Piaget Polo FortyFive Two-Tones Perpetual Calendar – The hidden qualities of a sports watch

When Piaget decided to take the legendary Polo out of its precious metal solitude they did a very thorough job. They made the case a contemporary 45mm in diameter, hence its name; Polo FortyFive.

To prevent that you need serious muscle in order to wear this watch they made it from titanium. Only the famous gadroons are made of steel (except on the Two-Tones Perpetual Calendar). This change gives the Polo a fresh, yet still recognizable face. To make the watch even more contemporary Piaget added the option for a rubber strap (that suits the watch very well).

Recently Piaget introduced a new model in the FortyFive collection that should make connoisseurs and collectors alike burn with desire; the Polo FortyFive Perpeptual Calendar. Main attraction for this watch is of course the perpetual calendar complication. Like with all Piaget watches this movement is made completely in-house. The cosmetic difference with other models from the Polo FortyFive collection is that the gadroons are made from pink gold and not steel. This sounds rather trivial but changes the look of the watch significantly. The pink gold looks very rich and luscious against the dark, matted color of the titanium.

Also the hands and indices on the dial are made from pink gold. The dial has to support a lot of functions, and does this in almost complete symmetry. Month and leap year indicators are positioned at 12 o’clock, while at 3 and 9 the retrograde hands for the date and day reside. The lower part of the dial is reserved for the running seconds on the right and the second time zone with day/night indicator on the left. The Piaget logo displays it’s modesty at 6 o’clock, although the distinct Polo-design probably already has given away the brand name of this watch.

What makes the watch however truly interesting was Piaget’s choice for movements. The time only model runs on a caliber 800P automatic manufacture movement, that to Piaget’s standards (with a legacy in ultra-slim movements) is a “rugged” 4mm thick. The chronograph version is powered by caliber 880P. It not only offers a flyback chronograph, but also a very handy, and easy to set second time zone. Especially with this watch Piaget created a very practical sports watch that can meet the desires of even the most spoiled connoisseur.

Caliber 855P, which comprises 343 components, was previously introduced in the beautiful Emperador case and has a few characteristics that one would not expect in a sports watch. With a height of only 5.6 mm it is ultra slim for a perpetual calendar movement. This is especially an excellent achievement from Piaget, because of the two retrograde indicators (which cost more space than regular hands) in the movement; one for the day and one for the date. It gets even more spectacular when you realize that this movement also features a second time zone with day/night indicator. All this in just 5.6 mm! When travelling you can simply set the second time zone to meet your needs and don’t have to disturb the perpetual calendar settings. This way you don’t have to leave your beloved perpetual calendar at home when travelling around the globe.

When travelling the globe you cannot always avoid a bumpy ride. One of the ways Piaget made sure that the 855P is ultra-slim but not ultra sensitive, is by making a complete bridge over the balance wheel. This is one of the features that ensure, that even rough rides do not interfere with the precision.

A lot of watch brands boast about the delicate decorations they apply on the movement, yet only a few take it as far as Piaget did with the 855P. The back of the watch shows a circular grained rotor and mainplate, beveled bridges and blued screws. Not to forget the Piaget coat of arms that is engraved on the rotor. But it is what we don’t see is perhaps the most impressive. The other side of the movement, the parts that are always hidden behind the dial, that is also fully decorated. Only the lucky watchmaker who will service this watch will be able to admire the beautiful decoration.

All together has Piaget added another icon to the Polo-collection; Highly complicated, ultra-refined yet unmistakable a sports watch.

For more information, please visit a local Piaget dealer or the Piaget website.