Piaget Polo, a legend part3

That same year in 1980, a new quartz movement, Calibre 8P, made its appearance at Piaget and in the Piaget Polo world. “This 1.95 millimetre-thick movement was particularly ingenious”, recalls Yves G. Piaget, and the ensuing success of this model certainly lived up to his expectations and to the passionately dedicated work of the company craftsmen. In the early 1980s, the Piaget Polo accounted for almost one-third of the brand’s watch sales. The enthusiasm of its fans has remained undimmed ever since. Without ever slavishly following fashion whims, the Piaget Polo has nonetheless consistently adjusted to mood of successive eras.
In 2001, it was given a facelift. It adopted a more graphic dial, a generous volume and a special curve that guaranteed a perfect fit and also confirmed the iconic status of the Piaget Polo and its relevance as a large-size model. Friends sitcom star Courtney Cox and her husband David Arquette succumbed to its charms, later followed by other showbusiness stars such as Ben Affleck, Puff Daddy, Rihanna and Alicia Keys.

In 30 years, the Piaget Polo watch has lost nothing of its distinctive character. The same alternating matt and polished surfaces, the same regular radiance of the gadroons, and the same sophisticated integration of the bracelet, case and bezel. In 30 years, it has powerfully demonstrated the strength of its design. It even houses two stellar examples of the art of horology: the tourbillon and the chronograph, both interpreted in an original way in harmony with the spirit of the House.

The tourbillon, the complication most symbolically representative of the watchmaking art, takes on an amazing and magical dimension in the Piaget Polo, particularly in the Tourbillon Relatif which represents a daring challenge to the laws of gravity and to equilibrium. The gem-set versions of this amazing movement brilliantly testify to the brand’s two-fold technical and jewellery expertise.

In the chronograph version, along with the chronograph and flyback functions, Calibre 880P serves to drive the hour, the minute, small seconds at 6 o’clock, the date at 12 o’clock and the time in a second time zone on a 24-hour scale at 9 o’clock. Equipped with twin barrels and a large balance with screws, this 5.6 mm thick mechanical self-winding movement has a 50-hour power reserve when the chronograph mode is activated. Endowed with a vertical coupling clutch, it boasts all the main features of an authentic Haute Horlogerie chronograph.

The Piaget Polo FortyFive chronograph signalled the dawn of a new era of success, expressing the full force of its modernity with a 45 mm case sculpted from titanium and fitted with a rubber strap. Its sporting appearance makes it ideal for activities such as horse-riding or diving to depths of 100 metres. The bracelet can be lengthened or shortened by pressing twice on the sides in order to enhance wearer comfort according to temperature variations. The signature gadroons are in polished steel and alternate with the satin-brushed titanium. The mechanical self-winding movement created in La Côte-aux-Fées is entirely worthy of the Piaget tradition. The only variable feature is the dial, after which the Piaget Polo FortyFive is named, since it is slightly broader than usual and measures 45 millimetres. For Piaget CEO Philippe Léopold-Metzger, “it corresponds to current tastes, and also to the approximately length of a polo match”. Within this noble sport, Piaget has also a recent noteworthy entrance into the most demanding international polo competition of them all, the Triple Crown. The “Pilàra-Piaget” team which plays for Piaget is composed of some of the world’s finest players: Marcos Heguy, Santiago Chavanne and the two brothers Sebastian and Agustin Merlos. The brand has indeed chosen the team captain Marcos Heguy as ambassador of the Piaget polo line.

“The Piaget Polo has made an indelible imprint on the history of fine watchmaking. It is a symbol of daring creativity.”
Philippe Léopold-Metzger