Not so long ago, Piaget seemed to be the only watchmaking brand capable of designing ultra-thin watches. And if, now, Richard Mille and Bvlgari have dethroned it, the house of La Côte-aux-Fées demonstrates once again its expertise in the field with its new Altiplano Ultimate Concept Tourbillon.
Designed to celebrate the 150th anniversary of Piaget and the star among stars at the last Watches & Wonders fair, this exceptional watch is no more than 2mm thick. Conversely, its price is more substantial: around 650,000 euros.
Piaget, THE specialist in ultra-thin watches
From the start of his activity in La Côte-aux-Fées in 1874, Georges-Edouard Piaget dedicated himself to the precision and finesse of watch movements. While some brands were focusing on the development of wristwatches, diving watches or aviation watches, Piaget established itself as a pioneer in the field of ultra-thin watches.
In the 1930s, the brand highlighted its “ultra-cared watchmaking”, with the manufacturing of anchor escapements and its movements finished in all forms, sizes, and heights. True to its motto (“Always do better than necessary”), the Swiss house has continually perfected its mechanisms over the decades. The 9P calibre launched in 1957 was the first to stand out, quickly followed by the 12P. At the dawn of the 1960s, the brand’s master watchmaker-jewellers were thus proud to announce that the Piaget Automatic is the only ultra-thin automatic watch, with a movement thickness of only 2.3 mm.
After the quartz crisis of the 1970s, it is with its iconic Polo that the company regains its colors. But Piaget is not finished with its pursuit of slimness. After being integrated into the Richemont group from 1988, it continues the development of its Altiplano collection, until the ultimate achievement: the Altiplano Ultimate Concept, unveiled at SIHH 2018, becomes the thinnest watch in the world. If it has since been dethroned by Richard Mille then Bvlgari, recent versions of the Altiplano have not lost any of their appeal.
Piaget has just made a sublime demonstration at Watches & Wonders, with its Altiplano Ultimate Concept Tourbillon, a watch that combines elegance, technical inventiveness, and a challenge to the gravity of dimensions.
With the Altiplano Ultimate Concept Tourbillon, Piaget aims to push the boundaries
With a thickness of 2 mm, it appears to be far from the 1.7 mm of the new Bvlgari. However, this new Altiplano Ultimate Concept Tourbillon is indeed a masterpiece of watchmaking. Notably because this impressive thinness did not prevent Piaget from hiding a tourbillon in its case. This one, precisely, displays a diameter of 41.5 mm and is adorned with a cobalt alloy treated in blue PVD. The hidden crown and ultra-thin sapphire glass (0.2 mm thick) only enhance the sleek look of this timepiece.
This model incorporates over 90% new parts compared to its predecessor and required the development of new machines to achieve this extreme finesse. The annular tourbillon is supported by a ceramic ball bearing, ensuring smooth rotation, and the power reserve has been optimized to achieve at least 35 hours. A figure that may seem low, but which represents a genuine achievement in such a compact assembly.
Fine as a coin, fascinating from the front with its sophisticated dial, the Altiplano Ultimate Concept Tourbillon also surprises “from the back”: its unique opening on the case offers an unusual but very attractive face to this watch, which definitely does nothing like the others. Four years after winning the Golden Hand at the GPHG, Piaget’s ultra-thin watch is still full of surprises!
