Piaget Polo Perpetual Calendar: The Informal Polo Sports activities Watch Lastly Goes Upmarket

Piaget Polo Perpetual Calendar is a reputation that rolls proper off the tongue. And it’s the watch I’ve been ready for. Piaget launched its stainless-steel sports activities watch in 2016, and other than a chronograph, issues stayed surprisingly uncomplicated when it comes to actions.

Piaget Polo Perpetual Calendar

The Polo Perpetual Calendar adjustments that and is hopefully the primary in a extra advanced future that awaits the Polo.

Let’s get important

Ever since my early days amassing watches, I’ve had a ardour for Piaget. The model’s ultra-slim actions, mixed with intricate circumstances made from valuable metals, in addition to the frequent use of stone dials, gained my coronary heart. Piaget’s consideration to element and positive craftsmanship nonetheless brings a smile to my face each time I look at my watch. The model has loved a protracted streak of success, and from the 50s to the 80s they have been THE model for the higher class. Piaget offered watches and jewellery designed by Salvador Dali, and was one of many few manufacturers that conquered the quartz disaster by making their very own battery-powered actions and launching them within the now iconic Polo. 

Piaget’s market technique didn’t change a lot over the many years, they targeted on combining ultra-slim actions and solely utilizing valuable steel for crafting their circumstances and bracelets. Thoughts you, they nonetheless are remarkably good at this. Whereas there’s now a give attention to ‘who has the slimmest motion’ and Piaget appears to have been handed by Bulgari and Richard Mille, it’s sensible to recollect two issues. Piaget had been making ultra-slim actions when Richard Mille was nonetheless a toddler and Bulgari was relying on actions from different manufacturers for its watches.

For Piaget, it was not all about having the slimmest motion. That is merely a bonus because the agency initially designed these calibers in order that their designers had extra artistic freedom when there was much less motion to consider. 

Whereas this technique labored wonders for years, it made Piaget unexpectedly weak when mechanical watchmaking renaissance arrived within the Nineties. Whereas they have been seemingly properly positioned, tendencies pointed in direction of outsized watches, stainless-steel turned standard, and costume watches have been what your grandfather wore. So every little thing Piaget was good at was out of favor in a matter of years. This left the model looking for a brand new path, one which was exterior its consolation zone.

Inexperienced dial of the Piaget Polo Perpetual Calendar

With the Upstream, launched in 2001, Piaget lastly crafted a extremely unique watch to begin competing. The Upstream was their first stainless-steel watch in over 4 many years, and it got here with an ingenious clasp built-in into the case. Retailing simply above $6,000 it was able to tackle the competitors however by no means actually acquired the success it deserved. In hindsight, it might need been a bit too progressive, however now this makes it all of the extra uncommon and fascinating, and an unique various for these searching for a high-end watch in stainless-steel with a manufacture motion. 

For the Upstream’s successor, Piaget revamped the Polo, beefing it as much as 45 mm, therefore additionally the identify Polo FortyFive. To maintain the load down, the Polo had a titanium case and was fitted with a rubber strap. Whereas it wore fairly giant within the time-only fashions, the Chronograph-GMT and Perpetual Calendar made good use of the massive dial measurement, giving Piaget a aptitude that it by no means had earlier than.

For the Polo, this was fairly a change as the unique Polo was by no means meant to be worn by gamers on the sector just like the Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso. It was extra for the rich spectators and a watch rich steady homeowners placed on their wrists after a match. 

For me, this all modified with the present era of Polo launched in 2016. It was initially named Polo S, with that letter conveniently standing for each sport and stainless-steel. I’d have favored a method by which the Polo S was complemented by an all-precious steel assortment positioned greater up the horological ladder to keep up the grandeur of Piaget. Nonetheless, the main target remained primarily on the stainless-steel variations, and ultimately, it dropped the S in its identify.

Whereas the Polo S shouldn’t be the primary time Piaget deviated from their well-known godroons within the design, it was additionally absent within the Nineties model of the Polo, and the present mannequin at all times felt extra to me like a sportive Emperador. In all honesty, I’d have additionally beloved to see it marketed as such. The remainder of the Emperador line might have served to cowl the higher-priced echelons, leaving the Polo identify free to proceed the essence of this assortment.  

View by means of the show caseback of the Piaget Polo Perpetual Calendar

Captain on shore

It’s straightforward to come back to those conclusions as an observer from my comfy workplace, a captain on shore. However I ought to underscore that these are feedback made out of tolerating love and fervour for Piaget as a model. No matter historical past, the present era Polo is a delight to put on, well-proportioned and sporty, whereas nonetheless retaining an elementary sense of magnificence. It will get in comparison with the same old suspects on this class, however that isn’t doing it justice as its pedigree comes from elsewhere, and its worth level is aimed toward a special market phase. 

Piaget Polo Perpetual Calendar

With the Polo Perpetual Calendar, I really feel that the gathering is lastly getting some room to breathe. Whereas extra difficult variations of a watch hardly ever take up the majority in gross sales quantity, they’re the poster boys producing greater appreciation for his or her much less advanced siblings. For my part, the perpetual calendar was lengthy overdue, and whereas I’m at it, I’m nonetheless ready for a tourbillon. 

Intelligent strikes

Piaget is launching the Polo Perpetual Calendar with a inexperienced dial. Whereas I anticipate different dial colours to observe, gren is a sensible selection for the launch mannequin. It exhibits a pleasant play of sunshine emphasised by the completely different finishes of the subdials. One other intelligent function is the way in which that the moon section is proven in a smaller window at six o’clock. The advantage of that is that it each makes the dial look much less crowded and ensures that the perpetual calendar doesn’t look too basic.

General, the dial may be very well-proportioned and legible. 

Blue micro-rotor of the Piaget Polo Perpetual Calendar

Motion

Inside ticks caliber 1255P, which relies on the time-only caliber 1200P, with its micro-rotor rooted within the historical past of Piaget. The blue end of the micro-rotor within the Polo Perpetual Calendar offers it a up to date contact.

Piaget Polo Perpetual Calendar aspect on

Regardless of utilizing a module for the perpetual calendar complication, the watch continues to be pleasantly slim, measuring simply 8.65mm in peak. I solely want that the water resistance was barely greater than 30-meters, as I take into account 50-meters at least for a sports activities watch, and 100 meters as recommendable (although 100-meters requires a screw-down crown and thicker case), each of which Piaget ought to have been capable of obtain with the Polo Perpetual Calendar.

Strap/bracelet and conclusion

As is the usual immediately, the bracelet could be swapped inside seconds and with out instruments for a rubber strap, however I’d suggest getting a inexperienced alligator strap to go together with it. Then the costume watch-like qualities that the Polo Perpetual Calendar has ought to actually come out. In that matter, it additionally represents the transition of the model.

Piaget Polo Perpetual Calendar

Whereas I hope that they’ll take the Polo to an excellent greater stage sooner or later, the Polo Perpetual Calendar is a welcome addition to the gathering. It’s a kind of very wearable perpetual calendars, able to put a smile on the face of its proprietor each time she or he appears to be like at it, and that’s, in my view, an elementary high quality any Piaget ought to possess.

For extra info, please go to www.piaget.com/watches/piaget-polo/steel-ultra-thin-automatic-perpetual-calendar-watch-g0a48005

Fast Information Piaget Polo Perpetual Calendar Extremely-Slim
Case: 42 x 8.65 mm, pink gold, 3 ATM water resistance
Motion: automated Caliber 1255P, 3 Hz/21,600 vph frequency, 42-hour energy reserve
Features: hours, minutes; day, date, month, bissextile year, moon section
Value: $58,500

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