Three styles of Piaget Polo embody the essence of watchmaking

The Piaget Polo has returned to its slim line with a skeleton model equipped with the Caliber 1200S1. This year's new release also sees the addition of a smaller 36mm model. The Piaget Polo was born in the final year of the 1970s as the pioneer of gold bracelet watches, and has since focused on a sporty style. How is Piaget's signature luxury sports watch evolving?

The true essence of Piageism, with a return to a slim design
Piaget Polo Skeleton

The origins of bracelet luxury dating back to the 1970s

　With the release of the Caliber 9P in 1957, Piaget established itself as a maker of ultra-thin movements. It was in 1979 that the name "Polo" first appeared in the company's history. The first Polo models boasted a wide variety of case variations, including round and square, but all shared a common case design that was integrated with a dedicated bracelet featuring Rouleaux links. Its arrival marked the dawn of the widespread popularity of luxury watches with bracelets.

A sporty approach from the 2000s and a return to the roots

　However, in the 2000s, the Piaget Polo gradually began to incorporate elements of a luxury watch as well as a sportier character. The latest style inherited by the current model follows the tradition of the Piaget Polo S, released in 2016, and its identity has undergone a transformation into a "shape-in-shape" design, combining a cushion-shaped dial with a round bezel. While maintaining these design codes, the Piaget Polo Skeleton, equipped with the Caliber 1200S1, is a model that returns to Piaget's origins as a "thin watch."

A new generation skeleton that has been aged and improved over a period of approximately two years

The Caliber 1200S1, powering the Piaget Polo Skeleton model, is based on the Caliber 1200P, which was released in 2010 to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Caliber 12P, renowned as the world's thinnest automatic movement. Its direct roots lie in the Caliber 1200S, which was subsequently developed to power the boutique-exclusive Altiplano and other models. While maintaining the same basic movement design, the baseplate and bridges are coated in Piaget blue using a CVD process and slate gray using a galvanic process. While the power reserve remains unchanged at approximately 44 hours, the movement underwent a two-year maturation period to stabilize accuracy through revised torque management. Furthermore, it meets Swiss standards for magnetic resistance, and usability appears to have been greatly improved. This skeleton model, the thinnest Piaget Polo to date, may also be equipped with the toughest movement ever.

The qualities of a design setter expressed through two-tone colors
Piaget Polo Chronograph

Piaget's design creations flourished with the launch of slim watches

　The 1970s, when the first Polo was released, was also a time when Piaget's unique creations flourished. The launching pad for this was, of course, the use of a thin movement. The ultra-thin movement made it possible to create a slim overall finish, even with an approach that could easily have resulted in a fat impression. It was also thanks to the thin movement that Piaget was able to actively adopt stone dials, which are difficult to achieve a thin finish.

Piaget styling loved by creators of all time

At the same time, Piaget was also keen to adopt unusual case shapes. A good example would be the gadroons-adorned cushion watch favored by Andy Warhol. I'll explain later why they were able to create such unusual cases, but Piaget was also a masterful design leader, always staying in tune with the trends of the times while always presenting ideas that were ahead of the times.

New color chronograph with two-tone dial design

　In recent years, the number of chronographs with two-tone dials has been rapidly increasing. The monochromatic two-tone dial, known as "panda" or "reverse panda," first became popular with vintage-style chronographs aiming for a modern retro look, and is now spreading to all chronographs. For Piaget, adopting this design for the "Polo" chronograph was a natural progression. While the color scheme is the so-called "panda" design, the addition of a Piaget blue subdial on a silver background creates a luxury chronograph that stands out from the modern retro world.