Piaget : Master of ultra-thin

Piaget Altiplano Chronograph

Case : world’s thinnest hand-wound flyback chronograph timepiece (8.24mm), 18K white gold (also available in white gold set with 56 brilliant-cut diamonds -1.8 cts and in 18K pink gold), sapphire seethrough case-back, water-resistant to 30m

Size : 41 mm

Movement : world’s thinnest hand-wound flyback chronograph movement(Piaget 883P calibre, 4.65mm, 50h power reserve), 240 components, circular Côtes de Genève finishing, circular-grained mainplate, bevelled bridges, engraved mainplate with the Piaget coat-of-arms, blued screws

Functions : hours, minutes, small second at 6’, chronograph with flyback function and

30min counters at 3’, 2nd time zone at 9’

Dial : sunburst satinbrushed finish, batontype hands

Strap : alligator leather, 18K white (or pink) gold ardillon buckle

The Altiplano Chronograph is the world’s thinnest mechanical chronograph,and that applies as much to the watch itself as to its caliber.

With its collection comprising 29 ultra-thin movements developed and produced in-house, Piaget might be tempted to think it had set just about every record. Nonetheless, since challenges are made to be met, the brand has chosen to enrich its Altiplano line with a hand-wound chronograph combining modern and traditional elements that is considered the thinnest in its category. This chronograph featuring a 4.65mm-thick movement and a 8.24mm-thick case sets a new double record in the ultra-thin field and adds to an already impressive line of legendary super-slim Piaget timepieces.

GMT_XXL_CH_2016_ipad-276Moreover, for the first time, this line with its contemporary attributes also welcomes a major horological complication not seen to date within the existing range of 46 Piaget movements : a hand-wound chronograph. This 883P movement entirely conceived by Piaget is based on the self-winding Caliber 880P. The brand’s watchmakers and developers opted to work on the thinness of every element, including the cannonpinion (0.12mm), the barrel arbor (0.115mm) and the chronograph gear (0.06mm), as well as on the external elements such as the dial, hands and a wealth of finishes reflecting the finest watchmaking traditions : circular Côtes de Genève, a circular-grained mainplate, beveled bridges, sunburst wheels and blued screws.

On this chronograph version, the inherently pure aesthetic of the Altiplano collection has been scrupulously preserved, as is apparent in the dial  punctuated by slender single and double hour-markers swept over by baton-type hands. The slim and discreetly refined chronograph pushers merge seamlessly into the curves of the 41mm-diameter ultra-thin case. Ensuring a perfectly smooth and comfortable fit on the wrist, the taut lines of the Piaget Altiplano Chronograph extend over an alligator leather strap fitted with a pin buckle. This model is available in three versions : white gold, pink gold or gemset white gold.

See also: Piaget – Evocative and addictive, Possession

A member of the permanent editorial team of WorldTempus .com and GMT, she takes a special interest in new models and in brand events

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