Throwback Thursday: Piaget Polo

The Piaget Polo, introduced in 1979, represents the sporting side of the brand, named for the network of polo matches Piaget participates in or sponsors. That doesn’t mean it is a sports watch, however. It is a solid gold dress watch, more suited for those sipping champagne in the grandstands. As Piaget puts it, the watch “expresses an elegant interpretation of both an active and refined soul.”

The original was housed in an 18k yellow gold round case and dial with alternating polished and satin-brushed surfaces – its signature look. The grooves created by the godrons of the bracelet links are visually carried onto the dial, creating one of the most integrated connections between bracelet and dial ever executed – nothing else looked like a Polo, and it is still instantly recognizable. The watch was, and still is in its modern incarnations, evidence of the brand’s expertise in working with gold. Notice the prominence of the world “quartz” on the dial, a testament to the strength and importance of that technology in the 1970s.