Piaget call their five Polo S watches game-changers. There’s no doubt that the chronograph in particular does something innovative: no continuous seconds. If the chronograph is not running, there is nothing moving on the dial. The Polo S chronograph has an in-house movement with column wheel and vertical clutch, and so if you’d like to see the continuous seconds, you can just start the chronograph and leave it running. This is not the first watch to adopt this policy. The Patek Philippe Nautilus 5980, for example, also has no continuous seconds dial, and, as in the Piaget Polo S, the almost friction-free coupling between the going train and the chronograph seconds hand makes it possible to leave the chronograph running if you want to have a continuous seconds hand. Below, the Piaget Polo S in the two versions, with Piaget blue or silvered dial.
Piaget have decided to eliminate the continuous seconds subdial in order to simplify the dial and make it more attractive. The two subdials are exactly on the midline, and at 6 o’clock, where normally there would be the third subdial in a tricompax arrangement, there is the date window, nicely designed with a tapering frame that mirrors the shape of the hour markers. The chronograph seconds scale follows the inner edge of the bezel, with its unusual shape, and the chronograph seconds hand is always close enough to the scale to make it legible at all times.
The exterior edge of the bezel and the case are circular, and this is one of the features setting the watches apart from the Patek Philippe Nautilus that at first sight looks quite similar.
In actual fact, with respect to the the Patek Philippe Nautilus 5980 chronograph, the Piaget Polo S chronograph is actually very different in terms of design. The Nautilus first appeared in 1976, and its flat, brushed bezel with distinctive shape quickly became an icon. The arrangement of the Patek Philippe 5980 chronograph dial is different with respect to the Piaget watch, with chronograph hours and minutes on a single totalizer. The pushers are positioned differently, the case and bracelet are also different.
The Piaget Polo S has hour markers and hour and minute hands with SuperLuminova. The case is 42 mm in diameter, 9.4 mm thick, with 100 metres water resistance. These characteristics make it a good all-round watch, sturdy and water-resistant enough to be used outside with no fear of water splashes, while its slimness and elegant design are perfect for any occasion. The watch is in two versions, with silvered dial (GOA41004) and Piaget blue dial (GOA41006). This shade of blue is very attractive and changes a lot according to the light conditions. The bracelet doesn’t taper very much towards the folding clasp, and this makes it very comfortable to wear. A watch is always a matter of personal taste, but this piece is one of the few that looks to me pretty much perfect.
In-house movement
The movement is the manufacture Piaget 1160 P, automatic, with 50 hours power reserve. It runs at 28,800 vibrations per hour (4 Hertz). It is nice when seen through the sapphire caseback, with the Piaget coat-of-arms on the slate grey oscillating weight, and Côtes de Genève decoration on the mainplate. Wheels has a sunburst finish and screws are blued.
The movement is 5.72 mm thick which, though not ultra-slim, enables the complete watch to be thin enough to slide under a shirt sleeve. The photo shows the Piaget Polo S time-only watch; it gives a general idea of what the caseback looks like.
The other distinctive feature of this watch is the “S” of its name, referring to the steel of the case. This keeps the price to a more accessible level than for most Piaget watches: €14,800, US$ 12,400. The watches are already in boutiques. According to Piaget, sell-in (orders from retailers) has gone very well. We have to wait and see whether this will be confirmed by sell-out. Read more here: http://www.piaget.com/
