The Piaget Polo 79, again to its unique design and opulent gold cladding

When it rebooted with a modernized and sleeker design in 2016The Piaget polo adopted the design options of luxurious sports activities watches and barely modified the gathering’s dial to create a cushion-shaped watch. Nonetheless, the mannequin’s life did not begin that manner. This yr, Piaget is celebrating its one hundred and fiftieth anniversary and to whet our appetites, the model is bringing again the distinctive, opulent equestrian stylish of the unique Piaget Polo. It’s an built-in design with its signature gadroons and returns within the all-gold garb of the late Seventies. Though the inspiration is basic, this new Polo has been given a recent reinterpretation, beginning with its ultra-thin automated motion. Right here is the brand new Piaget Polo 79.

background

“We actually had to answer this explicit demand from our prospects who’re used to solely shopping for gown watches.“, defined Yves Piaget on the time. “However now our prospects take pleasure in doing sports activities increasingly. That is a part of the event of our lives at this time. They wish to be beautiful, even in sports activities. You additionally wish to put on a greater watch when doing sports activities. That is why we developed this sports activities line that’s waterproof and shockproof.”

The Seventies noticed the arrival of a number of elegant sports activities watches, largely product of metal, launched by a few of the greatest names in Swiss watchmaking. The posh metal sports activities watch with built-in bracelet revolutionized watch design and collectors’ notion of a high-end watch. The thought was developed in 1972 by Audemars Piguet and Gerald Genta with the Royal Oak. The thought was to mix the practicality and sturdiness of a stainless-steel watch, a unified design between the case and bracelet, an informal outfit and but the fantastic thing about an extremely wristwatch. skinny motion from Haute Horlogerie. This watch has had a profound impression on the business, influencing the type of different manufacturers and creating a wholly new class. Issues went in another way at Piaget… A dialog between Yves Piaget and Efraim Grinberg (then Piaget’s distributor in New York) in 1979 produced a watch that was distinctive within the class: the Piaget Polo.

The Piaget Polo wasn’t simply one other built-in sports activities watch. Whether or not rectangular or spherical, what made the Polo particular was the truth that a collection of horizontal gadroons created a particular ribbed sample from the bracelet by way of the case to the dial. As such, it’s Piaget by way of and thru, with that unmistakable notion of luxurious and extravagance. Whereas the sports activities watches of the Seventies had been accessible primarily in metal, the Polo was made totally of gold and mirrored the purest spirit of the jeweler-watchmaker.

Like many watches within the late Seventies, the Piaget Polo was outfitted with a quartz motion, which might have been seen as a pure alternative on the time. On the time, quartz was widespread as a technological breakthrough that allowed manufacturers to provide watches that had been extra exact than something earlier than. Piaget had a number of milestones on this subject. The model was one of many pioneers of this new expertise and was a part of the consortium of Swiss manufacturers that produced the primary prototype of a quartz wristwatch with the Beta 21 motion in 1966. The evolution of this motion – ​​the Beta 22 – gave rise to the cushion-shaped mannequin worn by Andy Warhol within the Seventies. Nonetheless, the Beta actions had been comparatively thick, and the Polo was outfitted with a unique motion, the Caliber 7P, launched in 1976, which was then the thinnest quartz motion on the earth.

The Polo was an enormous industrial success for the model and located its manner onto the wrists of the jet set and celebrities, together with Ursula Andress. The road was discontinued within the late Eighties earlier than making a comeback in a modernized model in 2001. Extra just lately, the Evolution, launched in 2016, contains a cushion-shaped case harking back to the Emperador line.

The Piaget Polo 79

With the Polo 79, Piaget returns to the purest expression of the unique spherical model of the 1979 design. This new, daring, extravagant watch is a trustworthy nod to the gold watch that debuted 45 years in the past. However as a contemporary re-creation of the historic mannequin, it comes with updates to swimsuit present tastes and fashionable technical options.

To start with, the proportions of the Piaget Polo 79 are consistent with present tendencies with a diameter of 38mm that matches most wrists. Though elegantly compact, the watch is barely thicker at 7.45mm, as a mechanical motion replaces the quartz caliber. As within the late Seventies, it seems in strong gold. We now have a case and bracelet comprised of 3N 18k yellow gold, a hotter tone of gold. The water resistance is 50 m. The development of the case itself is kind of complicated. The polished gadroons had been later added to a hollowed-out, brushed case to create a unified association of gold.

On the again of this new Polo 79 you may see the extra-thin automated Piaget caliber 1200P1. This motion is a trustworthy successor to the legendary automated caliber 12P and has a diameter of 29.9 mm and a thickness of simply 2.35 mm. It’s wound by an off-center micro-rotor, beats at 3 Hz and has an influence reserve of 44 hours when absolutely wound. It’s fantastically completed with a round grained high, beveled bridges with round Geneva stripes, sunburst wheels and blued screws.

The signature gadroons proceed as the attention strikes to the dial, creating a visible continuity that ties the complete watch collectively. Just like the case and bracelet, this dial is product of gold and contains a tone-on-tone minute monitor with pearl-like dots of various sizes that present animation. The elegant dauphine-style palms are additionally product of 18-carat gold.

The bracelet blends seamlessly into the case, alternating polished gadroons and satin-finished flat surfaces, creating placing reflections. It’s also very tactile and versatile, giving an actual sense of fluidity. If the bracelet is much like the unique mannequin, it has been modernized, as has the case. It’s also beautifully executed with nice consideration to element and fantastically crafted. The “spine” impact (with screws for mounting/dismounting the bracelet) on the within underlines the delicate, sturdy development. It closes with a three-leaf folding clasp (with out micro-adjustment), in distinction to a ladder clasp on the historic Polo.

The Piaget Polo 79 is a extremely interesting, intentionally extravagant and but harmonious watch. Its type speaks for itself and the general execution is undeniably stunning. The watch has a powerful presence on the wrist and all the burden you anticipate from a gold wristwatch. And if the selection of gold is sensible on this historic context, I might be actually inquisitive about variations comprised of different supplies. It will likely be launched as a part of the everlasting assortment, and if it’s not a restricted version per se, will probably be restricted in manufacturing. The value is 80,000 euros.

For extra data, go to www.piaget.com.