With the Polo Skeleton, Piaget combines the best of the past with the craftsmanship of the future

THE 1970S BROUGHT about a creative revolution for Swiss watchmakers like Piaget. Upstart rivals threatened the established Europeans’ grasp on the horological market with exported products and price points they simply couldn’t match. For Piaget, the luxury watchmaker founded in the quaint Swiss village of La Côte-aux-Fées in 1874, the only logical response was to embark on a period of daring innovation. Soon after, an era of courageous creativity began, from which the most adventurous designs of the 20^th century emerged.

One such design was an ultra-thin styling that stripped what we’d grown to expect from a watch down to its bare essentials: the Skeleton. Pioneered by Piaget, there is no finer expression of artistic horology than a skeleton timepiece, which adopts a minimalist approach to dials and movements to deliver essential elegance. 

Piaget’s Skeleton pieces were an immediate hit. One high-profile early adopter was legendary jazz musician Miles Davis, who, among other things, was noted to have carried a briefcase full of watches, from which he would select his polished accompaniment for the night. For a man of such refined taste, known for the complexity and flair of his music, it should come as no surprise that it was a Piaget Skeleton he frequently chose to adorn his wrist.

Today, Piaget remains at the forefront of horological craftsmanship. As the brand approaches its 150^th anniversary in 2024, the Maison is celebrating a century and a half of excellence by releasing a curated selection of highly anticipated timepieces and jewellery.

One such piece is a design that pays credence to the past while looking ahead to the future. It’s a fully skeletonised version of the classic Polo watch: the Piaget Polo Skeleton.

Of course, it’s no easy task to reduce an iconic piece to its simplest, skeletal form—any watchmaker will tell you that. The arduous process requires a combination of creative vision and unrivalled skill—and obviously a steady hand—to maintain the ultra-thin, lightweight aesthetic of a skeleton watch without compromising on the unflinching functionality of the Polo.

In successfully developing the Piaget Polo Skeleton, Piaget’s artisans have retained the features of the Polo which made it so popular in the first place—notably a curved case topped with a round bezel and cushion-shaped dial opening. But they’ve also delivered a finished product that is incredibly 30 percent thinner than its predecessors, with a 42mm steel-cased sports watch, measuring a near-microscopic 6.5mm thick. Not short on energy, the Polo Skeleton is powered by Piaget’s 1200S1 self-winding, manufacture movement which is also fittingly wafer-thin at just 2.4mm.

Your expectation might be that such an ultra-thin timepiece would surely be a dainty, flimsy, and delicate accessory prone to damage and cursed with lower power levels. Allow us to temper your apprehension by proving you couldn’t be more wrong. The Polo Skeleton remains as dependable and practical as its Piaget counterparts, with 44 hours of power reserve and advanced water resistance.

The Polo Skeleton is available in two distinct designs. One, with a movement in Piaget Blue PVD, and another in a slate grey finish. But where to purchase such a quality piece in Australia? Piaget’s new flagship boutique, of course. Located on King Street in the heart of Sydney’s CBD, the recently opened immersive brand space is the home of Piaget’s luxury products, symbolic of the Maison’s growing presence in Australia.

Learn more about the Piaget Polo Skeleton here.