Born on the sidelines of the 1979 Palm Beach Polo World Cup, Piaget’s all-gold Polo fused sport with high society. For the maison’s 150th, the Polo ’79 returns with an ultra-thin automatic movement and a Palm Beach presence anchored by last year’s Worth Avenue boutique opening.
Palm Beach in 1979 was not simply a winter retreat, it was the arena where international high society came to play. Polo matches drew the jet set onto the fields, from European aristocrats to New York tastemakers, all in search of sport that matched their lifestyle of glamour and leisure. What they craved was not just performance, but elegance they could wear seamlessly from saddle to soirée.
By the late 1970s, Yves G. Piaget was also at the helm and very much a Palm Beach regular, dividing his life between Geneva, the South of France, New York, and Palm Beach. It was in this atmosphere that Piaget unveiled the Polo, the maison’s answer to a new generation of clients who wanted refinement that could withstand sport. Waterproof, shock-resistant, and crafted entirely in gold, the Polo debuted during the Palm Beach Polo World Cup of 1979 and instantly became a status symbol. Its distinctive gadroon-and-block link design flowed from bracelet to dial in one sculptural sweep, making it appear less like a watch and more like a piece of jewelry. Within months, it was spotted on wrists from Studio 54 to Worth Avenue.
By the 1980s, the Piaget Polo had become synonymous with the glamour of its era. It was cast on Robert De Niro in Casino and adopted in real life by icons such as Andy Warhol, Björn Borg, Ursula Andress, Brooke Shields, and Miles Davis. To wear the Polo was to declare membership in what became known as the Piaget Society, a cosmopolitan circle that prized both exuberance and elegance.
Though tastes shifted in the 1990s toward minimalist steel, the Polo never disappeared; it simply retreated to the safes of loyal collectors until the time was right. That moment came in 2024, when Piaget relaunched the Polo ’79 to mark its 150th anniversary. Retaining the unmistakable gold silhouette but updated with the ultra-thin 1200P1 automatic movement, the watch once again embodies the idea of “sport elegance.”
Today, the Polo’s story has come full circle. With a boutique on Worth Avenue that opened last year, Piaget reasserts its Palm Beach connection, paying homage to the jet set spirit that made the watch a cultural emblem in 1979 and reviving it for a generation that still believes sport and style belong on the same wrist.