The race to create the world’s thinnest mechanical watch has been dominated by a handful of gamers lately, with few being as distinguished as Piaget. The Piaget Altiplano sequence has been on the chopping fringe of ultra-thin watch design for years, and for 2020, the model has taken the subsequent step ahead to create the Piaget Altiplano Final Idea — the brand new world-record holder for thinnest hand-wound mechanical watch at solely 2mm in total depth. First debuting as a prototype in 2018, the mannequin has returned as a daily member of the Piaget lineup.
After all, the important thing to creating the Piaget Altiplano Final Idea record-breakingly skinny is within the case. Constructed from a sophisticated cobalt primarily based metallic alloy, this razor-thin 41mm case is out there in each an all-over polished end and PVD black. As a way to protect the extraordinary 2mm total thickness, Piaget makes use of a bunch of distinctive tips with the Altiplano Final Idea’s case. Firstly, the oblong crown is absolutely recessed into the case facet at three o’clock, sitting utterly flush and solely distinguishable by a minor seam line. Secondly, the sapphire crystal is simply zero.2mm thick. Most impressively, nevertheless, is the case structure itself. As a way to shave off valuable fractions of a millimeter from the general depth, the motion is definitely built-in into the case with the caseback serving as the bottom plate, permitting your complete meeting to sit down much more flush than earlier than.
As a consequence of the acute engineering at play right here, the precise timekeeping dial of the Piaget Altiplano Final Idea is relegated to a small subdial at 12 o’clock, whereas nearly all of the visible actual property is taken up by the mandatory elements of the motion. There’s an actual mechanical magnificence to the format, notably the extensive mainspring barrel at 6 o’clock and the 9 o’clock steadiness wheel. Piaget affords the dial of the Altiplano Final Idea in three separate colorways. The PVD black-cased model makes use of a black base, black motion bridges, and a black subdial with minimal silver-toned stick fingers and indices. For the polished metallic variations, the Altiplano Final idea could be optioned with both a silver base and bridges with a contrasting blue sunburst subdial or with a black base, blued bridges, and a silver sunburst subdial.
After all, one of many main elements in making a watch this skinny is the motion itself. The ultra-thin in-house 900P-UC hand-wound motion is a powerful achievement in its personal proper. In growth for the previous six years, this paper skinny powerplant makes use of 13 jewels and options 5 patent-pending improvements to provide a 40-hour energy reserve and 28,800 bph beat charge in a system lower than 2mm thick.
Every colorway of the Piaget Altiplano Final Idea comes with its personal strap variant, appropriately sized at 1.5mm-thin. The PVD black-cased mannequin is made the dressiest of the bunch, because of black alligator leather-based, whereas the silver base model is paired with blue rubber, and the blue bridge variant receives a sporty Baltimora textile strap in midnight blue.
The Piaget Altiplano Final Idea is, undoubtedly, a powerful technical achievement, made extra spectacular by the truth that this can be a regular-production timepiece, obtainable now from licensed sellers. Pricing for the Altiplano Final Idea is obtainable upon request. For extra info, please go to Piaget’s web site.
