At the SIHH 2018, Piaget unveiled the Altiplano Ultimate Concept, the thinnest mechanical watch in the world. Two years later, Piaget presents the same watch as a regular production watch that you can now finally get to own. You can see our live pictures of the concept watch in this feature. Measuring 2 mm in thinness, the new Piaget Altiplano Ultimate Concept served as a stage for numerous Piaget innovations, including a case that formed part of the movement, a unique, integrated winding crown, an ultra-thin crystal and, more importantly, new constructions for the barrel and energy regulation.

Back in 2018, people wanted to know whether such a complex and technically advanced watch could ever be produced commercially and, if so, would it be a practical proposition for daily use? Well, wait no more.

The Altiplano Ultimate Concept is no longer just an ambitious experiment in pushing the boundaries of horological micro-engineering, but a fully developed, tried and tested watch that is now available for watch lovers and collectors to buy, own and use. The team worked solely on the prototype for four years —during which time many of the established codes of watchmaking were re-invented and spent a further two years perfecting the design and engineering in order to bring the watch to your wrist.

Bear in mind, this watch is only as thick as a 1 Euro coin, thinner than most after-dinner mints and the same height as just two credit cards stacked together. Pretty impressive right? Here’s one of our live pictures doing a comparison between the Altiplano Ultimate Concept Watch and a Royal Oak Offshore. The Piaget Altiplano Ultimate Concept Watch seems thinner than the gasket between the bezel and the case on the Royal Oak Offshore.

With the Altiplano Ultimate Concept, the only option was to go one step further. Piaget embarked on a journey of unprecedented miniaturization that resulted in the filing of no fewer than five patents, the process beginning with the creation of a case for the watch into which the movement baseplate is directly machined.

Too thin to use gold, the 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 0.20mm thick to 0.12mm and the sapphire crystal, normally 1mm thick in a standard watch, being pared-down by 80 percent to a scarcely believable 0.2mm.

The mainspring barrel —the source of power that drives the mechanism— is also of an entirely new design that has no cover or drum but is mounted on a single, ceramic ball-bearing within the frame of the watch and enables the fully-wound movement to run for up to 40 hours. The crown, meanwhile, has been re-invented to take the form of a flat, telescopic system —with its own, specially-designed winding tool— that fits flush with the case band and in which the conventional sliding pinion clutch and crown wheel are substituted for a single, 'infinite screw'.

The dial's off-centered position, meanwhile, 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. So incredibly thin is the Altiplano Ultimate Concept that a mere 0.12 mm of cobalt separates the movement from the wearer's skin - close your eyes, and you will struggle to believe you are actually wearing it.

The degree of the thinness of this watch also means that even the method of indicating the time had to be re-thought. Instead of having a dial and two hands placed on top of a bridge, the Altiplano Ultimate Concept features a dial that lies beneath it, thus providing protection from any contact with the strong but wafer-thin crystal should it be momentarily deformed in an impact. This innovative technical feature is a patent registered by Piaget in 2014 —for the launch of 900P caliber.

Although the Altiplano Ultimate Concept measures a mere 2mm thick, it contains a remarkable 167 individual parts, many of which have had to be produced to microscopically small dimensions in order for the goal of ultimate thinness to be met. But Piaget's artisans rose to the challenge, embellishing the movement with sunburst and satin-brushed finishes, chamfered and polished bridges, and enhancing the appearance of the combined case/baseplate with a sophisticated PVD treatment.

And, in order that the quest for slimness and practicality should be maintained throughout the watch, a special alligator skin strap and a blue baltimor technical textile strap were developed. They are all ultra-thin, featuring a velvet calfskin lining and an ultra-strong Kevlar —secured, of course, by an ultra-thin cobalt pin buckle.

Bespoke finishes and unique features are often considered key to luxury, a fact that Piaget recognized more than 50 years ago when it introduced its innovative 'Style Selector' at its New York boutique in order to offer customers the opportunity to choose the shape of their watch case, the type of dial and bracelet and the extent of the gem setting. Therefore, the new Piaget Altiplano Ultimate Concept is extensively customizable to the requirements of individual owners. Buyers may specify the color of the bridge and dial, the finish of the hands and the main plate and select straps that match or contrast —a range of options that will allow the Altiplano Ultimate Concept to be created in more than 10,000 permutations, thus ensuring that few will be alike and most will be truly unique.

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