Throughout its 151-year history, Piaget’s watchmaking has been prolific — crafting innovative mechanical timepieces, including record-breaking ultra-thin movements and high complications. In addition to its technical mastery of watchmaking, the Swiss brand is known for its refined aesthetics and unique style and flair. A great example of this is the Polo watch, which was introduced in 1979.
A Creative Spirit
Yves Piaget, the fourth generation of his family to run the business, was the mastermind behind the Polo, the brand’s first sports watch. During the early 1970s, the Swiss watch industry faced an existential crisis with the advent of inexpensive, battery-powered quartz watches coming from Japan.
A Slim Quartz Movement
Piaget appreciated the convenience of a battery-powered watch, but he was not willing to compromise on quality by incorporating a Japanese-made movement in a Piaget timepiece. Instead, he tasked his own watchmakers with making an in-house Piaget quartz movement.
The Calibre 7P quartz movement was the world’s thinnest quartz movement at the time, measuring just 3.1mm high. Completed in 1976, it was destined to power the first Polo timepieces. While the Polo was presented as a sports watch, it was not made of steel but was crafted of more than 130 grams of 18-karat yellow gold. This new watch’s hand-carved solid gold integrated bracelet was comprised of satin-finished links, with smaller polished gadroons in between, a pattern that seamlessly continued on the case and dial.
Shape Shifter
While it is widely known as a round watch, the original Polo was presented in both round and square case shapes in large and small sizes designed to fit both men and women. Piaget had a knack for designing for the times, and his fondness for the sport was the inspiration for its name. The Polo perfectly fit the lifestyle of the fashionable jet set of the 1980s and was worn by celebrities including Andy Warhol and Ursula Andress.
In the ensuing decades, the Polo evolved from the original timepiece but stayed true to its design roots. The watch continued to be made exclusively in gold until 2016, when a stainless steel model was added to the collection.
Anniversary Update
In 2024, the Polo marked its 35th year while the brand celebrated its 150th anniversary. The original design of the Polo model was reintroduced as the updated Polo 79, celebrating Yves Piaget and his groundbreaking design. The difference? This watch was fitted with an ultra-thin self-winding 1200P mechanical movement, which, at 2.35mm high, is thinner than the original quartz. Surely, Yves Piaget would be pleased.
