Or, more accurately, here’s a quite thin Piaget you could strap onto your wrist – the Altiplano. In fact, per their own literature on the piece, this watch is the thinnest in the world, and also features the thinnest movement in the world.
So, what about that movement? It’s an in-house piece (1208P) with small seconds, and it measures in at only 2.35mm thick. How can an automatic get that thin? They actually use a micro-rotor.
With automatic watches, we’re more used to seeing a rotor that is has about the same diameter as the case, and as such, is stacked on the movement. Here, with the micro-rotor, it’s actually much smaller than the movement, and is nestled right into the works (see the picture below). Thankfully, there’s a sapphire caseback that allows you to see this mechanical wonder.
Past that, the movement seems a little more “normal” with it’s 44 hour power reserve and 21,600 BPH. It’s housed in a white gold case (as shown here) that is 43mm in diameter, but a very lightweight 5.25mm thick. Combined with the silver dial and black leather strap, and you’ve got a wonderfully classic dress watch.
Another design feature that jumps out at you (for better or worse) is the small seconds subdial. While we’d be more accustomed to seeing it at the 3, 6, 0r 9 o’clock position, here, we see it between 4 and 5. I have a feeling this is mostly due to design decisions in how the movement was packaged, and where this complication fit in.
While it certainly does differentiate this watch from other makers, I’m split as to whether or not it’s a distraction. Of course, at the price these go for (starting at $8,500 depending on the model), it’s not a decision I’ll have to make anytime soon.
