Piaget Revives Its Iconic 1979 Polo Model to Celebrate 150 Years

Anniversaries provide watch brands the opportunity to excavate archives. While obscure re-editions may surface, Piaget resurrected a true icon - the 1979 Polo. In commemorating 150 years, no timepiece better encapsulates Piaget’s history than this seminal 1979 sports model. With its re-release, Piaget celebrates this milestone and cements the Polo's legendary status for new generations to enjoy in appreciating one of horology's seminal designs. The 1979 Polo defined its era and remains revered today; this anniversary reprise could not be a better tribute to Piaget's illustrious past and timeless appeal.

Celebrating 150 years in watchmaking and beyond, Piaget's reissue of the iconic Polo also marks 45 years since its elegant debut. The original 1970s sports watch trend culminated in the breakthrough Polo of 1979. Piaget's new Polo 79 echoes the distinctive charm of its 34mm and 27mm predecessors but thoughtfully expands the 38mm case for enhanced wearability. Though larger, the watch remains a stunner where size is forgotten. Crafted in warm 18k yellow gold, the brushed case, dial, and integrated bracelet flaunt polished horizontal line engraving known as gadrooning. In replicating its enduring aesthetic, the unfussy dial maintains legibility with two hands, subtle branding, and small dots around the perimeter. Piaget's rebirth of this timeless design honors its illustrious heritage while ensuring the Polo continues delighting on wrists for years.

Worn during the prolific 1970s-1980s, the first Polo housed a quartz caliber befitting its era. Yet Piaget's rediscovery instead endows it with their modern micro-rotor automatic caliber 1200P1, offering 44 hours of power reserve. This ultra-thin in-house movement can be admired through the display case back. While channeling vintage roots, water resistance is raised to a sporty 50m, balancing nostalgia with the needs of today's wearer. Piaget's recrafted Polo 79 thus joins past and present, welcoming new generations to appreciate the design’s enduring appeal through high mechanical precision and assured functionality for contemporary life.
 

Here are some common water resistance ratings for dress watches from the 1970s-1980s era:

• 30 meters/3 ATM/100 feet - Considered light water resistance suitable for incidental splashes or accidental submersion in shallow water. Commonly seen on dressier watches of the time.
• 50 meters/5 ATM/165 feet - Provided greater water resistance for swimming/water activities. More suitable for sports dress watches.
• 100 meters/10 ATM/330 feet - Full water resistance allowing swimming and shallow diving. Less common on dress watches from that era.
• No/poor water resistance - Many vintage dress watches simply stated "non-water resistant" or had no water resistance rating, as they were not intended for exposure to moisture at all.

So in summary, dress watches from the 1970s-1980s Polo era were most likely rated 30m/3ATM or 50m/5ATM at best. 100m would have been unusually high water resistance for a dress watch of that vintage. Without specifics on the original Polo, it's reasonable to assume its resistance fell in the 30m or lower range typical of the style at that time.