This year, Piaget achieved an unfathomable feat in watchmaking – a production timepiece only 2mm thick! Not surprisingly, given the scale of this achievement, the composition of the Piaget Altiplano Ultimate Concept is extremely complex. Its super-thin mechanism and harmony between case and movement will astound even the most jaded collectors and it will likely be a long time before anyone can top this new world record in watchmaking. To better understand this incredible watch that was awarded the Aiguille d’Or grand prize at the GPHG a few months back, we turn to none other than Mr. Watchfinder himself who walks us through how the thinnest watch ever made came into existence.As you walk through the evolution of the line, you begin to realise that this was by no means a sprint for Piaget but rather an incremental marathon that culminated in an extraordinary result. As the brand neared the 60th Anniversary of the Altiplano lineup, they knew they wanted to do something very special to pay tribute to the collection and the ultra-thin movements Piaget had made its name upon.Beginning with the 9P and 12P movements, Piaget historically produced some of the thinnest movements and watches in the world. The Altiplano was Piaget’s gorgeous incarnation of a thin and classic dress watch, but they then decided to take their ultra-thin watches and push the envelope further. Their aim: to cut the size of their incredibly thin 900P and 910P watches practically in half, a huge task for the engineers of the Maison.In 2014, the Altiplano 900P was introduced to create a revolutionary harmony between a case and movement. By making the 900P just 3.65mm thick and the larger automatic 910P a mere 4.35mm thick, Piaget had revolutionised the ultra-thin watch category. Essentially, they’d figured out how to merge the movement into the caseback, utilising the solid back to actually embed components and hold them in position.After years of development, the Piaget Altiplano Ultimate Concept was introduced to the world in December 2017 – just in time for the 60th anniversary of the line. Earlier this year, a production model was finalised for public release. The Piaget watchmaking team achieved their goal, and set the world record for the thinnest watch in the world at a mind-boggling 2mm thick!.I don’t want to spoil the whole process of the watch’s assembly, so for further details on how exactly the Ultimate Concept is fabricated and cased I will refer you to one of the best narrators in the business – Mr. Watchfinder – to walk you through how the thinnest watch ever made came to be.Piaget Altiplano Ultimate Concept pricing and availability:The Piaget Altiplano Ultimate Concept watch has an approximate price tag of $400,000 USD, which can vary based on the more than 10,000 available bespoke configurations Piaget offers those able to purchase such a precious timepiece.
24.12.20