Piaget Polo Minute Repeater Reveals The Art Of Sound

Piaget continues its long-standing pursuit of ultra-thin watchmaking with the new Piaget Polo Minute Repeater, a remarkable expression of Haute Horlogerie that brings the intricate workings of its minute repeater into view.

Presented through a partially openworked dial, the watch reveals the technical sophistication and artisanal craftsmanship of Calibre 1290P, entirely conceived, developed, finished and assembled at Piaget’s Manufacture in La Côte-aux-Fées.

Since Georges-Édouard Piaget founded the Maison in the Swiss Jura in 1874, the guiding philosophy has been to “always do better than necessary”. That ambition has led Piaget to become synonymous with ultra-thin watchmaking, while simultaneously establishing a distinctive position at the meeting point of Haute Horlogerie and Haute Joaillerie.

The new Piaget Polo Minute Repeater brings these two disciplines together in a contemporary sports-watch format.

Mastery Beneath The Surface

The story begins with Calibre 1290P, a sophisticated automatic movement comprising 430 components. Each is assembled and finished at the La Côte-aux-Fées Manufacture, with bridges hand-bevelled, the mainplate decorated with guilloché and the minute repeater hammers polished to a mirror finish.

A platinum micro-rotor provides the automatic winding, chosen for its efficiency and finished in blue PVD to complement the striking colour of the dial.

The dial itself is equally impressive. Crafted from gold, it features hand-executed guilloché creating a radiant soleillé, or sunray, finish. An opaline outer track adds contrast, while a finely worked gold fillet crosses the surface, changing from a straight to a domed profile and opening windows onto the mechanism beneath.

At four o’clock, a smoked blue sapphire ring bears the inscription “La Côte-aux-Fées” and frames the inertia wheel of the minute repeater’s dedicated regulator. More than 150 hours were invested in developing the dial, with a further 50 hours dedicated to the hand finishing of each individual component.

The Sound Of Piaget

For all its visual complexity, the defining characteristic of a minute repeater is ultimately its sound.

Calibre 1290P has been developed with acoustics very much in mind, delivering an intensity of 64 decibels, three harmonic partials and a damping factor of 2,600. The hours are struck at G sharp, while the minutes sound at A sharp, both in the fifth octave.

The chiming mechanism is activated by a slide positioned at nine o’clock. Its downward operation is the result of a complete rethinking of the movement architecture, allowing the complication to be integrated within the distinctive proportions of the Piaget Polo. This combination of engineering and acoustics is particularly impressive given the watch’s dimensions. The 18-karat white gold case measures 48mm in diameter while remaining just 9.30mm thick.

Despite housing one of traditional watchmaking’s most demanding complications, the watch retains the fluid, shape-in-shape design that defines the Piaget Polo. Water resistance is rated at 3 ATM, while a blue textured embossed calfskin strap completes the contemporary sports-luxury aesthetic. An additional leather bracelet is also supplied.

A Rare Piaget Polo

Only five numbered examples of the Piaget Polo Minute Repeater will be crafted this year. The extremely small production is not presented as a conventional limited edition, but rather reflects the considerable time and craftsmanship required to complete each individual watch.

The minute repeater follows the perpetual calendar and flying tourbillon as another major complication to enter the Piaget Polo collection, demonstrating just how far the Maison is prepared to push the concept of a contemporary sports watch.

Here, technical sophistication does not come at the expense of elegance. Instead, the mechanism becomes part of the design.

Haute Joaillerie Meets Haute Horlogerie

Piaget is also presenting a High Jewellery interpretation of the Minute Repeater, offering an even more elaborate expression of the Maison’s dual expertise. The bezel is set with baguette-cut blue sapphires, while the case combines baguette-cut and brilliant-cut diamonds. The dial is fully openworked, placing the movement and its decoration completely on display.

More than 70 hours of handcraft are invested in the creation of this version, transforming the complex mechanical architecture into a piece of jewellery as much as a timepiece.

With the Piaget Polo Minute Repeater, Piaget demonstrates that a sports watch can accommodate one of Haute Horlogerie’s most demanding complications without losing its sense of elegance or contemporary character.

It is a watch where sight and sound become equally important, the intricate mechanism revealed beneath the dial, and the minute repeater providing its voice.

For Piaget, it is another compelling demonstration of what happens when technical ambition meets artisanal excellence.

Price upon application.

For more information please visit Piaget