Piaget Altiplano Ultimate Concept
It took two years for Piaget to take what was an experimental timepiece to commercial viability. First showcased at SIHH 2018, the Altiplano Ultimate Concept was the thinnest mechanical watch ever at only 2mm thick. That's the equivalent of two credit cards stacked on top of each other.
Now that it's available for purchase, let’s recall how Piaget, which has an enviable history in ultra-thin watches, achieved this latest feat without compromising the integrity of the watch.
First, since gold is too fragile at this level of thinness, the watchmaker had to engineer a new material, a cobalt-based alloy that is two times stronger than gold. Second, almost every internal part has to be miniaturised—the wheels, for example, shrunk from 0.20mm to only 0.12mm thick.
The mainspring barrel has also been redesigned so that it's mounted on a ceramic ball-bearing. Meanwhile, the crown takes the form of a flat, telescopic system that snugly fits the case band.
Don’t be fooled by its wafer-thin appearance though: it has enough strength to withstand the G-force of a jet.
A Lange & Söhne Zeitwerk Minute Repeater
