The Piaget Polo, named after the Sport of Kings, was initially all about glamour and style when it debuted in 1979.
The dashing gold wristwatch featured a motif, imparted by a construction of alternating polished gadroon and brushed block links that seamlessly continued from the bracelet to the case and even to the dial.
Piaget made subtle changes to the original and fitted an ultra-thin self-winding movement into a yellow gold version, released last year to mark the company's 150th anniversary.
The milestone was coupled by another achievement as the resulting Piaget Polo 79 won the Iconic Watch Prize at the GPHG 2024.
In recent years, the style icon has been elevated with a skeletonised movement, followed by an ultra-thin perpetual calendar. Its mechanical evolution continues with the combination of two complications in the new Piaget Polo Flying Tourbillon Moonphase powered by Calibre 642P.
The Swiss company redefined itself as the Maison of Extraleganza to express the extravagance and elegance of its watches and jewellery, crafted at Les Ateliers de L'Extraordinaire in Plan-les-Ouates and La Côte-aux-Fées.
The astronomical display with a hand to indicate the current moon phase.
Mechanical movements are conceived at the latter location, where the company was founded by 19-year-old Georges-Édouard Piaget in 1874.
In the mid-20th century, third-generation Gerald and Valentin Piaget took the helm, and the development of ultra-thin calibres led to the launch of the hand-wound 9P with a thickness of merely 2mm in 1957.
Valentin then worked on the slightly-thicker automatic 12P at 2.3mm, unveiled three years later.
The slim DNA has been passed on to complication movements, with the 4mm-thin Calibre 642P previously the engine of models in the Piaget Gouverneur collection.
The rectangular hand-wound movement is 0.5mm thicker than its predecessor, the Calibre 600P tourbillon, due to the additional components for the moon-phase display.
The Calibre 642P now provides the latest Piaget Polo Flying Tourbillon Moonphase with a power reserve of 37 hours, while the moon-phase display requires a one-day correction every 122 years.
The caseback with engravings of the Piaget crest and motto.
At 12 o'clock, the flying tourbillon features a titanium carriage and a stylised P. The opposing astronomical display is atypically designed with a hand indicating the current moon phase, against the Piaget Polo's gadroons in blue representing the night sky.
The signature motif further adorns the blue cushion-shaped dial with an inner openwork revealing the mechanism.
Piaget's emblematic colour contrasts with the titanium case, refined with alternating polished and satin-brushed surfaces.
The ultra-thin Calibre 642P allows the construction of the case with a thickness of 9.8mm while the diameter measures 44mm. Echoing the dial and their gadroons, the case flanks and crown insert stand out in blue. Notably, the PVD technique used to colour the titanium retains all of its properties.
The lightweight and skin-friendly material makes the Piaget Polo Flying Tourbillon Moonphase even more wearable while the sporty style can be changed to a more elegant look, thanks to the interchangeable rubber bracelet and alligator strap.
The partially open caseback offers another view of the mechanism through a sapphire crystal window, above an engraving of the Piaget crest.
The upper engraving in French translates as "always do better than necessary" -- the founder's motto, which has instilled Piaget with the spirit to go the extra mile in advancing its haute horlogerie.
The signature gadroons also adorn the case flanks of Piaget Polo Flying Tourbillon Moonphase.
