Piaget's Polo Skeleton is a work of art
Piaget's Polo Skeleton is no mere wristwatch — it's a work of art The Piaget Polo Skeleton is a spectacular new iteration of the brand's sleeper hit, sports-luxe watch Robin Swithinbank There is a loose hierarchy in the great luxury sports watch designs of the 1970s. For a time, it was largely unquantifiable but, of late, soaring preowned values attached to pieces such as Patek Philippe's Nautilus Ref 5711 have created some – startling – context.
By dint of being discontinued last week, the prima Patek's value has sped into six-figure territory, more than triple retail. Even Audemars Piguet's similarly prized Royal Oak, the category's original entry, can't compete with that.
But what counts against the pile-toppers in the real world, at least when buying new, is that legion consumers have been left watchless by ongoing shortages (a first-world problem, if ever there was). In turn, that has opened a window through which some of the lesser-known – but not necessarily lesser – watches of the period are starting to shine.
Girard-Perregaux's Laureato would be one; Vacheron Constantin's Overseas another. So would pieces such as Omega's Seamaster 200 and IWC's Gérald Genta-inspired Ingénieur SL, if only the brands would remake them.
And add to that list Piaget's Polo. Created by society favourite Yves G Piaget and launched in 1979, it was aimed largely at the Americans, who, it was hoped, would view it as a symbol of modern luxury. Piaget himself said: "It's a watch bracelet rather than a mere wristwatch." This was a louche accessory for the American aristocracy – and they loved it. Andy Warhol, Sammy Davis Jr and Brooke Shields were among its adopters.
Three-and-a-half decades later, Piaget returned to source, launching a steel sports watch it called the Polo S in New York. Along for the ride were Ryan Reynolds, Michael B Jordan and me. The Polo S had a new design. Gone was the integrated form of the original that carried the bracelet link motif through the case and right across the dial – and in its place came a cushion shape and a distinctly more, how shall we put this, Nautilus feel. It ruffled so many feathers that Fratello, a leading online watch magazine, asked if it wasn't "2016's most controversial watch".
Because of this, it hasn't come close to usurping the 1970s chart-busters, although this doesn't mean it's a bad watch. It isn't. More likely is that it's a sleeper hit. In today's currency, given the unavailability of the competition, it's also a high-end stainless-steel luxury sports watch with an in-house movement and a fabulous dial name that you can actually get your hands on. Exclusive, rare, but not so aloof as to be patronising.
The reason for saying all this is because today, Piaget has revealed a spectacular new iteration of what has recently, and quietly, become just "Polo" – no more "S". It's called the Polo Skeleton, on account of its skeletonised dial (skeletonisation being the process of stripping away all extraneous detail to leave only a movement's wireframe). And it is a work of art.
Part of what makes it so is that it is also extraordinarily thin, thinness being a Piaget calling card. Piaget has shaved off 30 per cent of the overall thickness of the case compared to the core collection piece and evolved the Piaget 1200S automatic to accommodate an off-centred micro-rotor.
Eschewing bulk has left the 42mm watch measuring a barely-there 6.5mm from nose to tail, three mill thinner than the standard-issue piece. The movement itself is a 2.4mm sliver. Piaget's long-time adventures in thinness have left us less impressed by such measurements than we would once have been. Last year's most celebrated watch – it won the GPHG's top prize – was Piaget's Altiplano Ultimate Concept, which at 2mm deep set a world record for thinness in mechanical watchmaking that might never be matched. But still, 6.5mm for a skeletonised automatic should not be sniffed at.
Beyond its proportions, there's a choice of either a zippy blue PVD or muted slate-grey finish to the movement and a welcome strap change system that means you can swap out the "H" design integrated bracelet for the leather strap that comes with every purchase. A 44-hour power reserve is perfectly serviceable, although 30 metres of water resistance mean the sports watch designation can no longer apply.
This isn't the watch that will take the Polo across the Rubicon into broad acceptance, but it does add to its status – and allure. Perhaps, to riff off Mr Piaget, it's "watch art rather than a mere wristwatch".
£26,500. piaget.com
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