Piaget Launches its Latest Altiplano Ultimate Concept Watch in Midnight Blue

The race for creating the world’s thinnest watch seems to be hotting up. Slowly moving away from the trend of equipping watches with the maximum number of complications or making them deeply water-resistant, watchmakers now seem to be paying more attention to making their timepieces thinner. Piaget is no exception. On the occasion of Watches and Wonders Shanghai 2023, the Maison has released a new midnight blue edition of its Altiplano Ultimate Concept watch — as expected, it is 2 mm thick. 

As Enzo Ferrari once put it, “What’s behind you doesn’t matter.” At this year’s Watches and Wonders in Geneva, Piaget unveiled two new Altiplano Ultimate Automatic timepieces — an emerald green model and a blue version of the Altiplano Ultimate Automatic 910P with a rose gold case, 4.3 mm thick. These models showcased the level of finesse and craftsmanship Piaget is celebrated for.

The new Altiplano Ultimate Concept watch is a result of the re-engineering of the entire model, merging the case, the movement, and the bezel to form a single entity that is only 2 mm in height, from under the caseback to the top of the sapphire crystal. Its 41 mm case is made of a special torsion-resistant cobalt alloy, which makes it 25% thinner than regular precious metal cases.

The essence of a typical Altiplano Ultimate Concept remains intact. The new watch sports a midnight blue colour, also found on the coated case and the bezel. The watch gets a thin sapphire crystal with a matte-textured main plate; the main time-viewing blue subdial rests at 12 o’clock with only hours and minute hands. It has a revolving disc at 6 o’clock and a crown at 3 o’clock.  All technical elements — openworked barrel, balance and escapement, gear train and the hands — are in a silver tone. Powering the watch is the hand-wound mechanical 900P-UC movement with a power reserve of approximately 40 hours. Turning the watch over showcases the sapphire caseback with the movement, a balance wheel, and a crown that can be adjusted at five positions. This version is a first for Piaget; the previous hours and minutes Altiplano Ultimate Concept models were designed upon request and personalised for a handful of customers. The latest watch is finished on a dark blue leather strap with a pin buckle.