Piaget Altiplano 900P: Ultra-Thinness and Refinement (SIHH 2014)

Piaget sets a new thinness record by unveiling its Altiplano 900P 38 mm: the world’s thinnest mechanical watch at 3.65 mm, delivering one of the finest pieces of SIHH 2014 (Salon International de la Haute Horlogerie).

The manufacture achieved this feat by merging the calibre and the case, thereby removing one “layer” from the Altiplano “sandwich”, thanks to the work of a multidisciplinary team bringing together watchmakers, case engineers and designers.

Piaget can take pride in having created 23 ultra-thin calibres, 12 of which have set a thinness record. While other brands have come to nip at Piaget’s heels in certain thinness segments, the maison today reasserts its supremacy over extra-thin watchmaking, a leitmotif for the past fifteen years or so.

The secret of thinness

Let’s dive into the heart of the Altiplano 900P’s secret. The fusion of the calibre and the case was made possible by integrating the mainplate directly into the caseback.

The mainplate, a plate used to support the movement’s components, is generally a separate part added into the case. In the Altiplano’s case, the caseback itself was directly machined to receive the components.

This seemingly magical solution nonetheless required adapting the movement’s architecture by reversing it. The bridges are thus mounted on the dial side, which will delight lovers of fine mechanics and lends a “skeleton watch” touch. The barrel is suspended by a single bridge anchored on the dial side rather than on the mainplate side.

The watch offers a 48-hour power reserve at a frequency of 3Hz.

To free up the space required for the 145 components, the dial was offset to 10 o’clock while retaining the Altiplano’s graphic codes.

Always do better than necessary

In keeping with Piaget’s motto, “Always do better than necessary”, the Altiplano 900P’s finishing has been executed to a high standard: satin-brushed and sandblasted mainplate, sunburst or circular-grained wheels, bevelled bridges with sunray satin finishing.

Comfort on the wrist is striking. The white gold case provides the necessary weight for the watch to make its subtle presence felt. The beauty of the dial and the finishing commands attention despite the discreet 38mm case.

The Altiplano 900P in 4 versions

• 18K white gold, black-treated movement (PVD?), 18K white gold pin buckle on a black alligator strap (reference G0A39111)
• 18K rose gold, 18K rose gold pin buckle on an anthracite grey alligator strap (reference G0A39110)
• 18K white gold set with 78 diamonds (0.71 ct), 18K white gold pin buckle on a black alligator strap (G0A3912)
• 18K white gold, case set with 38 baguette-cut diamonds (1.36 ct) and 267 diamonds (1.86 ct), dial set with 33 baguette-cut diamonds (1.41 ct) and triple folding clasp set with 23 diamonds (0.05 ct).

Did you know?

The Altiplano, in the heart of the Andes Cordillera, rises to an altitude of … 3,650 metres, while the Piaget Altiplano 900P watch measures 3.65 mm in thickness.