The Piaget Polo has always been the maison’s sportier shape, but the Polo Minute Repeater pushes it into much rarer territory.
Here, one of high watchmaking’s most traditional acoustic complications is folded into a white-gold case that measures 48mm across and only 9.3mm thick.
The result is less a nostalgia piece than a technical watch with a deliberate sense of theatre.
At a glance
- Piaget has introduced the Polo Minute Repeater, a contemporary take on a classic chiming complication.
- The watch features a hand-guilloché blue gold dial with an aperture revealing part of the striking mechanism.
- Five numbered pieces will be produced this year.
A Polo case built around sound
The minute repeater belongs to an older rhythm of watchmaking, when time could be read in the dark by sound rather than sight.
Piaget’s interpretation doesn’t dress that heritage in a pocket-watch costume.
Instead, the complication sits inside the Polo’s recognisable architecture, with its interlocking forms and graphic presence preserved in white gold.
At 48mm, this is a substantial case, yet the 9.3mm thickness keeps the proportions technically striking for a watch with an automatic minute repeater calibre.
The activation slide sits at 9 o’clock and moves downward, a detail that required the movement architecture to be reworked.
The blue dial gives the mechanism a stage
The dial is made from blue gold and finished with hand guilloché, using a radiating motif that Piaget frames with an almost theatrical idea.
Its pattern recalls the folds of a curtain, with one corner seemingly lifted to expose the hidden mechanics beneath.
That opening reveals the regulator of the striking mechanism at 4 o’clock, positioned under a smoked blue sapphire ring.
It’s a discreet reveal rather than an openworked spectacle, which suits the complication well.
The textured blue calfskin strap keeps the composition tonal and contemporary, allowing the dial’s layered blues and mechanical aperture to carry the character of the piece.
The 1290P calibre and its chime
The automatic 1290P calibre was developed and assembled at Piaget’s La Côte-aux-Fées workshops in the hills above Neuchâtel.
It comprises 430 components and uses a blue PVD-treated platinum micro-rotor for winding.
The acoustic side is specified with unusual precision.
The mechanism delivers 64dB and produces three harmonics, with G-sharp used for the hours and A-sharp for the minutes, both in the fifth octave.
Those details matter because a minute repeater is judged not only by its complication count, but by the quality, clarity and character of its voice.
Details & Specifications
| Brand | Piaget |
|---|---|
| Model | Polo Minute Repeater |
| Case size | 48mm |
| Case thickness | 9.3mm |
| Case material | White gold |
| Dial | Hand-guilloché blue gold with smoked blue sapphire ring |
| Movement | Automatic Piaget 1290P calibre |
| Components | 430 |
| Winding | Blue PVD-treated platinum micro-rotor |
| Complication | Minute repeater |
| Chime | 64dB, three harmonics, G-sharp hours and A-sharp minutes in the fifth octave |
| Activation | Slide at 9 o’clock with downward motion |
| Strap | Textured blue calfskin |
| Production | Five numbered pieces this year |
The Piaget Polo Minute Repeater is a watch for collectors drawn to contrast.
It places one of horology’s most poetic complications inside a modern, assertive case, then lets just enough of the mechanism show to remind you that the real drama happens when the watch starts to sing.
