KMII[Montblanc Moderator]
29857
Polo 45 or Polo S? Your view?
Sep 16, 2016,06:31 AM
The Polo is in the meantime a pretty old and established line for Piaget - even if much of the history has been quartz and 1980s driven. And as there is a new Polo out there, I somehow started to have a look at what is there and how the new Polo S compares to the Polo 45 - the previous generation. As I am adequately sorted in terms of chronographs for the moment, the models I am primarily interested in are the three hand time only ones.
From: Piaget
Starting with the Polo 45, the three models I have seen (speaking of the titanium / steel ones as opposed to titanium / gold or all gold ones - Bill has written an excellent review of the gold models here:
www.watchprosite.com
) are the black dialled G0A34011 (above), the silvery dialled G0A34010 (below) and the skeletonized dial version, as shared by fellow Purist JanainaCunha (two below - I took the liberty of re-posting his picture here).
The three share the case, the rubber / steel strap and the movement. The case is titanium, with steel gadroons (hope I got that right) creating a visual link with the Polos of the past. The 45mm case diameter is a link to the 45 minutes that a polo match is supposed to last. It is large but the curved back helps to make it wear smaller than it is. The case is 10,6mm thick, which is neither ultra slim in a Piaget sense, nor is it unduly thick for a sports watch. The thickness is definitely not disturbing on the wrist. The only additional comment I have is that it felt quite heavy on the wrist for a titanium cased watch, although I have no data to justify it (the weight from the Piaget website is not that high).
From: Piaget
The strap is one of the more pleasant rubber ones I have tried. As for the deployant, it feels like it is milled from solid depleted uranium - definitely one of the most solid ones I have ever seen. The strap needs to be cut to size as I understood it but there is a fine adjustment option in the clasp (summer / winter settings). I have seen black and grey strap options but assume it is difficult to go beyond the original Piaget straps.
As for suitability as a sports watch, the hands, hour markers and numerals are lumed and the WR is an adequate 10 ATM. Not for the Marianna Trench but good enough for sipping cocktails at the poolside.
From: JanainaCunha
The movement is an in-house automatic - the 800P. It beats at a relatively slow 21,600 vph but offers a reasonably long power reserve at 85 hours as a result of a double barrel. The nice touch is the PVD blackened rotor and the finish is decent enough for the intended use and the price bracket.
Now to the Polo S. The one I tried is the white dialled G0A41001. I know that much has been made of the resemblance of the case to the Nautilus but the AD offered an alternative view - which sounded reasonable. Namely that the case resembles more a Piaget Coussin case - round on the outside, with a cushion shaped dial. And comparing the Polo S with the picture Nilo posted of his Coussin Regulateur recently shows this family resemblance very clearly.
What is new is the steel case - a real rarity for the previously gold focused Piaget. At 42mm it is a more palatable size for me and the lug / bracelet design makes it wear a tad smaller than the size would suggest. And while clearly heavier (primarily due to the bracelet) it feels of a reasonable weight for an all steel, bracelet watch. One added bonus for me (might be a downside for some others) is that the crown is not of the screw down type and that the WR still remains at 10 ATM.
The dial is nice although I would probably like to see the blue, too. Some dislike the date and it is perhaps not my favourite feature of the watch but can see why it is included in this type of watch (and all 'competitors' have it, too). A dial coloured disc would have made it a bit less intrusive, though.
The movement is again an in-house design, this time the 1110P. It has a faster, 28,800 vph frequency but looses the second barrel and has a less impressive 50h power reserve as a result. The finish looks similar in quality at a glance but I did not have a loupe, or the time to use one in examining it.
So what is your opinion? I know there are a handful of owners of the 45, not sure if anyone has pulled the trigger on the S yet. How are they as an ownership proposition? The historical design references and longer power reserve of the 45, or the fresh look and more palatable size of the S? Would you let the ~30% difference influence your decision in this case?
Grateful for any opinions out there!