Description

A fully signed Piaget Polo in solid 18-karat yellow gold, reference 7661 C 701 D; one of the most iconic integrated bracelet watches of the twentieth century. Powered by a precise quartz movement and dressed in a champagne dial with applied gold baton indices, this example presents the Polo in its most wearable and enduring configuration: understated, entirely in yellow gold, and built as a single seamless object from bracelet tip to bracelet tip.

The Polo and the Language of Gold

Introduced in 1979 by Yves Piaget, the Polo was a deliberate statement at a moment when the integrated sports watch was reshaping the luxury market. While competitors such as Audemars Piguet and Patek Philippe had made their mark in steel, Piaget’s response was characteristically different: a watch conceived entirely in precious metal, designed to blur the line between jewellery and horology. The Polo was never a sports watch in the conventional sense; it was a piece of high jewellery worn on the wrist, intended for those who saw no reason to compromise.

Reference 7661, the so-called Jumbo execution at 34mm, quickly became the centrepiece of the collection. Its horizontal gadroon pattern, the alternating ridged and polished oblong links, flows uninterrupted from the dial across the case and through every link of the bracelet, creating an object with no visible beginning or end. The result is a watch that does not merely sit on the wrist but wraps around it, with a weight and presence that distinguishes it immediately from lighter dress watches of the period.

By the 1990s, the Polo had become a quiet classic: no longer the novelty it had been at launch, but a watch with a proven identity and a growing secondary market. This decade’s production maintained all the qualities of the original, fully signed case, dial, clasp, and movement, while benefiting from refined quartz calibres that preserved the slim, jewellery-like profile the design demanded.

Integrated Construction and the Gadroon Bracelet

Piaget’s signature achievement with the Polo was the integration: the bracelet is not attached to the case but flows from it, the gadroon pattern continuous and uninterrupted across the junction. Each link is crafted from solid 18-karat yellow gold and finished by hand, alternating between brushed and polished surfaces to maximise the play of light across the bracelet in motion. The deployant clasp, signed Piaget, as with all signed elements, maintains the clean underside profile and allows the bracelet to open flat for wearing and removal.

The movement is housed through a caseback secured by four screws, with the setting crown relocated to the back of the case; a deliberate design decision that preserves the clean, uninterrupted profile of the case sides and reinforces the sense that this is first and foremost a jewellery object.

The Dial

The dial is circular, in a warm champagne tone, with applied gold baton hour markers and matching slender gold hands. In natural light, the surface has a soft, lacquer-like quality that gives the dial depth without distracting from the overall harmony of the all-gold ensemble. There are no complications – no date, no sub-dials – and the effect is one of deliberate restraint: a dial that exists to frame the hands and nothing more.

Specifications

Brand: Piaget

Model: Polo Quartz

Year: circa 1990s

Case material: 18k yellow gold

Case diameter: approx. 34 mm

Bezel: Integrated gold-tone gadroon bezel

Dial: Champagne gold dial, applied gold baton indices, gold hands

Strap: Integrated gold gadroon bracelet, tapered alternating oblong links

Movement: Quartz (Cal. 757P)

Condition: Good vintage condition with light signs of wear consistent with age

Accessories: Watch only (no box or papers)

Warranty: 1 year warranty

Availability

This vintage day-date automatic watch is available through Vintage Times Amsterdam.

For further information or high-resolution images, please feel free to contact:

Vintage Times

Vintage Times Amsterdam is a small watch boutique who mainly deals online and with a select group of private collectors. We are constantly looking for rare vintage timepieces and try to present the best condition available. Please don’t hesitate to get in contact for more information about this watch or other timepieces from our collection. We ship worldwide and also welcome you for a visit at our office in Amsterdam.

Vintage Times

email: [email protected]

tel / app: +31 6 4 1111 044