Piaget has created many celebrated watches during almost eight decades as a manufacture, but the collection for which it is especially famed is the Altiplano. The Altiplano watches are the ultimate expression of the Maison ultra-thin savoir-faire.
The origins of the Altiplano go right back to the first ultra-thin Piaget dress watches that were born from the creation of the hand-wound 9P calibre in 1957, one of the slimmest mechanical movements of the era.
It was followed by the 2.3mm 12P calibre of 1960, which instantly captured a record for being the thinnest self-winding movement ever made. Since then, Piaget has set further records by creating ultra-thin movements across the whole range of horological categories from skeleton and diamond-set skeleton watches to those featuring date displays and others powered by automatic and manual-winding mechanisms. In 2020, the Maison has also been responsible for the thinnest mechanical watch in the world, the Altiplano Ultimate Concept which is only 2mm thin, a fitting tribute to 60 years as “the king of ultra-thin”.
The name “Altiplano” as we know it today, was introduced in 1998 to describe an ongoing line of ultra-thin and superbly elegant designs - the latest of which is the Altiplano Origin 35mm. The Altiplano is a region of south-eastern Peru and western Bolivia which is renowned for being very flat. Piaget chose this name to encompass the thinness of its watches.
Fearless creativity, effortless style
Thanks to its prowess as a maker of ultra-thin movements, Piaget has pushed the boundaries of creativity through the ground-breaking use of hardstone dials, extravagant cuff watches, dazzling gem-setting and the fearless use of colour.
Despite all of the above, the Maison has never overlooked the evergeen appeal of watches that are outwardly simple yet beautifully refined - which is why we are proud to unveil our latest interpretation of the theme in the form of the Altiplano Origin, the first 35mm Altiplano to be fitted with the self-winding 501P movement.
Both the gold case and the movement are produced entirely in-house - thus creating a ‘perfect pair’ for men and women.
Plain or bejewelled, but alway elegant
Available in beautifully understated form with a plain rose gold case, or with rose or white gold cases featuring bezels subtly adorned with 76 brilliant-cut diamonds set by Piaget’s master jewellers, the Altiplano Origin 35mm exudes quiet elegance in every guise.
Sapphire case backs allow an unhindered view of the beautifully-finished, ultra-slim movement with its oscillating weight engraved with the Piaget coat of arms, while close examination of the eight o’clock hour marker on the silvered dial reveals a discreet “Altiplano” signature.
Rose gold versions are fitted with quick-change straps in shiny red alligator leather, while the white gold model gets a similar strap in shiny blue - with an extensive range of other colours available, all of which can be effortlessly swapped in and out.
