Presenting the astounding Piaget Altiplano Ultimate Concept – the Thinnest Mechanical Watch in the World.

When Piaget unveiled the prototype model of this watch, few thought that this astoundingly skinny piece of mechanical wizardry would ever make it to production. But, having overcome its complexities, the Piaget Altiplano Ultimate Concept is now finally available.

While many watch companies strive for precision, Piaget are Masters in the art of skinnying watch movements. During the 1950s they wowed the industry with their revolutionary 9P Calibre, but that was just the beginning. Just a few years later, they managed to slip a minuscule micro-rotor into their 12P Calibre, which became the world’s thinnest self-winding movement.

Since then the company have been reluctant to hand over their crown, and have continued to develop ultra-skinny timepieces, including the experimental Altiplano Concept 2018 model. At Watches and Wonders 2020, Piaget have thrown down the gauntlet once again by declaring that their Altiplano Ultimate Concept watch is now ready for the wrist.

In every way this is a watch which is best measured in numbers. At just 2mm high it is incredibly thin and its 0.2mm sapphire crystal defies belief. Its case is made from a cobalt-based alloy which is 2.3 times stronger than gold. And, while the conventional wheels in a “normal” mechanical watch are 0.20mm thick, for this model, the in-house Research and Development team at Piaget have reduced them to 0.12mm. They invested four years in the development of the prototype but it took them a further two years before it could be deemed ready to wear. And, five patents have already been filed in order to secure its mechanical innovations.

As you might expect, a radical rethink of the calibre is necessary to produce such statistics. Bereft of a mainplate, the caseback becomes as one with the movement. The mainspring barrel has no cover or drum and is instead mounted on a ceramic ball-bearing set into the watch’s frame. It retains a 40 hour reserve of power when fully-wound but how it receives this energy is highly interesting too.

Instead of a crown, Piaget have devised a flat “telescopic” system which comes with its own winding tool. So, by replacing the more conventional keyless works comprising of a sliding pinion clutch and crown wheel, with a worm gear or “infinite” screw, this means that the gears can be positioned on a single plane. The innovation also allows the crown to become a rectangle, which blends unnoticed within the caseside.

Face-on, the hours and minutes are positioned off-centred on the upper sector. Arranged linearly, the movement is supported on an open-worked frame, and the flange of the hours and minutes sub-dial becomes part of this miniature, flattened scaffolding.

The unusual linear arrangement of the calibre components is striking. Having sacrificed its conventional balance bridge, the balance wheel has an illusory “floating aspect” and, without its covering, the workings of the open-barrel can be fully appreciated.

As stated perhaps the best way to measure the ultra-svelte Piaget Altiplano Ultimate Concept is to do so with numbers. And, in a final flourish, Piaget have announced by customising the hands, mainplate, bridge, dial and strap this model is can be created in more than 10,000 permutations at the clients discretion.

Fact File: Piaget Altiplano Ultimate Concept

REFERENCE: G0A4550
MANUFACTURER: Piaget
LIMITED EDITION: Limited to production
CASE: Cobalt alloy with 0.2mm sapphire crystal
SIZE: ø 41mm x 2.0mm
DIAL: Bespoke dial options
MOVEMENT: In-house Piaget 900P-UC hand-wound calibre, movement plate integrated into case. 28,800vph. Baseplate with PVD treatment to client’s specifications.
FUNCTIONS: Hours, minutes.
POWER RESERVE: 40 hours
BRACELET/STRAP: Technical textile strap or leather options.
BUCKLE: Ultra-thin cobalt alloy pin buckle
WATERPROOF RATING: Resistant to moisture.