Piaget debuts their first ever ceramic watch at Watches and Wonders Shanghai 2024. The Piaget Polo Skeleton Ceramic. The bold use of new materials is a testament to the Maison’s commitment to watchmaking excellence and innovation.
Press release information with commentary in italics.
New: Polo Skeleton Ceramic
The Polo Skeleton Ceramic has a retail price of SGD 62,000. Price is inclusive of GST.
Fresh out of the oven from Watches and Wonders Shanghai 2024! The Piaget Polo Skeleton Ceramic. The Piaget Polo Skeleton needs needs no introduction as it is one of their most iconic model available in their catalog. We adored the watch since it’s first introduction and have covered it numerous times including the steel version and the “iced-out” white gold version.
The latest ceramic piece is impressive as it manages to fuse the contemporary material of ceramic on old money and elegant aesthetics. The Jet Black case is contrasted by striking blue accents on the indexes, hands, and the oscillating weight. The 42mm case with the handsome colour is posh, but in a rugged way.
Apart from the use of ceramic and colours that piqued our attention, the movement remains the excellent caliber P1200S. This is the same movement used in the different iterations of the Polo Skeleton. But for us, just like when a kid sees a Ferrari, we are still get excited. What’s bold and new in this latest iteration is the use of Superluminova accent on the micro rotor. Now, some might say it is a gimmicky but we think that it is gorgeous. It reminds us even in the dark that Piaget is still a movement manufacture who marvels at technically challenging ultra-thin micro-rotor movements.
Press Release
For the first time, the Maison welcomes ceramic into its watchmaking repertoire – marking a new milestone for the Piaget Polo Skeleton collection. Now in Piaget’s hands, ceramic instantly becomes elegant and distinctive, redefining the Maison’s commitment to watchmaking excellence and innovation.
Taking three years to develop, the Piaget Polo Skeleton fuses ceramic with the Maison’s art of skeletonization. With a striking, jet-black finish set in the Polo’s ultra-thin, second skin like signature, the design is an invitation to see beyond the obvious – injecting a bold modernity into Piaget’s most iconic watchmaking collection.
MODERN TIMES
The Piaget Polo collection is the perfect canvas to welcome ceramic. When the design debuted in 1979, Piaget Polo instantly became a byword for sporting elegance, its name a direct reference to its target clientele and the sophisticated, jet-set Piaget Society that came to define 1980s glamour. The truly unisex piece, featuring signature gadroons, was crafted in gold – and over the decades Polo has evolved with new iterations and creative expressions: steel was introduced in 2016 with the contemporary Piaget Polo S collection, complemented by new manufacture movements, complications and innovations for changing times, including a date model, a perpetual calendar and interchangeable rubber straps.
Never compromising on the collection’s sleek, ultra-thin proportions and high-end finishes, the Piaget Polo has stayed true to its original spirit: a sophisticated watch for everyday wear – and a design of effortless distinction. A Maison that embraces the artistry of details and textures, Piaget now celebrates the art of skeletonization with ceramic, all set in the ultra-thin, balanced proportions of the Piaget Polo collection. A tradition that’s rooted in the Maison’s history. Skeleton watches appeared at Piaget in 1948, and continued to be produced in small, exclusive quantities in the 1970s and 1980s. The Piaget Polo collection was an especially fine showcase for Piaget’s skeletonization mastery, among the most famous being Miles Davis’s 1984 Piaget Polo, which celebrated the legendary musician’s regular appearances at the Montreux Jazz Festival. A double diamond bezel frames the stunning openwork dial, and the watch’s case features eye-catching lugs that nod the Polo’s hallmark polished gadroons. There have also been gem-set skeletonised timepieces, and in the early 2000s, graphic, openwork dials combined with the Maison’s horological innovations, like its 600P tourbillon that came to life with skeletonization. All stemming from the 9 and 12P movements breakthrough.
In 2021, the dynamism and lightness of the Piaget Polo Skeleton, powered by the in-house calibre 1200S1, welcomed an unexpected new look: bridges treated with daring blue or grey colour. Highlighting the depth and texture of Piaget’s openwork expertise, the pieces reignited the Piaget Polo’s original creativity and flamboyance, and was followed up in 2024 with the Only Watch unique piece. Featuring striking, multicolour layers of green, blue and rose gold skeletonized brides, the daring piece set the stage for the Polo Skeleton Ceramic.
CERAMIC MEETS ULTRA-THIN
The biggest challenge was the watch’s development, where ceramic is seamlessly fused with Piaget’s ultra-thin DNA and aesthetic. Producing and finishing such slim, waterproof, yet robust ceramic components was a true feat of engineering and design, and a watchmaking first. It required the Manufacture to completely reconsider the watch’s existing constructions and build a new case from the ground up.
The biggest challenge was the watch’s development, where ceramic is seamlessly fused with Piaget’s ultra-thin DNA and aesthetic. Producing and finishing such slim, waterproof, yet robust ceramic components was a true feat of engineering and design, and a watchmaking first. It required the Manufacture to completely reconsider the watch’s existing constructions and build a new case from the ground up.
Powered by the Manufacture 1200S1 ultra-thin self-winding calibre, the watch’s jet-black aesthetic is contrasted by striking Superluminova accents: on the indexes and hands, and now for the first time, the Piaget logo on the oscillating weight. This brings a unique dynamism to the design, complemented by the added versatility of the SingleTouch interchangeable strap system, first introduced on the Piaget Polo Perpetual Calendar Ultra-Thin black in 2023. The watch can be fitted with either a black rubber strap with a steel and titanium folding strap, or an additional blue rubber strap.
Audacious, daring and a mark of distinction, the new Piaget Polo Skeleton Ceramic opens a new chapter for the Maison. Rooted in the original codes of the Piaget Polo’s disruptive design – with its refined proportions and joyful mix of everyday sophistication – the Piaget Polo Skeleton Ceramic is a testament to Piaget’s watchmaking savoir-faire and pioneering spirit.
Piaget Polo Skeleton Ceramic Specifications
G0A9439011
Diameter: 42MM
Case Material: Ceramic and Titanium
Dial: Flange with SuperLumiNova indexes indexes and hours and minute hands as well
Bracelet: Black rubber bracelet with Singletouch interchangeable system. Watch delivered with a second blue rubber strap. Steel and titanium folding buckle
Thickness: 7.5mm
Water Resistance: 5ATM
Caliber: Manufacture Ultra-thin 1200S1 automatic skeleton movement (2.4mm). 100% developed by Piaget
Functions: Hours & Minutes
Power Reserve: 44 Hours
