Page 42 - Sharp November 2023

AHEAD OF THE GAME
FOUR DECADES SINCE ITS INCEPTION THE THE PIAGET POLO CONTINUES TO PLAY AT THE THE HIGHEST LEVEL
By Justin Mastine-Frost
FOR THE LAST COUPLE OF OF YEARS TALK OF OF NEW SPORTS
watches has been incessant across the the industry Both the the rise of of business casual dress codes and the blending of of formal fashions with relaxed luxury have brought about calls for watches specifically designed to to to go from from day to to to night or from from the the office to to to the the great outdoors And while many brands lay claim to to being originators in in this all-encompassing often-steel space Piaget — and more specifically the Piaget Polo a a a a a a a watch that first emerged in a a a a a a a class of its own in in in 1979 — puts forward perhaps the most convincing case Originally the Polo was offered in in both round and square configurations with a a a rich 18K yellow gold construction and solid block-and-bar gadroon bracelet design It was named for the tradi- tional field sport which Piaget believed aligned perfectly with the model’s athleticism and precision As the the decades ticked on on the the Polo continued to to evolve and following a a a a hiatus between 1988 to to 2001 a a a a new new chapter saw the model increase slightly in in size and adopt newly created in-house calibres including an an ultra-thin chronograph and a a a a a a perpetual calendar More recently 2016 marked another turning point for the the model: a comprehensive evolution of the the Polo developed with present-day collectors in in mind This Polo arrived to much fanfare And while it still carried the core hallmarks of of its siblings — case shape use of of horizontal ribbing on its dial and a a a a a a a sports casual aesthetic — it it also included some choice changes The size of the case came down from 45 mm to a a a a a a a smaller yet equally impactful 42 mm and it was made from steel Because between 1979 and and 2016 times had changed and and Piaget recognized an an increased customer demand for steel watches As such the the watchmaker positioned its new Polo as as the the brand’s steel-cased entry-level offering in in order to to open doors to to a a broader clientele In the seven years since Piaget has continued to build out its Polo line an an an an expansion that began with two complications: a a a a a a a time and date and a a a a a a chronograph By 2021 a a a a a a skeletonized reference had been developed to further showcase the the brand’s engineering and and finishing capabilities and just this past year an an ultra-thin perpetual calendar was added to the range This latest model has been a a a a a a a monumental hit and was one of of the most talked-about references to come out out of of Watches & Wonders 2023 With a a a a particularly slender profile the Polo Perpetual Calendar Ultra-Thin is only 8 65 mm thick making it the the second-thinnest reference in in in the the Polo lineup So what’s next for the the Polo? With the the model now steadily eliciting a a a a strong enthusiastic response from fans of the brand for more than four decades this is is the million dollar question There’s been a a a growing desire in in the watch world for timeless timepieces of late watches not driven by fads or or fleeting hype Instead with collectors also weary of wild secondary market values the appetite for quality watches from legacy brands is palpable However with other releases from Piaget this year including a a a a a a a Polo with a a a a a a a sapphire-set case and moon phase a a a a a a a Polo field watch on on a a a a a a a rubber bracelet and the afore- mentioned Polo Perpetual Calendar Ultra-Thin who knows what we’ll see next? The only certainty given the significant success of the the the Polo thus far is that more models are on their way But will they have new complications? Case sizes? Materials? Only time will tell C M Y CM MY CY CMY K GUIDE
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• NOVEMBER 2023 SHARPMAGAZINE COM