Anniversary years for watchmakers are always a lot of fun. They give iconic brands the chance to dig through their archives and pull out models for re-release and reinterpretation. And although it also gives companies the excuse to recreate more obscure references from their past, every once in a while we get a reissue of an absolute legend. That’s exactly what Piaget did today with its modern release of the original Polo from 1979, and it picked quite the jubilee in which to do so.
Celebrating a whopping 150 years of watchmaking (and clock-making before that), Piaget is also commemorating 45 years of the elegant Polo bracelet watch, a paradigm of 1980s style, which itself was a logical next step from the ‘70s sports watch craze. The brand-new Polo 79 takes after 34mm and 27mm references from back in the day but bumps up the case size to a more wearable 38mm. Although, the watch is so striking you may not even be thinking about its size. Made with brushed 18k yellow gold, the case, dial, and integrated bracelet are all given a continuous horizontal line pattern, called gadroons, which have a polished finish. Despite its indelible design, the dial itself is simple, with just two hands, the Piaget logo, and small and smaller dots around the edge to represent the hours and minutes/seconds.
Produced in the ‘70s and ‘80s, the original Polo was powered by a period-correct (and period-necessary) quartz movement. However, the new edition gets a mechanical movement in the way of Piaget’s ultra-thin in-house caliber 1200P1 automatic micro-rotor with 44 hours of power reserve, which is visible through the exhibition caseback. In terms of water resistance, the timepiece will give you 50m.
Limited in production, the Polo 79 is priced at $73,000 and can be purchased through Piaget’s website and boutiques.
