With its new Altiplano Ultimate Automatic, Piaget broke record which Bulgari set less than a year ago with Octo Finissimo Automatic, for the world’s thinnest self-winding watch that checked in at 5.15 mm. Now the current record holder is Altiplano Ultimate Automatic 910P which contains two 41 mm timepieces in 18k white gold and 18k rose gold and is only 4.3 mm thick.
Piaget Altiplano Ultimate Automatic
Piaget was able to achieve this by integrating the movement’s baseplate into the case, rather than having the case encapsulate a separate movement like in a conventional watch (this is the same trick Piaget used to scale down the aforementioned 900P). The movement also utilizes a “peripheral” rotor that surrounds the movement in place of an offset micro-rotor (the standard in thin automatics), further cutting down on thickness.
The off-centre dial is positioned on the space between the bridges on the front, and the entire gear train occupies the arc surrounding the dial, so everything from the ratchet wheel to balance wheel is visible. Certain wheels, including the additional transmission wheel held by a pivot in the chapter ring, measure just 0.12mm high.
And as with the 900P, further height is removed by simplifying the barrel. Instead of having a bearing at the top and bottom, the barrel is suspended from a single bearing on one end.
Piaget Altiplano Ultimate Automatic
the watch’s actual dial is positioned in the upper-right corner, between the bridges on the front while the gear train takes up most of the rest of the visible space. The peripheral winding system cancels out the need for a conventional rotor; instead, we have an extra-thin rotor that runs along the edge of the dial instead of adding an extra layer to the watch. The “rotor” is 22k-gold and coated in black PVD so it has enough inertia to wind the watch. The watch still manages a 50-hour power reserve nonetheless.
The rose gold version is priced at $26,000 and the white gold at $27,000. Both versions will come with a black alligator leather strap and matching gold pin buckles.
Piaget Altiplano Ultimate Automatic
