WATCHES & WONDERS 2020: Piaget Altiplano Ultimate Concept

Piaget Altiplano Ultimate Concept is now officially the thinnest mechanical watch in the world with a case of only 2 mm thick and a power reserve of 40 hours. The watch was developed and produced entirely in-house by Piaget and the project took 6 years from the drawing phase until today.

Altiplano Ultimate Concept case had to be made from a new, cobalt- based alloy that is highly resistant, 2.3 times stronger than gold and, therefore, much more difficult to machine. Other parts were entirely re-engineered and re-sized, with wheels, for example, being reduced from a conventional 0.20 mm thick to 0.12 mm and the sapphire crystal, normally 1 mm thick in a standard watch, being pared-down by 80 per cent to a scarcely believable 0.2 mm.

The dial’s off-centre position meant that a conventional, straight winding stem could not be used – a problem Piaget solved by creating a patented ‘staggered’ stem. In order for the system to function perfectly, the conventional hour hand is replaced with a revolving indicator disc while the minute hand works in the usual way.