Watch Paparazzi

Designer Valentino Garavani spotted wearing Piaget

Valentino Garavani turned 90 at a glamorous gala dinner, and the details of his outfit were characteristically precise: a navy chalk-stripe double-breasted suit, a polka-dot pocket square — and on his wrist, a vintage Piaget Polo in 18k yellow gold that told its own story in corrugated metal and understated luxury.

The Piaget Polo debuted in 1979, the brainchild of Yves G. Piaget, who wanted to blur the line between jewellery and horology. The result was a watch whose horizontally ribbed, integrated bracelet flows seamlessly into the tonneau-adjacent case — a design philosophy that predates the integrated-bracelet craze by decades. The dial is a champagne gold, deliberately minimal, with applied baton indices replaced by pure negative space and a simple Piaget logo. Powering the piece is the Calibre 57P, an ultra-thin quartz movement that allowed the watch to sit with almost no profile on the wrist. The combination of precious metal construction and quartz efficiency was a deliberate statement: this was a jeweller's watch, first and last.

From a collector's standpoint, the original 1979–1990s generation Polo commands serious respect. Its cultural footprint is exceptional: Andy Warhol wore one constantly, Brooke Shields was photographed in it at Studio 54-era events, and Sammy Davis Jr. added it to his already legendary jewellery collection. These associations have only deepened the watch's desirability among vintage collectors who appreciate context as much as complication.

Valentino's personal affinity for the Polo is entirely consistent with his design sensibility. The fashion house he founded is synonymous with Roman opulence, red carpets, and craftsmanship that prioritises beauty over restraint. A yellow-gold bracelet watch from the golden age of disco-era luxury is precisely the kind of object Valentino has always gravitated toward — functional art worn close to the skin.

On the vintage market, first-generation yellow gold Piaget Polo examples in solid 18k — as opposed to later gold-plated or steel variants — trade between $8,000 and $25,000 depending on condition, dial state, and whether original box and papers accompany the piece. Exceptional examples with documented provenance push higher. Piaget reissued the Polo in updated form in 2016 and again in 2022, but the 1979 originals retain a warmth and cultural weight the modern references are still earning.