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Piaget steps firmly into a new segment
New Models

Piaget steps firmly into a new segment

Thursday, 29 January 2009
By Florence Noël
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Florence Noël

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3 min read

Piaget sets out to seduce elegant sports fans with a new interpretation of its iconic Polo watch, which celebrates its 30th anniversary this year.

“Yes, there is a crisis but we are optimistic for the future. Creativity is a force at Piaget that allows us to take a more serene view.” Philippe Léopold-Metzger, CEO of Piaget, has a very clear strategy. Whereas some brands are refocusing their collections around very exclusive products, Piaget makes a confident move into the sport-chic segment. Already well-established in Fine Jewellery and Fine Watches, the brand now has its sights set on a new playing field, where customers are plentiful and have a certain amount of purchasing power at their disposal. An attractive market indeed, but where competition is already rife. But Piaget and its CEO have an ace in their pack: the Polo, the iconic model from La-Côte-aux-Fées, this year celebrating its 30th birthday.

It was one quick step from idea to implementation. Taking advantage of this anniversary year, Philippe Léopold-Metzger imagined a younger, dynamic and resolutely technical version of this emblematic watch: three qualities that are sure to win over this chosen clientele. Bingo! Judging by the enthusiastic response of the specialist press at the SIHH 2009, the manufacture has hit the nail on the head. The Piaget Polo FortyFive shows every sign of fulfilling very real demand. This is, it must be said, a most attractive watch. Available as four versions, all in titanium, the new Polo collection reinvents the original in a contemporary and elegant way.

Piaget Polo FortyFive Chronograph © Piaget
Piaget Polo FortyFive Chronograph © Piaget
Back to its roots

“We have built on a flowing architecture of steel, rubber and titanium, which also makes this a lighter watch. At the same time we have chosen a larger 45mm case, a tongue-in-cheek reference to the game of polo, as most matches are played over 45 minutes,” Philippe Léopold-Metzger explains.

This watch’s lightness belies its highly technical movement. The heart that beats inside the case, which has a more modern curved form, comes as two Manufacture calibres. One features a flyback chronograph and second time zone. The other has opted for a date aperture at 6 o’clock. These new models make no secret of their sporting ambitions, as befits the game of polo itself, a legendary sport at Piaget as this new model takes it back to its roots. Indeed, under the impetus of Yves G. Piaget, the brand pioneered sponsorship of this elite sport as it lent its name to polo from the early 1980s. Committed to promoting a highly skilled discipline which reflects its own values of daring, rigour and precision, the brand has given its name to many prestigious events.

Piaget has also distinguished itself for its sponsorship of an Argentinean polo team and of a polo school in Buenos Aires. Given its uncontested legitimate presence on the polo field, Piaget can hope for a smooth ride throughout 2009 as it wins over a clientele which had, until now, eluded the brand. If such good fortune smiles on it, Piaget will be able to boast a major presence in virtually every prestige watch segment.

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