely gold would do. To emphasise this reality, the Polo not solely included a contact of the yellow metallic, it additionally acquired the total Midas contact with a yellow gold case, bracelet, dial and arms.
Yves was a gifted rider who had observed that the horses he visited had a brand new perspective in the direction of luxurious. The thought of simplicity and understatement was gone and as a replacement was a extra informal and apparent type of magnificence. His first designs pushed the boundaries of conventional wristwatches and led him to say: “The Polo will be summed up in a single sentence: it’s a watch band and never only a wristwatch.”
The Piaget Polo’s distinctive enchantment has at all times been its “Gadron” motif, an intricate sample of textured horizontal ridges and channels that run seamlessly by way of the bracelet, case and dial. This hanging design ingredient not solely provides a contact of opulence, but additionally emphasizes the watch’s cohesive aesthetic and underlines its identification as a timeless accent.
Since its launch, the Polo assortment has been up to date and revised a number of occasions, underscoring Piaget’s dedication to each traditional design components and modern innovation. Using superb supplies, intricate particulars and advances in motion expertise have ensured that the Polo is related and wanted by watch fanatics.
Steeped in historical past, the Piaget Polo boasts an illustrious checklist of early adopters, together with iconic figures akin to Andy Warhol, Roger Moore, Brooke Shields, Björn Borg and even former First Girl Nancy Reagan. These luminaries acknowledged the polo’s distinctive mix of magnificence and performance and established it as an emblem of standing and elegance.
Now, as Piaget celebrates its a hundred and fiftieth anniversary in 2024, the corporate has unveiled a blinding tribute to Yves’ equestrian ardour with the Piaget Polo 79.
Piaget Polo 79
The a hundred and fiftieth Anniversary Version of the Polo pays homage to its roots with a strong 18k yellow gold development and weighs a formidable 200 grams. Whereas the unique 1979 mannequin measures 34mm, the brand new model is enlarged to a classy 38mm and creates thus the proper stability between classic appeal and trendy needs.
Two years in growth and an virtually precise aesthetic reproduction of the spherical mannequin from 1979 (it was launched on the identical time with a sq. case). A serious departure from its quartz-powered predecessor is the motion, an in-house ultra-thin 1200P1 motion. Computerized caliber, an evolution of the 1200P, launched in 2010 to have a good time the anniversary of the historic caliber 12P.
The motion options an off-center yellow gold micro-rotor, a nod to its treasured development and a testomony to Piaget’s dedication to intricate element.
The 1200P1 motion is introduced by way of a sapphire crystal caseback revealing round Côtes de Genève and perlage. This clear window into the beating coronary heart of the watch provides extra fascination to connoisseurs and fanatics alike.
As to why the Polo 79 was chosen to kick off the a hundred and fiftieth anniversary, CEO Benjamin Comar – the person who has given the model a brand new route since his appointment in 2022 – says this piece represents the intersection of previous and current collide.
“For me it’s the quintessence of what Piaget is all about,” he says, “and what higher mannequin to kick off the a hundred and fiftieth anniversary? It is an important look ahead to Piaget and we wished to make a devoted reissue. We introduced our concepts to Richemont administration many months in the past they usually had been very enthusiastic. Yves Piaget additionally gave me loads of assist once I confirmed him the drawings.
“We didn’t wish to convey it again precisely just like the outdated one, which was 34mm. We wished to put in an automated motion, so there have been some restrictions on the case dimension. However what we have now is, in our opinion, the proper ratio – not too huge, not too small. “Mainly, the aesthetic codes are the identical, however the technical codes have been recreated for 2024, for instance the water resistance elevated to 50 meters.”
Primarily, the Piaget Polo 79 is a beacon of the model’s enduring heritage, combining 150 years of watchmaking experience and design growth. The seamless fusion of custom and innovation, embodied by the intricate case and superior motion, ensures that the Polo will stay a timeless masterpiece for generations to return. To mark Piaget’s milestone anniversary, the Polo 79 is introduced not simply as a watch, however as an emblem of putting up with magnificence and unparalleled craftsmanship.
The Piaget Polo 79 is restricted attributable to its manufacturing and prices £69,000.
