Switzerland’s Piaget makes “the other nice ultra-thin perpetual calendar watch.” I say this statement in jest to remark on Piaget’s middle positioning in today’s luxury watch landscape. Despite Piaget’s mechanically and architecturally excellent timepieces, watches like this Polo Perpetual Calendar Ultra-Thin are not always considered when evaluated against its competitors from brands such as Audemars Piguet, Bulgari, Vacheron Costantin, and other brands. That status quo can be a good thing for enthusiasts who want a refined watch from an established brand that nevertheless feels like an original choice. Then again, without constant discussions about these products by collectors groups on social media, other consumers might not get around to considering Piaget at all. They could be missing out. Let’s find out as today I go hands-on with the 18k rose gold and green reference G0A48006 Piaget Polo Perpetual Ultra-Thin. This watch was first debuted at Watches & Wonders 2023.
In 2023, Piaget also released a steel-cased companion Polo Perpetual Calendar Ultra-Thin that also happens to come on a matching steel bracelet. Both of the Polo collection watches have interchangeable straps and come with the dial-matching green rubber strap on the pictured watch. Currently, the steel version of this watch costs USD 16,000 less than the 18k rose gold model. Both are certainly priced as high-end objects and focus on Piaget’s in-house “ultra-thin” caliber 1255P automatic movement.
Prior to when Bulgari got into the modern thin watch game, and started beating many of Piaget’s records, Piaget was one of the few luxury watchmakers in town to actively advocate the thinness of its movement. Part of Piaget’s problem was timing. In the early 2000s when the company was revisiting ultra-thin (such as it did in the 1960s, for instance), consumers were mostly interested in big and chunky timepieces. By the time the market was slowly coming back to appreciate thin mechanical watches, Bulgari was receiving a lot of attention for its slim watches, which, in most instances, “beat” Piaget’s records by very small dimensions by being just a bit thinner. Practically speaking, Piaget’s slim mechanical watches offer the same powerful and impressive wearing experience as those from brands like Bulgari. Piaget has just been a lot quieter lately about professing its virtues.
The 1255P automatic movement might not be the absolute thinnest on the market, but it might be the ultra-thin automatic perpetual calendar movement you prefer. Made up of 238 parts, the 1255P is just 4mm thick and powered by a blued-gold micro-rotor. The movement features the time with hours and minutes, along with a full perpetual calendar display (leap year, month, date, day of the week) and a petite moonphase indicator at the 6 o’clock position. One small omission from the movement is any running seconds indicator — but frankly, the dial looks a bit more elegant that way. Piaget decorates the 3Hz, 42 hour power reserve movement with circular stripes and beveled edges. Small inset pushers around the periphery of the case allow for changing the moonphase and calendar data.
The dial layout of the 1255P is quite attractive, with good use of space on the Polo-style face and little clutter. You still get the sense of having a full ring of lumed hour markers and sports hands, along with all the calendar data. The horizontal lines on the dial are Genta-esque but feel tasteful and are a welcome way to ensure the dial feels impressive without being fussy. I also happen to like the cushion-shaped dial in the otherwise round-shaped case of the Polo, which I think makes for an eye-catching look that is still practical and timeless.
How thin is ultra-thin? Here, the 4mm thick 1255P automatic movement fits into an 8.65mm thick Polo case that is 42mm wide. It actually wears a bit on the smaller side thanks to the narrow and stubby lug structures. The case is water resistant to a scant 30 meters. Perhaps that is because of the odd-shaped sapphire crystal over the dial. I would, however, have liked to see Piaget pair this otherwise sportier luxury watch design with 50 or even 100 meters of water resistance. Piaget should be able to offer the peace of mind to take a watch like this into the pool, especially when it decided to pair this watch with comfortable rubber strap.
What I most like about Piaget’s new Polo Perpetual Calendar Ultra-Thin collection is the combination of beauty and practicality, all within a luxury timepiece experience, of course. While it isn’t technically the thinnest perpetual watch on the market, you’ll hardly care when wearing this slim, comfortable Polo case on your wrist. In addition to the green rubber strap, Piaget pairs this green and 18k rose gold version of the watch with a green alligator strap.
Piaget has just enough quirkiness built into the new Polo Perpetual Calendar Ultra-Thin to make it endearing. It isn’t perfect (does it need to say “Perpetual Calendar” on the dial?), but it is beautiful and a less obvious choice than some of the more expensive products from the competition. Then again, there are also other less expensive perpetual calendar watches on the market, but few of them have as refined a maison caché as Piaget. Price for the Piaget Polo Perpetual Calendar Ultra-Thin (Ref. G0A48006) in 18k rose gold with the green dial is USD 76,000. Learn more at the Piaget website.
