Piaget Altiplano 60th Anniversary Pocket Watch

An Homage to Late 50’s ​We all know how much effort and time premium watch makers spend in order to produce a unique timepiece. It can take ages to put all the miniature jewels together.

​We all know how much effort and time premium watch makers spend in order to produce a unique timepiece. It can take ages to put all the miniature jewels together, piece by piece under scrutiny.

Yes, it requires a lot of skill, patience and determination; but to have the ability to combine all the parts to become an ultra thin timepiece is all about innovation and courage.

And once again, Piaget unleashes their true ability by introducing to us the distinctive Altiplano Pocket Watch.

As part of the yearlong celebrations dedicated to 60th anniversary of the Altiplano model launched in 1957, Piaget created an unexpected pocket watch version of its iconic timepiece.
Set on a blue calfskin string to match its Piaget blue dial, the limited edition Altiplano 60th Anniversary Pocket Watch takes its inspiration from the very first ultra-thin watches of Piaget in the late 50’s.

Piaget gets their inspiration from the period when the first Altiplano ultra-thin timepiece was introduced in 1957.

If you notice, the dial has a fine blue cross which divides the dial in perfect proportion.

This blue cross was originally used in the earliest version of the Altiplano, creating an understated and balanced elegance to the face of the watch.

Ultra-thin watchmaking has become, to some extent, a more dynamic category in the market today, with several brands joining the arms race.

But it’s been 60 years since the watchmaker synonymous with ultra-thins, Piaget, unveiled the first of its fantastically slim Altiplano watches.

It was powered by the 2mm-high calibre 9P, then the world’s thinnest hand-wound movement.

The captivating blue of the sunburst dial is somewhere between cobalt and midnight blue.

The rich deep shade of blue is paired with white gold slim single hour-markers and the slim baton-type hands that are typical of the Altiplano collection.

This is not the first Altiplano pocket watch from Piaget, which launched a square pocket watch to celebrate the 50^th anniversary of the same timepiece, making it something of a tradition.

But this is perhaps the first time that the historical styling of the Altiplano has been fully incorporated into a pocket watch.

Reinforcing the perfect proportions of the watch, a fine blue cross once used in the earliest versions of Altiplano, gives the face its understated and balanced elegance.

The historical Piaget logo that decorates the dial is also a reminder of the first Piaget Altiplano. Inside the slender 50 mm white gold case is the ultra-thin self-winding 1200P movement which is just 2.35 mm thin. Beating at 3 Hz (21,600 vph), it has a power reserve of 44 hours.

Measuring 50mm in diameter, the timepiece features a white gold case with the same deep blue sunburst dial found on the anniversary models launched at SIHH. It bears all the hallmarks of the first Altiplano watches including the flat polished bezel, applied gold indices, slim baton hands, as well as the fine blue crosshair and “automatic” in italics on the dial.

The sapphire case back reveals the complexity of the movement, somehow in contrast with the simplicity of the dial.

This way, the beautiful finishes of the watch – including circular Côtes de Genève, bevelled bridges, circular-grained mainplate and blued screws – can be admired from the back.

An homage to the creativity of the Altiplano, the pocket watch can be transformed into a beautiful table clock when placed in the centre of an elegant blue marquetry stand punctuated by sleek markers.

Inside its slender case is the 1200P movement – the world’s thinnest self-winding movement when it was first introduced in 2010, measuring just 2.35mm thick.

The movement’s 22k gold micro-rotor, circular Côtes de Genève, bevelled bridges, circular-grained mainplate and blued screws can be viewed through its exhibition case back.

The pocket Altiplano comes with a blue calfskin strap and matching blue leather pouch, de rigueur accessories for a pocket watch. More unusual is the straw marquetry stand.

Limited to just 26 pieces, the new Altiplano 60th Anniversary Pocket Watch (ref. G0A42108) demonstrates Piaget’s ability to reinvent a watch that has become a symbol of pure elegance.

A craft similar to wood marquetry, the segments of the circular frame are inlaid straw veneer, with the stalks arranged to radiate outwards, just like the brushed finish on the dial.

Each stalk of straw was selected based on their shade to match the metallic sunburst effect of the dial.

The frame is punctuated with elongated markers that serve as an extension of the dial when the pocket watch is hung in its centre, transforming it into a table clock.