There are thin watches, and then there’s the Piaget Altiplano Ultimate Concept watch. At just 2mm tall, this design makes history as the thinnest mechanical watch in the world. For autumn, the Geneva-based watchmaker launches a new edition of their ultra-slim timepiece with a captivating dark blue colour scheme.
Piaget Altiplano Ultimate Concept Dark Blue - Credit Piaget
Five years ago, at the 2018 Salon International de la Haute Horlogerie, Piaget stole the show when they unveiled the thinnest mechanical watch in the world – the Altiplano Ultimate Concept watch. The design wasn’t just “slim”, but almost impossibly paper thin at just 2mm tall. Ingeniously, the design included a case that formed part of a movement and a unique winding crown held in place with a minute spring clip and ultra-thin sapphire crystal. Despite its size, the movement inside still warranted a 40 hour power reserve too.
Piaget Altiplano Ultimate Concept Dark Blue - Credit Piaget
Before the launch of the inaugural Piaget Altiplano Ultimate Concept watch, I always thought of the Piaget as more focused on high jewellery watches, timepieces with sparkle and glamour. I never really considered them a brand that cared much for technological innovation. That’s where I was wrong. It seems Piaget has been a leader in ultra-thin movements for quite some time now. During the 1920’s, they famously created pocket watch movements as little as 2.4mm and in 1957, they created their hand-wound 9P movement at 2.3mm tall.
Piaget Altiplano Ultimate Concept Dark Blue - Credit Piaget
The news of the Piaget Altiplano Ultimate Concept prototype watch at the 2018 Salon International de la Haute Horlogerie was impressive, there’s no doubt about it, but for many it felt like that’s all it would only ever be, a prototype. Then to everyone’s surprise, the design was made available to purchase as a series-produced watch. It was also completely customisable. You could choose the colours of the dial, movement plate, hands and strap.
Piaget Altiplano Ultimate Concept Dark Blue - Credit Piaget
Then earlier this year, at Watches & Wonders Geneva 2023, Piaget presented two additional editions of the Altiplano Ultimate Concept. The first had a stunning emerald green dial and matching green alligator leather strap and a 41mm wide and 2mm tall cobalt alloy case. The second was a blue-dialled model with an 18ct rose gold case at 4.3mm thick.
Now for Watches & Wonders Shanghai 2023, we’re welcomed to yet another striking ultra-thin watch, this time the Piaget Altiplano Ultimate Concept is adorned in a deep navy blue. Living up to its predecessors, it sits at just 2mm tall and 41mm wide and is engineered from a midnight blue cobalt alloy case. To match, it has a mesmerising blue dial with the off-centred hours and minutes positioned at 12 o’clock. There’s also a water resistance of 20 metres and a matching blue alligator leather strap.
Piaget Altiplano Ultimate Concept Dark Blue - Credit Piaget
Powering the Piaget Altiplano Ultimate Concept Dark Blue watch is the 900P-UC manual winding movement. It boasts 13 jewels, a 40 hour power reserve and runs at a frequency of 28,800vph. Since the case is integrated into the movement plate, you can see the entirety of the ultra-slim movement through the dial including its bevelled bridges, circular and sunburst-brushed wheels and grey-coloured screws.
As someone who is a huge fan of ultra-slim watches, I have to applaud Piaget for making the Piaget Altiplano Ultimate Concept watch a reality. I had real doubt the prototype would become anything other than a literal concept watch, but here we are, with the watchmaker breaking records that I deemed unassailable. And I don’t see another watchmaker knocking them off the top spot any time soon.
Piaget Altiplano Ultimate Concept Dark Blue - Credit Piaget
Technical Specifications:
- Brand: Piaget
- Model: Altiplano Ultimate Concept Dark Blue
- Price: Available upon request
- Material: Cobalt alloy
- Movement: 900P-UC manual-winding
- Complications: Hours and minutes
- Dial: Dark blue
- Size: 41mm wide, 2mm tall
- When the reviewer would personally wear it: This would make a very easy day-to-day watch at this size. It would feel like a second layer of skin.
- A friend we’d recommend it to first: Someone with a love of ultra-thin watches
- Best characteristics of the watch: The 2mm height, duh!
- The worst characteristics of the watch: It’s hard to fault a record-breaking timepiece.
