Luxury Watches and Jewelry Watches and not just. From the finest timepieces to the most exquisite in jewelry, what's new, what's hot and what's not. Feel free to pose questions, offer insight or ask for advice.
The Piaget Polo watch collection has long been a symbol of exceptional luxury, fabled Swiss quality, and exclusivity. However, it has not often been the first elite luxury watch a well-heeled younger buyer (say, under 40) might consider – something like an Audemars Piguet Offshore or a Hublot Big Bang would probably get that initial interest. With the recent introduction of the fantastic Polo FortyFive watches, and the FortyFive Chronograph in particular, Piaget is making serious strides to pull those same “hip” buyers back into their corner. Those obsessed with exceptionally fine mechanical watches – regardless of age demographic – would do well to have a very close look at this beautiful new timepiece from Piaget. It is extremely sophisticated as an example of haute horlogerie, but it is also fresh, extremely stylish and yes – considerably larger in size than previous Polo watches.
The first thing that sets the Piaget Polo FortyFive apart from any Polo timepiece that has come before, is its bold 45mm case (if there was any curiosity over the watch’s name). It looks great on all but the smallest wrists, and is a wonderful canvas for the exquisite brushed finish with its contrasting polished godrons. The dial radiates superb detail that strikes an excellent balance between vintage and contemporary elements; the dauphine hands capture the essence of 1950s era watches, but the faceted, tapered hour markers and intricate framed subdials are as modern as tomorrow. A superb custom fit is obtainable, thanks to a supple rubber strap with a three-part titanium folding clasp.
The Piaget Polo FortyFive Chronograph watch is so much more than beautiful craftsmanship and stylish design. It is equally distinguished by an exquisite in-house Piaget movement. The 880P is one of Piaget’s newest calibers, but it looks very promising. Like other prestigious automatic chronograph movements such as Patek Philippe’s 28-520C or the Rolex 4130, Piaget’s 880P boasts a fully integrated non-modular mechanism, and its operations are controlled by a traditional column wheel. The Piaget 880P is also a fine sight to see through the exhibition sapphire back, displaying circular Cotes de Geneve bridge decorations, blued screws, and PVD-finished rotor bearing the Piaget coat of arms.
Functionality is all that can be asked. The chronograph has a flyback function – a great feature that really excels over a standard chronograph which MUST be stopped between timing sequences – and if that’s not enough, you also have a date display and a 24-hour indicator for a second time zone. This extremely useful travel complication can be instantly advanced by the push-button on the upper left side of the Polo FortyFive watch case.
