It is very well known by watch collectors and watch scholars that when it comes to ultra-thin watches, Piaget is an authority. Defying the limits of feasibility, Piaget released three new watches —one as a concept— that continue to demonstrate their ability to succeed in the field of ultra-thin timepieces. Three years after the launch of the slimmest manual-winding watch in the world at that time, the Piaget Altiplano 900P, Piaget is once again wowing everyone, this time with the new Altiplano Ultimate Automatic 910P. This watch with a mere thickness of 4.30 mm celebrates the 60th anniversary of the Piaget Altiplano, with two different models, one in 18K rose gold and the other in 18K white gold.
About the Watch
Born in 1874 as a movement manufacturer in the village of La Côte-aux-Fées, and subsequently earning international renown as a brand in its own right, Piaget has constantly sought and found innovative solutions in the domain of slimness. Back in 1957, Piaget presented at the Basel Fair one of the world’s thinnest movements of its kind at the time measuring just 2 mm thick. The Piaget calibre 9P set the cornerstone in the pursuit of thinness. At just 2.3 mm thick, the calibre 12P calibre presented at the 1960s Basel Fair was another landmark event setting a record for the world’s thinnest automatic watch. In 2014, for the 140th anniversary of Piaget the Altiplano 900P was introduced.
With some its pats barely thicker than a human hair, the new Piaget Altiplano Ultimate Automatic 910P features a highly complex architecture that has led to a reversed movement with the bridges fitted on the dial side. The off-centered subdial with its black chapter ring takes the center stage as the balance wheel at 8 o'clock and the going train —which is also visible on the dial side— round out the beautiful captivating design of this new watch.
Working within these extremely small confines, Piaget opted for a suspended barrel, held by a single bridge on the dial side, contrary to customary barrels that are also fixed on the mainplate side. Given the fact that spaces are reduced to an absolute minimum, the glass would tend to press against the hands when thus distorted, causing the movement to stop. By fitting the hands below the bridges, Piaget thus frees up space between the cannon-pinion and the glass. If the latter is distorted due to pressure, it no longer pushes on the hands, but instead on the gear-train bridge and thus has no effect on the smooth running of the movement.
To save these precious tenths of a millimeter, the entire mechanism and hand-fitting is contained within the thickness of the balance wheel, thus entailing an off-centered display of the hours and minutes that is entirely in tune with the emblematic design codes of the Altiplano line.
In a world where records tend to be beaten by mere tenths of a millimeter, the Piaget Altiplano Ultimate Automatic 910P at just 4.30 mm thick is now the thinnest automatic watch with peripheral rotor. Cased in 18K rose gold or 18K white gold, the watch measures 41 mm in diameter, a size that is considered simply perfect considering how thin this watch is.
Designed as an inseparable whole to set a new thinness record, the movement and case form a single entity, with the latter serving as a mainplate to which the 219 incredibly thin components are affixed. Capable of providing a 50-hour power reserve and driven by the same concern for optimizing use of the available space, the oscillating weight in 22K gold with black PVD coating is positioned on the movement periphery and visible on the dial side.
An exceptional creation in many ways, whereby Piaget expresses its perfect technical mastery, along with its sense of understated and refined elegance, the new Altiplano Ultimate Automatic 910P comes with a solid case back as the movement is already reversed and visible via the dial side.
On the Wrist & Pricing
On the wrist, the Piaget Altiplano Ultimate Automatic 910P wears flawlessly and true to its size. Regardless of its 41 mm case diameter and thanks to its ultra slim case profile at 4.3 mm, this is a watch that can we worn by almost anyone with a wrist size as small as 6.75" in circumference. While this watch is extremely elegant, it doesn't feel like you are wearing your grandfather's watch. The reversed movement that is fully visible on the dial side is a real treat for the eyes and it is also a design element that makes the watch very contemporary, regardless of its ultra classical nature.
Sticker Price $27,000 USD for 18K white gold and $26,000 USD for 18K rose gold. For more info on Piaget click here.
