Hands-On With The Piaget Polo Skeleton Ceramic
Today, we’ll go hands-on with the new Piaget Polo Skeleton Ceramic. This is a modern-looking take on the brand’s entry into the sports-dress category. As we’ll see, the lack of an integrated bracelet and textured dial helps provide this watch with an identity of its own.
The current Piaget Polo lineup features many models, including three-handers, chronographs, perpetual calendars, and more. With the new Polo Skeleton Ceramic, there’s now a version that blends modern materials with an open-worked movement. All of this comes together in a sharp design that pairs just as well with sportswear as more formal wear.
The Piaget Polo Skeleton Ceramic
The standard stainless steel Polo is a good-looking watch that has become a great alternative to typical sports-dress offerings from Audemars and Patek. We love that it’s available and relatively approachable, especially considering the brand’s reputation for quality. However, some people wish for a bit more pizzazz, and that’s where the Skeleton Ceramic comes into play.
Ceramic and titanium
The Polo Skeleton Ceramic is a 42mm by 47mm watch with a mere 7.9mm thickness. Its case features a blend of brushed and polished black ceramic surfaces for the bezel, crown, and outer shell. An internal core is crafted from black-coated titanium, and sapphire crystals join the decidedly high-tech materials on both case sides. The entire construction yields a 50m depth rating.
Sensibly, the watch ships with both black and dark blue rubber straps. Happily, each strap uses the brand’s SingleTouch push-button release system for easy swapping. Finally, a titanium and ceramic folding clasp rounds out the strap.
A great take on an open dial
I’m typically neither here nor there on open dials. However, the Polo Skeleton Ceramic looks great with its combination of dark blue Super-LumiNova, dark gray movement, and electric blue micro-rotor. Perhaps it’s the fact that the in-house Piaget 1200S1 movement fills the dial so well that makes this watch attractive to my eyes. I also enjoy the non-traditionally shaped crystal that fits flush within the round ceramic bezel. Some will decry the lack of a running seconds hand, but I think the simplicity of a two-handed design is for the best.
The 1200S1 micro-rotor caliber
Piaget’s 12001S1 is a 25-jewel micro-rotor movement with a frequency of 21,600vph. It offers 44 hours of power reserve and consists of 189 components. The light power reserve may concern some, but this strikes me as a watch that won’t need to come off during the weekend once work has finished. Plus, let’s remember that this caliber is just 2.4mm thick and boasts nice anglage on the bulk of its edge surfaces.
The Polo Skeleton Ceramic shines
These days, a diameter of 42mm could strike some as too large. However, the moderate 47mm lug-to-lug, slim profile, and lightweight materials allow the Polo Skeleton Ceramic to wear beautifully. In addition, the soft and flexible rubber strap helps the watch conform to the wrist.
Final thoughts
The Skeleton Ceramic strikes me as the right choice for someone looking for a more technical and modern take on the Piaget Polo. It’s a well-executed piece that is somehow more subtle than, say, a Hublot or Royal Oak Offshore. Of course, a watch like this with its advanced materials and visible movement comes at a price. For €44,100, the Polo Skeleton Ceramic will find its way to a select number of wrists. I’d consider those wrists lucky to wear such a cool timepiece.
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