The New Dial Texture Of The Piaget Polo Field

The Polo is Piaget’s answer to the luxury sports watch. A remake of Yves Piaget’s 1979 sporty-chic quartz-powered model, the Polo resurfaced in 2016 with mechanical steel models initially positioned as entry-level candidates. The versatile nature of the Polo is attested by the wide variety of models available, ranging from time-and-date all the way up to ultra-thin perpetual calendars and complex skeletonised models. The most straightforward, entry-level model is the Polo Date which returns in June under a slightly different name: Piaget Polo Field. At first glance, it looks like another steel Polo model with a green dial. However, the Polo Field has a subtle design trick up its sleeve, making the dial more dynamic.

Despite the initial constant comparison with “other” luxury sports watch icons, the Polo is really a close descendant of Piaget’s Emperador, and the two families sit side-by-side on the brand’s website. Like the Emperador, the case of the Polo Date is a medley of shapes; the bezel is ostensibly round, but the interior part of the bezel draws a subtle octagon giving it a prominent cushion shape. To emphasise the geometry, the 42mm stainless steel case is decorated with brushed and polished finishes. The bezel, for example, features a horizontal brushed surface and bevelled polished edges, like the lugs. Another trait of the Polo Date is its slim case height of 9.4mm, pretty lean for an automatic sports watch with an open caseback and water-resistance of 100 metres, yet totally in character with Piaget’s tradition of ultra-thin mechanical movements.

Like former editions of the Polo time-and-date with a green dial and green dial with rose gold accents, the signature guilloché grooves running horizontally across the dial have become as emblematic as the Tapisserie pattern of the Royal Oak. According to the brand, the dark emerald green colour of the new Polo Field pays homage to the polo fields of West Palm Beach in Florida, where Piaget hosted the Polo World Cup in 1980, an ideal venue to promote Yves Piaget’s stylish Polo watch.

The novelty here is the different pattern on the dial. Although the gadroons are still present, they are thicker and feature shorter incisions to replicate the texture of the interchangeable rubber strap. The shorter incisions inside the wide gadroons are arranged around the dial’s periphery, further underscoring the cushion-shaped minutes track and bezel. We haven’t seen the watch in the metal, but we have to trust the brand’s press release when it describes the chameleonic personality of the dial that plays with the light. The indices are faceted, applied to the dial, and treated with luminescent material like the hour and minute hands. The central seconds hand has a “P” counterweight, and the date window with its white background is framed at 6 o’clock.

The sapphire crystal on the caseback reveals the slim 1110P calibre, created by Piaget specifically for this collection. It is an automatic movement with a height of just 4mm that ticks at 4Hz for 50 hours. The movement is decorated with circular Côtes de Genève both on the bridges and slate grey rotor and has bevelled bridges and circular graining on the mainplate.

The Piaget Polo Field is limited in production to 400 pieces annually and retails for USD 13,570. For more information, please consult piaget.com.