A birthday as big as one’s 150th deserves an extraordinary celebration, and Piaget has already started pulling out all the stops as it marks this landmark anniversary. With the release of the new Piaget Polo 79, it’s bringing back to life one of its most iconic timepieces, the original Polo, a watch that defined its era and remains as charming today as when it was launched 45 years ago.  

In horological terms at least, the 1970s were defined by the dominance of elegant sports watches. As dress codes loosened and lifestyles became more active, the industry’s biggest names adapted in response and began approaching high-end watchmaking with a more casual eye.  

‘We really had to answer to this particular demand of our customers who are used to getting just dress watches,’ said Yves Piaget at the time. ‘But now our customers like to do more and more sports. That’s part of the evolution of our lives today. They want to be exquisite, even in sport. They want to wear a better watch, even in their sports. So we created this sport line which is waterproof, shockproof.’ 

Of course, Piaget’s response to a “sports watch” was unlike any other. Launched in 1979, the Polo took inspiration from Yves Piaget’s love of the equestrian world. Despite its promised hard-wearing qualities, it didn’t compromise on glamour when it came to looks. Rendered in 18ct yellow gold, from the dial to the bracelet, the watch quickly found favour with the international jet set. Its unconventional design, with its distinctive striped appearance, certainly couldn’t help but catch the eye, achieved with its construction of alternating polished gadroon and brushed block links.   

Its svelte profile was made possible by Piaget’s then-revolutionary development of incredibly slim quartz movements. This is one of the few ways in which the new Piaget Polo 79 differs from the original, equipped instead with the ultra-thin 1200P1 automatic calibre. To accommodate this movement, as well as the crystal case back to view it in all its glory, the size of the watch has been slightly enlarged to 38mm. Beyond this, the otherwise faithful reproduction captures the exuberance of the 1980s in a fittingly celebratory style.   

£69,000, piaget.com