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Photo: Piaget
Every year, Piaget has been counted on to reveal some incredibly slender timepiece that breaks records in thinness with almost clockwork regularity. This year was no exception, as the brand flexes its technical muscle by cramming a tourbillon regulator into an Altiplano case just 2mm high, making it the thinnest tourbillon watch in the world.
Piaget, however, isn’t just a master of the ultra-thin. The maison introduced jewellery to its offerings in the 1960s, eventually leading to timepieces that blurred the lines between haute horlogerie and haute joaillerie. Brands that do both are not uncommon, but Piaget has managed to distinguish itself by developing a sophisticated in-house expertise in gold, and remains one of the only watchmakers with its own gold foundry in Geneva, Switzerland.
And how better to showcase this unique hybrid heritage this 150th anniversary year than with the new Piaget Polo 79?
The new Piaget Polo 79 is a long-awaited reissue of the original (Photo: Piaget)
Return to glory
This watch is the highly anticipated contemporary version of the emblematic Piaget Polo that debuted in 1979 as a homage to Yves Piaget’s love of the equestrian world. While the original Polo’s elegant design and flashy yellow gold construction resonated with the glamorous spirit of the electric 80s, Piaget’s mastery of ultra-thin quartz calibres of that era also contributed to its allure.
Such movements were considered supremely chic then, with the first Polos flaunting the maison’s new 7P quartz calibre and a crown hidden in the caseback, rendering the case shape — which came in round and square versions — perfectly symmetrical and sleek.
Through its production period of over a decade, the original Polo’s status as a watchmaking-meets-pop culture icon was buoyed by the patronage of glitterati such as Andy Warhol, Elizabeth Taylor, Miles Davis, Brooke Shields, Nancy Sinatra, and Bjorn Borg. Yves Piaget himself was known to host exuberant parties, where he’d entertain his celebrity guests on the piano wearing the “it” watch of that period.
Yves Piaget featured in a 1983 magazine interview (Photo: Piaget)
Robert De Niro sported one on his wrist in the 1995 movie Casino, while Sylvester Stallone, who once declared that playing Polo was his destiny, also flaunted a vintage model in his latest drama series Tulsa King.
When Piaget relaunched the Polo collection in 2016, it was as an answer to the then-trending sports watch category, during a time when collectors favoured functionality and the discreet aesthetics of white metals. The majority of the models was crafted in steel with a cushion-shaped case, and only bore passing resemblance to the pioneering Polo.
The Polo 79, however, is a nostalgic and fabulous return to form, with a case, dial and bracelet made entirely from 18k yellow gold. With a larger case size of 38mm (compared to the predecessor’s 34mm), the watch boasts almost 200g of gold.
Piaget is not the only brand to have released a fully gold watch this year, with brands like Tudor, Rolex, Vacheron Constantin, Omega, and Zenith hopping on the yellow gold bandwagon, but a closer inspection of the Polo 79 will reveal Piaget’s expertise with the metal.
Unlike the original Polo, which sports an ultra-thin quartz movement, the Polo 79 is powered by an automatic self-winding movement with a slimness of 2.35mm (Photo: Piaget)
This update follows the original Polo’s design, with horizontal polished gold gadroons contrasting with the brushed and fully integrated gold bracelet, case, and dial. But while the vintage model was cast from a single mould, the modern remake features a case with precisely cut grooves that the gadroons are slotted into. This way, each gadroon can be individually polished before insertion, creating a sense of depth against the brushed surfaces.
The same attention to detail can be witnessed in the bracelet, which is heftier than the original’s. All the chamfers are perfectly polished, with the gadroons and brushed links fitting together like puzzle pieces and secured by screws on the underside, ensuring a flexible and comfortable fit. In keeping with Piaget’s ultra-thin achievements in the high watchmaking field, the Polo 79 is powered by the proprietary 1200P1 automatic micro-rotor, self-winding movement measuring a mere 2.35mm.
Every gold link in this Piaget High Jewellery Cuff watch had to be manipulated by hand (Photo: Piaget)
Gold standard
Piaget did not earn the title “The House of Gold” for nothing. The superlative standards of its metiers d’or (gold craftsmanship), which it calls an “obsession”, is the result of the house’s foresight in setting up its in-house goldsmithing and gem-setting ateliers in the late 50s.
From these workshops came more than just exquisitely finished bracelet watches, but breathtaking ladies’ cuff and sautoir timepieces that truly harnessed the beauty and versatility of gold. At the maison, watches have become timekeeping high jewels to behold. On them, the noble metal was interpreted more as a fabric than a metal — a supple material that could be woven, braided, meshed, and etched to be draped luxuriously over the skin.
One signature style the brand is synonymous with is the Palace Decor technique, a hand-engraving method invented in the 60s. It uses extremely fine and irregular grooves to impart an intricate, delicate texture of endless shimmer. One such bracelet typically takes eight to 10 hours to accomplish. A Hidden Treasure Cuff Watch employing this technique won the Ladies category at the 2023 Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Geneve.
Piaget Limelight Gala Marquetery Edition watch with Palace Decor gold strap (Photo: Piaget)
Over the years, we’ve seen Piaget’s gold bracelets take on the snake-scale pattern and even the lusciousness of fur, and these are just some of the 100 engraving techniques in the maison’s repertoire. Another novelty this year also includes a High Jewellery Cuff watch featuring a gold chainmail-like bracelet, whose every link had to be carefully twisted by hand.
At Piaget, gold watches aren’t just standard luxury fare. Whether it is a bejewelled feminine accoutrement or a masculine wristwatch, a Piaget creation is always a demonstration of the highest levels of gold savoir faire.
