THE ESSENTIALS
MAKE: PIAGET
MODEL: 7131 C701
YEAR: 1980
BOX/PAPERS: NO/YES(SERVICE)
CASE DIAMETER: 25MM
CASE MATERIAL: 18K YELLOW GOLD
BRACELET MATERIAL: 18K YELLOW GOLD
MOVEMENT: AUTOMATIC
Founded in 1874 by Georges-Édouard Piaget in the village of La Côte-aux-Fées, Switzerland, Piaget began as a small workshop dedicated to crafting high-precision movements. By the mid-20th century, under the leadership of the founder’s descendants, the brand began producing watches under its own name, evolving from a movement supplier into a fully fledged luxury manufacture.
Piaget quickly became synonymous with ultra-thin watchmaking. The Calibre 9P (1957) and 12P (1960) were, at the time, the thinnest mechanical and automatic movements in the world. The brand also supplied movements and technical expertise to some of Switzerland’s most prestigious houses—1970s Cartier watches, for instance, often featured Piaget-based calibres.
Like many others, Piaget suffered during the Quartz Crisis and shifted its focus in the late 1970s and early 1980s toward high-end quartz watches. During the time when quartz movements were introduced to models like the Rolex Day-Date, Patek Phillipe Nautilus, and Audemars Piguet Royal Oak, Piaget took an even bolder approach. In 1979, the Polo was introduced: an all-gold watch powered by an ultra-thin quartz movement, available as ref. 7661 C701 (round) and 7131 C701 (square). The Polo was also the first Piaget to carry its own model name, a departure from the brand’s long-held philosophy that “Piaget” itself was the product. It was also, at the time, the most expensive time-only watch on the market (more than double the price of a Day-Date).
Perhaps as a result, only a few thousand Polos were produced in the decade following its debut, and many were sadly melted down for their gold during periods when they fell out of favour with collectors. Which makes it all the more special when an early example such as this ref. 7131 C701 appears.
The watch has an unapologetically bold personality. In square form, the Polo is the ultimate expression of the integrated-bracelet sports watch. The case—if one can even distinguish it—is seamlessly absorbed into the 18k gold bracelet, powered by the ultra-thin Calibre 7P. The bracelet itself is a work of art. This example has been exceptionally well preserved, with no stretch and an extra link beyond full length.
In recent years, Piaget Polos have finally begun to receive the recognition they deserve, aided in part by the brand’s reintroduction of the Polo 79—once again vying for the title of the most extravagant two-hand gold watch on the market. It had a full Piaget within the last 18 months. A remarkable time capsule from the 1980s, ready to grace the wrist of its next (inevitably stylish) owner.