The world’s thinnest automatic watch is a Piaget, in particular the Piaget Altiplano Ultimate Automatic 910P which is only 4.3mm thick and was presented at this year’s SIHH 2018. The challenge in who’s building the thinnest automatic watch in the world has always seen the best brands compete since the first wristwatch was ever launched. In times when the technical expertise was the best way to promote a brand, the crafting of an ultra-thin watch represented a great pride because it highlighted the brand’s watchmakers’ ability to design and produce a reliable ultra-thin mechanical movement.
The Piaget Altiplano Ultimate Automatic 910P holds today this record and it is the last in a row of records held by Piaget since the late fifties. However, it is not the only brand to have crafted ultra-thin watches. Bulgari, with its award-winning Octo Finissimo, ranked first in 2017, before Piaget regained the first place in 2018. Piaget‘s achievement was made possible thanks to a caliber, the 910P, which represents the legacy to the brand’s 9P series calibres, and to a timepiece whose case combines with the main plate, thus acting as a main plate supporting all of the 219 parts, included the superb peripheral oscillating mass.
The competition is not over since Piaget unveiled last January the Altiplano Ultimate Concept, a technical masterpiece whose case is just 2mm thick. Will it one day roll out the production line? We do hope so.
(Photo credit: Horbiter®’s proprietary photo-shooting)
Gaetano C @Horbiter®
