Colour my world with Piaget Altiplano
Pop goes the colour this summer when luxury Swiss watchmaker Piaget launches the 60th anniversary collection of its iconic Altiplano timepiece.
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Iconic style and ultimate elegance
Piaget has always subscribed to the ‘less is more’ philosophy throughout its 143 years of stellar history, with the pristine dials and ultra-thin movements of its collections coveted by watch collectors and the international elite. Their pure design and understated elegance continue to wow fans over the decades, from French actor Alain Delon to current heartthrobs such as Canadian actor Ryan Reynolds and Chinese star Hu Ge whom the brand counts as friends.
Where ultra-thin is in
While the fashion world is moving at a politically-correct pace of slim not thin, the world of Haute Horlogerie is competing to be the thinnest in their segment, whether it be calibres, cases or movements.
Winning hands down in the ultra-thin category is Piaget. One of the first Swiss brands to manufacture ultra-thin movements, it released the legendary manual-wind calibre 9P in 1957 measuring just 2mm thick. Universally hailed for the elegance of its profile, performance and reliability, it enabled a broader 20.5mm dial opening, heralding a new watchmaking aesthetic, while facilitating the construction of a remarkably slim timepiece. The calibre 9P has long since been developed into the Altiplano collection. Three years after this groundbreaking launch, Piaget upped the ante by creating calibre 12P, an extremely svelte 2.3mm automatic movement. A long and prestigious lineage of ultra-thin movements follows, growing in complexity but always remaining lean.
The Altiplano goes flamboyant at 60
Piaget celebrates the 60th anniversary of its ultra-thin watch with a masterful display of colours, sizes and artistic crafts. The limited and numbered edition is entirely attuned to the codes of contemporary elegance and is both eye candy with its bold shades that liven up your day and an incredibly stylish timepiece that you can wear for all occasions.
The Altiplano 34mm pink dial version comes in a vivid pink subtly transitioning from a more intense to a softer shade, framed by a case in polished white gold or diamond set white gold for ladies. At the heart of these two watches beat the calibre 430P (2.1mm thick), a worthy heir to the hand-wound 9P movement developed in 1957.
An irresistible trio of Altiplano 40mm models for men comes with patinated dials with nuanced slate grey accentuated by a white gold case, midnight blue flirting with electric blue and contrasting with pink gold, and pine green sliding towards emerald green and surrounded by a yellow gold case. They are equipped with the ultra-thin calibre 1203P, a natural successor of the legendary 12P automatic calibre of 1960.
The historical inscription “Piaget Automatic”, which appeared on the very first ultra-thin timepieces by Piaget, sets the signature touch to this new trio and honours the line’s rich history.
Classic perhaps, but certainly new, are two models featuring a sunburst dial in the historical Piaget blue and a white gold case in an epitome of vintage elegance with a contemporary twist. The 38mm manual-winding model is equipped with the calibre 430P (2.1mm thick) while the 43mm self-winding model beats with the calibre 1200P (2.35mm thick).
With its minimalist design and unmistakable elegance, functionality and wow factor, the Piaget Altiplano anniversary collection is destined to become collectors’ items that transcend the fads of the watchmaking world.
