Rare & Contrasting: Onyx & Diamonds Czar

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WHY WE LOVE IT? Because it is the most contrasting Piaget-Emperador with the rare thick and heavy bracelet -- a watch like no other.

The Emperador / Czar / Cesar / King of Kings was the endpoint in men-watches made by Piaget in the 1970s and 1980s -- and it was the model for the Jumbo-Polo ref7661 in 1979 and the Swatch in 1983. The bracelet and the dimensions are exactly the same: Emperador, Polo & Swatch. Needless to say the Polo was made in several thousand pieces and so in multiples of the heavier and higher-quality Emperador and to find a whitegold Polo running on a cal7P-quartzmovement is probably easier than finding a whitegold automatic-powered Emperador. Indeed, the Polo is basically the same watch with every 2nd link extended in width: 6mm instead of the 3mm as used by the Emperador and the Polo. Plus a more lavish finishing in the Emperador; plus an automatic-movement. So a pointed formula is Emperador == Polo++.

The thin and legendary automatic-movement cal12P, the highest art of goldsmithing, the heaviest integrated bracelet -- at a time, when the goldprice went wild from USD35 in 1971 to >USD800 in 1980 and all other brands shied away and reduced the weight of their watches --, the most contrasting materials and the maximum light reflecting finishing.

This special example was made in 1978 when the goldprice reached more than USD200 -- more than 6-fold the price just 7y before in 1971 (USD35) -- and it is safe to assume that not many watches weighting ~170g or more at all were made in Switzerland in the late 70s; 1978 and following. AP & VC simply reduced the weight of their products already in the early 70s and even just very few Piagets had such a weight in this time. It is in amazing condition, currently fits a 18cm-wrist but links could be sourced. The watch was serviced at Piaget in late 2024 (Oct) and so still has a warranty by the "House of Gold" (Piaget) until 2026.