News Since the beginning of June, the Piaget Time Gallery has been home to the exhibition entitled "Piaget Polo, a legend" which retraces the 30 year history of this emblematic watch. The exhibition will run for several months.
Created by Yves Piaget in 1979, the Piaget Polo soon became a star thanks to its design, its elegance and its spokesperson at the time, Ursula Andress. Since then, it has found its way unscathed through changing fashions. Much more than just a watch or a fashion accessory, it is an authentic symbol of luxury. Crafted in white or yellow gold, it is worn at any time of the day or night – and that is indeed one of the many reasons behind its amazing success.
"The entire Polo philosophy can be summed up in one sentence: it’s a watch bracelet rather than a mere wristwatch", recalls Yves Piaget. "In 1979, it matched a strong desire expressed by the American market: our retailers wanted a luxury sports watch. In technological terms, we had just introduced the Piaget 7P quartz-powered analog-display movement driving classic hands on a conventional dial display. At just 3.1 mm thick, it was the thinnest in the world, and also a rare commodity due to being produced in extremely limited numbers. Around that same period, our designers had the idea of creating dials that were totally integrated within a solid gold bracelet alternating satin-brushed gold for the flat links and polished links on the gadroons. Since then, the DNA of this watch has remained unchanged, even though it has adjusted to each new era. A Piaget Polo is always instantly recognisable."
In La Côte-aux-Fées, a small village where the Piaget family had been making its movements for over a century, the launch of this new model in 1979 was a revolution that raised a burning issue: should it be duly christened? The very idea ran contrary not only to brand tradition, but also to the legendary discretion of the family. Created in 1874 by Georges-Edouard Piaget, the Manufacture had indeed waited until 1943 before even marketing watches under its own company name. Valentin, the technical director and the younger of the two brothers heading the firm in 1979, was opposed to this innovation. His brother Gérald was open to persuasion, providing the name appealed to him.
"Since my childhood days, I have always been fascinated by horses", says Yves Piaget. "On the family farm, all we had was a draught horse, but it was already my favourite animal. We soon began gravitating around the world of polo, the sport of kings, a luxury hobby and a highly precise discipline. Its name carried prestigious connotations, since it involved an elite. We were exactly on target, in a world combining luxury and sport. This highly sophisticated world was definitely that of our clientele."
After lengthy debate, the new watch was indeed christened, albeit very discreetly and for advertising purposes only, without placing this name on the watches themselves. Keenly aware that he had an enormous potential success on his hands, Yves Piaget was determined to go an innovative step further by letting the whole world know about it.
At the 1980 World Polo Cup in Palm Beach, the Piaget Polo made its grand entrance onto the international jet-set scene. The celebrity press did not yet exist and nobody had yet had the idea of associating stars with the world of luxury. The watch starred in a succession of elegant evenings at Régine’s in New York and gala dinners at the Breakers, the finest hotel in Palm Beach. And to crown it all came an impromptu visit to the stables in the company of one of the world’s most beautiful women, Ursula Andress. The most famous James Bond Girl of all agreed to be the spokesperson for the new watch. "She was a longtime friend", as Yves Piaget reminisces. "She allowed us to take pictures of her with the horses all morning. She also officially presented the Cup, and the pictures were soon circulating around the world." Each of them featured a gold watch on the star’s wrist that was simply impossible to miss. The Piaget Polo had become an icon.
That same year in 1980, a new quartz movement, Calibre 8P, made its appearance at Piaget and in the Piaget Polo world. "This 1.95 millimetre-thick movement was particularly ingenious", recalls Yves Piaget, and the ensuing success of this model certainly lived up to his expectations and to the passionately dedicated work of the company craftsmen. In the early 1980s, the Piaget Polo accounted for almost one-third of the brand’s watch sales. The enthusiasm of its fans has remained undimmed ever since. Without ever slavishly following fashion whims, the Piaget Polo has nonetheless consistently adjusted to mood of successive eras.
In 2001, it was given a facelift. It adopted a more graphic dial, a generous volume and a special curve that guaranteed a perfect fit and also confirmed the iconic status of the Piaget Polo and its relevance as a large-size model. Friends sitcom star Courtney Cox and her husband David Arquette succumbed to its charms, later followed by other showbusiness stars such as Ben Affleck, Puff Daddy, Rihanna and Alicia Keys.
In 30 years, the Piaget Polo watch has lost nothing of its distinctive character. The same alternating matt and polished surfaces, the same regular radiance of the gadroons, and the same sophisticated integration of the bracelet, case and bezel. In 30 years, it has powerfully demonstrated the strength of its design. It even houses two stellar examples of the art of horology: the tourbillon and the chronograph.
Piaget invites you to experience the saga of this legendary collection, by appointment only, Monday through Friday from 10 am to 5 pm and Saturday from 11 am to 4 pm. To schedule a visit, simply contact Piaget on 022 817 02 00 or by e-mail at the following address: piaget-time-gallery.ge@piaget.com.
July 01, 2009
