Introducing The New Piaget Polo Date Black — A Return To The Spotlight For The Brand’s Luxury Sports Watch

During Watches And Wonders 2022, we saw a plethora of impressive timepieces. In the stream of new releases, we missed a familiar face that has returned to the spotlight. Piaget introduced a new version of its sporty luxury watch, the Polo Date in black. The watch not only brings a new dial color to the collection but also sees the introduction of a black rubber strap. This combination was not previously available from Piaget, so let’s take a look and find out more.

When it comes to Piaget and Watches And Wonders 2022, it was all about the Altiplano Ultimate Concept. This special creation that Daan wrote about celebrates the fifth anniversary of the Altiplano line. It shows Piaget’s unique skills in the field of ultra-thin wristwatches, which the brand has been known for over the decades. It left the new Piaget Polo Date Black a bit in the dark (pun intended). But with the watch world returning to business as usual, it’s now time to check out this new version of the brand’s modern luxury sports watch.

The Piaget Polo collection

When the press info for the new Polo model first landed on my desk, I was a bit confused by the name. The new Polo Date Black looks exactly like the Polo S that came out in 2016. But upon checking the Piaget website, you quickly find out that there is no Polo S anymore. Granted, it’s been six years since the Polo S was introduced, so a name change is not that weird, right? Apparently, Piaget changed the name from Polo S to just Polo during that time. Now, the new model has been named the Polo Date, which implies that a date window has been added to the watch. But the Polo S, and therefore the Polo, have always had a date indication at 6 o’clock.

After checking the specs for the Polo and the Polo Date, I found out there are no fundamental differences between the two. They have the same size, the same movement, and the date at 6 o’clock, so, in essence, they are the same watch. With that cleared up, we can take a look at the latest addition to the Polo lineup and find out what makes it different. But before we do that, let’s remind ourselves about the history of the Piaget Polo.

Image courtesy of rarebirds.de

The history of the Piaget Polo

The first Piaget Polo debuted in 1979. It was a creation by Yves G. Piaget that was the perfect proof of the brand’s expertise in both watchmaking and jewelry. It was to be the ultimate statement in luxury chic. The modern style of the watch combined with the use of precious metals made it a true statement piece that was hard to miss. Add the Polo name taken from the sport of kings, and the Polo collection quickly became known as a remarkable line of watches. On top of that, Piaget equipped the Polo with the ultra-thin quartz caliber 7P. It made the Polo both a stylistic and technological statement piece.

The Piaget Polo resurfaced in 2016 when the brand debuted the Polo S watches. The Polo S introduced a new aesthetic for Piaget that is clearly inspired by the iconic modern luxury sports watches like the Royal Oak and the Nautilus. Robert-Jan and Gerard visited the introduction event back in 2016. As Robert-Jan explained, there was quite a bit of buzz surrounding the Polo S. The return of the Polo name was a great move by the brand. But the looks of the Polo S also sparked a lot of discussion, and Robert-Jan also had some questions about the execution of the bracelet.

The new Piaget Polo Date in black

Over the last six years, we have seen the introduction of a variety of different Polo watches, from time-and-date models, chronographs, and skeletonized versions to high-jewelry models and smaller 36mm versions for women. The latest addition is the new Polo Date Black, which channels the initial model that debuted in 2016. This new version is essentially a new color addition to the lineup. But the questions about the bracelet won’t surface with this one. Piaget opted to replace the bracelet and leather strap options with a black rubber strap. A smart move? We will get to that. First, let’s cover some basics.

The Polo Date features a 42mm stainless steel cushion-shaped case that is 9.4mm thick. Without a doubt, the standout part of the case is the wide bezel with its horizontally brushed finish. The sides of the case and the bevels are vertically brushed to create a nice but subtle contrast with the bezel. The case is water-resistant to 100 meters, and the watch comes equipped with a rubber strap. In my opinion, the addition of the rubber strap does make the watch look better. It fits the design of the watch quite well. Nevertheless, there is also no denying that the design connection to the Patek Philippe Aquanaut has become even greater than before.

A familiar design and movement

The Polo Date comes with a matte black dial with the familiar guilloché ridges that give it depth and texture. The dial features applied hour markers, which, along with the hands, are filled with Super-LumiNova for low-light legibility. As we know from the Polo, the seconds hand comes with a Piaget “P” as a counterweight and a red tip. It’s a little sparkle of color on the otherwise black-and-white dial. The trapezoid-shaped date window is placed at 6 o’clock. It is executed in white with black printing. I would have preferred white printing on black for a bit more style and better integration, to be honest.

Piaget equipped the Polo Date with the caliber 1110P, which is visible through the sapphire display case back. The automatic movement operates at 28,800vph and has a 50-hour power reserve. It displays hours, minutes, and central seconds, and it has a date indication, as mentioned before. The movement is relatively slim at 4mm, ensuring that the overall profile of the watch also is quite thin. As we would expect from Piaget, the movement is nicely finished with circular Geneva stripes, perlage, beveling, and blued screws. The rotor also features circular Geneva stripes and has the Piaget coat of arms engraved on it.

Initial impressions of the new Polo Date

Ever since its introduction, the design of the Piaget Polo has sparked a lot of discussion and debate. Six years on, the design influences can still clearly be felt. But the landscape of modern luxury sports watches inspired by Genta’s creations has also changed quite a bit in that time. The category has become massively popular and the number of new introductions plentiful. It has had an effect on my personal perception of the watch now that I’m seeing this latest version. As stated, it clearly has stylistic similarities to the other iconic watches in this category, especially Patek’s Aquanaut. Do I mind that? In all honesty, not as much as I did six years ago when the Polo S first came out.

There’s a very thin line between using influences to come up with something new and using influences to make something that feels a bit all too familiar. With the Piaget Polo Date Black, the Aquanaut name will pop up in a lot of people’s heads, including mine. But the funny thing is that I am not the biggest fan of the standard time-and-date Aquanaut in steel. For me, the standout Aquanaut models are the Chronograph and the Travel Time. That’s also why I find this new Polo Date Black an intriguing and possibly even nicer design. The black color and the smart addition of a rubber strap do make me want to find out how it feels on the wrist. I will definitely try my best to make that happen. The new Piaget Polo Date Black is available now for €11,400 or $11,600 from boutiques and retailers.

For more information visit the official Piaget website.