While large, this Piaget is also well proportioned, with its cushion-shaped case crafted from 18K white gold. Piaget sold it for many years as part of the Emperador collection but now felt the need to add the name Polo to it, a connection that this watch doesn’t really need to sell. For that, it has its movement. It features automatic winding and combines this with a flying tourbillon. While this is already impressive enough, Piaget skeletonizes the caliber, which can also be considered ultra-thin with a height of just 8.85mm. Piaget constructed the movement in such a way that each of the leading elements in the caliber has a stage of its own. The flying tourbillon and the hands for the hours and the minutes occupy the right side of the movement, while the micro-rotor dominates the left.

Piaget opted for a subtle finish. The bridges are chamfered, and those surrounding the micro-rotor and tourbillon are shaped to form an eight. This is a clever move, as this number has a special meaning in various cultures that also highly appreciate fine watchmaking. For optimum winding efficiency is the micro-rotor crafted from platinum, yet this precious metal is hidden underneath a black PVD coating. This brings it in line with the hands, part of the tourbillon, as well as the screws that secure the bridges. It also gives the Polo Emperador Skeleton Tourbillon a subtle touch, combined with its black alligator leather strap, yet this modest sense of understatement only enhances its eye-catching qualities. Price, in the same sense of modesty, is on request.

For more info, visit Piaget, here

Martin Green: Piaget is turning 150 this year; how do you plan to mark this very special moment?

Benjamin Comar: It is indeed a special year for us. We are definitely amplifying what we have sparked over the last 2 and a half years – the coherence between past and present times; having them collide into flamboyance, as we say. It’s not about dwelling in the past but being on this thin line.

What do you think is the most essential moment in the past of the company?

Impossible to choose one. Everything was decisive and surprising, from the mastery of the ultra-thinness to the birth of the jewelry watches, the work on gold or ornamental stones. Every saga and person shaped a chapter of the Maison and they all deserve to be discovered or rediscovered.

How important is the Polo in the rich history of Piaget?
It is definitely one important chapter. Generally speaking, Polo is our icon. It has gone through times carrying a lot of the Maison’s savoir-faire and is the perfect embodiment of its story and DNA. As for the specific Polo vintage launched in 1979, it is a watch dear to the Maison, to Mr Yves Piaget and also to the watch experts. It’s the first watch which had its own name; before this you were just wearing a Piaget. More than just the watch which marked the entry in the American market, carried by Yves Piaget and Grinberg, it’s the perfect definition of Piaget’s distinction. When the early stages of the sporty-chic trend saw a lot of steel watches, Yves Piaget decided to stick to the family’s decision to only use precious metal and to carve this integrated bracelet in full gold. As the advertisements were saying back then “Piaget time only measured in gold”. This was a statement, this was bold and it’s this mix of elegance and extravagance that has curated the Maison’s success and still runs in our DNA, what we call the Maison of Extraleganza.

You choose to make a new edition of one of the most recognizable Polo from the past; how did the development process of this watch take place as the design was somewhat set, but for the rest, it is a completely new watch?

On the contrary, it took a very long time to settle on the design and the specs of the watch. When the first Polo was introduced, it was the square one, then the round one followed. We indeed settled quite easily for the round one, but deciding on its size, the evolution between past and present times took a lot of time to make sure we had the correct equation. And all the prototypes are in gold as we wanted to experience the right weight and feeling. The overhaul effect remains but everything has changed. And like all the minimal tweaks, this one required the most work.

What can we expect else from Piaget moving forward into the future?
We will have many milestones this year, each celebrating a saga, a story, a product, an icon. Up next, Watches and Wonders followed by our high jewellery collection in June. That’s all I can share for the moment but stay tuned.

In the 2023 edition of this illustrious event, 90 watches and clocks competed for prestigious prizes across 15 categories, encompassing ladies’, men’s, calendar and astronomy, jewelry, and mechanical clock.

Here is the full list of winners of yesterday’s awards ceremony.

“Aiguille d’Or” Grand Prix 

Audemars Piguet, Code 11.59 by Audemars Piguet Ultra-Complication Universelle RD#4

To learn more, Audemars Piguet, here.

Innovation Prize

Hautlence, Sphere Series 1

To learn more, visit Hautlence, here.

Audacity Prize

Maison Alcée, Persée Azur

To learn more, visit Maison Alcée, here.

Chronometry Prize 

Ferdinand Berthoud, Chronomètre FB 3SPC

To learn more, visit Ferdinand Berthoud, here.

“Horological Revelation” Prize

Simon Brette, Chronomètre Artisans

To learn more, visit Simon Brette, here.

Ladies’ Watch Prize 

Piaget, Hidden Treasures

To learn more, visit Piaget, here.

Ladies’ Complication Watch Prize 

Dior Montres, Grand Soir Automate Etoile de Monsieur Dior

To learn more, visit Dior Montres, here.

Men’s Complication Watch Prize

Kari Voutilainen, World Timer

To learn more, visit Kari Voutilainen, here.

Iconic Watch Prize 

Ulysse Nardin, Freak One    

To learn more, visit Ulysse Nardin, here.

Tourbillon Watch Prize 

Laurent Ferrier, Grand Sport Tourbillon Pursuit

To learn more, visit Laurent Ferrier, here.

Calendar and Astronomy Watch Prize

Bovet 1822, Récital 20 Astérium

To learn more, visit Bovet 1822, here.

Chronograph Watch Prize 

Petermann Bédat, Chronographe rattrapante

To learn more, visit Petermann Bédat, here.

Sports Watch Prize 

Tudor, Pelagos 39

To learn more, visit Tudor, here.

Jewellery Watch Prize 

Bulgari, Serpenti Cleopatra

To learn more, visit Bulgari, here.

Artistic Crafts Watch Prize 

Piaget, Altiplano Métiers d’Art – Undulata

To learn more, visit Piaget, here.

“Petite Aiguille” Prize

Christopher Ward London, C1 Bel Canto

To learn more, visit Christopher Ward London, here.

Challenge Watch Prize 

Raymond Weil, Millésime automatic small seconds

To learn more, visit Raymond Weil, here.

Mechanical Clock Prize

L’Epée 1839, Time Fast II Chrome

To learn more, visit L’Epée 1839, here.

Special Jury Prize: Svend Andersen and Vincent Calabrese

To learn more, visit GPHG, here.

At the center of the new watch is its namesake perpetual calendar, with the complication capable of accurately displaying the day, date, month, and moon phase for nearly a century. Piaget adds a chic twist to this timeless haute horlogerie complication by executing it through its sports-focused Polo collection, creating a fascinating novelty that marries modern mechanical tradition with a touch of action-readiness.

The Piaget Polo Perpetual Calendar Ultra-Thin boasts a 42mm stainless steel case, a relative rarity for perpetual calendars often housed in precious metal cases, with its thinness of 8.65mm showcasing the brand’s aptitude for creative mechanical watchmaking. Notably this choice of material helps provide the sophistication of the watch’s incredibly thin perpetual calendar functionality with a more casual and versatile appearance, fostering a unique duality in wear. For added flexibility, the model comes equipped with a comfortable stainless steel bracelet, which can be effortlessly swapped for a sporty rubber strap.

While the case of the watch is undoubtedly fascinating, it’s the uncommon Polo which captures your extended attention. The watch features a stunning green dial with a harmonious hue, with it striking a clear balance between functionality, organization, and legibility. The dial importantly avoids overcrowding, in part by showcasing the moon phase through a smaller window at the 6 o’clock position. This design decision not only enhances the generally legibility of the display but also adds a touch of technical sophistication to the timepiece, harmonizing flawlessly with its overall design.

Piaget lives up to its “ultra-slim” promise with the Polo Perpetual Calendar Ultra-Thin via the caliber 1255P. This movement is essentially the automatic caliber 1200P, launched in 2010, enhanced with a perpetual calendar module. Remarkably, this brings the movement’s overall thickness to a mere 4mm. While it might not break records for thinness, it brings several advantages, including an attractive price point, all while maintaining the delicate balance between reliability and slimness. With an overall height of 8.65mm, Piaget has created a highly desirable perpetual calendar watch with a casually chic aesthetic.

The Piaget Polo Perpetual Calendar Ultra-Thin is available for $58,500 on a non-limited basis. Don’t miss the opportunity to see the watch live and in-person, alongside so many other exceptional timepieces, at this year’s WatchTime New York.

To learn more, visit Piaget, here.

And to purchase your tickets to WatchTime New York 2023, click here.

Blue works well with a wide variety of watches, and the Piaget Polo is no exception. The blue obsidian has some grey tones to it, which makes it a nice balance between being elegant and sportive, precisely the sweet spot Piaget is aiming at with the Polo collection to begin with. Apart from the craftsmanship needed to make it, one of the most enticing aspects of a stone dial is that no two are alike. The texture is always different, giving you a unique watch.

Piaget combined the dial with a bezel set with brilliant-cut blue sapphires in the bezel. While I can surely enjoy the use of gemstones on watches, I wasn’t sold on the concept with this particular watch when I saw the embargoed pictures. In real life, I have to alter my opinion about it. The blue sapphires work well with the dial, as they share the same hue but complement each other by delivering it differently. As the blue sapphires are not all the same size, they emphasize the cushion-shaped case of the dial, which gives a very pleasing effect.

In terms of movement, there also nothing to complain. Caliber 1255P is only 4mm thick, allowing the Piaget Polo Perpetual Calendar to have an overall height of just 8mm, with a diameter of 42mm. Given the fact that it is features a perpetual calendar complication and automatic winding, this is quite the achievement. The Piaget Polo Perpetual Calendar Blue Obsidian is priced at $114,000

For more info, visit Piaget, here