A lithe of luxury at SIHH 2018

Last year’s 60th anniversary celebrations of Piaget’s expertise in extra-thin movements were in full swing when its record for the thinnest automatic watch was beaten by a whisker. The brand was pipped at the post by Bulgari’s Octo Finissimo, a feast of sharp angles, taut lines and one vital statistic: 5.15mm high. Never had a mechanical watch achieved such a pinnacle of slenderness. A year on, in 2018, and despite claims that records are the last thing on its mind, Piaget has put two new “thinnest ever” titles under its belt: for the thinnest mechanical automatic watch in the world, the Altiplano Ultimate Automatic, and the thinnest ever mechanical manual-wind watch with the Altiplano Ultimate Concept and its 2 millimetres of thickness.

From the 900P to the 910P in three years

Confirmation that Piaget is once again at the top of the game, the Altiplano Ultimate Automatic stands tall – which is no mean feat at 4.30mm high. The designers, developers, engineers and watchmakers had their noses to the grindstone for three years with the single objective of developing an automatic movement from the revolutionary manual-wind 900P, where case and movement become one. The greatest challenge when skimming off these crucial tenths of a millimetre was to find the point at which minimum thickness and maximum reliability coincide. How could they make wheels just 0.12mm thick – a conventional wheel measures 0.20mm – without compromising its solidity? How could they incorporate the oscillating weight into the movement and make optimal use of space? How could they resolve problems linked to the natural distortion of the crystal?

One by one, step by step, each question was given an answer, and each of the 219 components given its place inside the confines of the case. As with the Altiplano 900P, the case doubles as the mainplate for the movement whose construction is reversed (the bridges, suspended barrel and gear train are all on the dial side). So as to prevent the crystal from pressing down on the hands, they are set off-centre and fitted under the gear-train bridge. The oscillating weight, in gold with black PVD treatment, is ingeniously positioned around the movement.

Ultimate thinness

A shot across the bows, perhaps, to those that might be tempted to sail in its waters, Piaget has taken advantage of SIHH to establish a second record with the Altiplano Ultimate Concept. It takes extra-thin to an entirely new level and pushes the limits of the infinitely small. An incredible 2mm high, barely more than a few sheets of paper, this elegant timepiece now holds the title of thinnest watch in the world. Over four long years, three engineers put their creativity to the test, alongside watchmakers, designers and case- and movement constructors, to come up with innovative practical solutions. Five patents were filed in the process. The case is cut from an ultra-resistant cobalt alloy to ensure it will retain its shape. Again, the back of the case replaces the movement mainplate. The components themselves have been reduced to the absolute minimum – not least the crystal which has been whittled down from a standard 1mm to a barely-there 0.2mm.

Added complication

While both these watches are irrefutable confirmation of Piaget’s expertise, other brands showing at SIHH are setting records of their own, starting with Audemars Piguet’s Royal Oak RD#2 Perpetual Calendar Ultra-Thin. Housed inside a platinum case that measures 6.30mm thick, the movement takes up a mere 2.89mm – an astounding achievement for such a level of mechanical complication. This superbly elegant RD#2 is the thinnest automatic perpetual calendar ever made.

A few millimetres along, Vacheron Constantin presents the equally refined Overseas Ultra-Thin Perpetual Calendar whose slender profile is topped with the distinctive six-sided bezel, a nod at the brand’s Maltese Cross emblem. It too has been slimmed down to an extraordinary 8.10mm. This is a remarkable achievement for a perpetual calendar movement that displays the day of the week, date, month, leap year and moon phases.

Away from the razzle-dazzle, record-breaker announcements, anyone on the lookout for a classic beauty to slip under the cuff will fall for the understated charm of A. Lange & Söhne’s Saxonia Thin. Cased in white gold, it shows hours and minutes on an aventurine glass dial. No records for thinness, no headline-making innovations, just elegant simplicity. Slenderness equates with refinement, and what more could we want. As for those who have pure mechanics running through their veins, or who believe that records exist to be broken, the 2018 edition of SIHH has thrown down the gauntlet.