You Can Never Be Too Thin: Piaget’s Altiplano Ultra-Thin Classic Watches With Meteorite Dials

Piaget has two signature specialties: ultra-thin movements and hard-stone dials. In fact, it was Piaget’s penchant for making watch dials using hard-stone minerals that led it to develop ultra-thin movements, in an effort to keep the bulk down. The result is a succession of world records for ultra-slim calibers and a stable of movements for ultra-thin watches.

Piaget Altiplano Ultra-Thin With Meteorite Dial.PIAGET

Three new Altiplano models are fitted with some of these ultra-thin calibers, including a flying tourbillon, and all but one have meteorite dials. The dials have been galvanized in different colors: gray; a gold brushed version; and a blue version. The colors highlight the natural crystalized lines formed in the meteorite, known as Widmanstätten patterns. The blue version is framed by a bezel set with 72 diamonds totaling a full carat of diamonds.

Piaget ultra-thin Altiplano with blue dial and diamond bezel.PIAGET

The carriage of the tourbillon version is unusually located at 2 o’clock instead of the traditional 6 o’clock position, with an off-centered hours and minutes at 8 o’clock. The bezel is set with 85 diamonds totaling 1.59 carats. The case is the largest of these watches, but still measures only 7.44mm thick. It contains the ultra-thin hand-wound caliber 670P.

Tourbillon version of the Piaget Altiplano with meteorite dial.PIAGET

The cases of the time-only model with meteorite dials in three colors are 18k pink gold. Although they are ultra-thin – at 6.36mm thick, they are either 40mm or 41mm in diameter, which is a bit wide for some women, who are likely to prefer the 36mm version of the new white gold Altiplano. The dial is not meteorite, but a deep, rich blue, and the bezel and horns set with 1.65 carats of baguette diamonds. There are also four baguette diamond hour markers. It contains the ultra-thin hand-wound caliber 430P. There is also a 40mm version of this watch, which is sized more appropriately for men, despite the diamond setting – bezel and horns are set with 2.51 carats of baguettes. It contains an automatic movement, the ultra-thin caliber 1200P.

Piaget 36mm Altiplano with bezel and horns set with 1.65 carats of baguette diamonds.PIAGET

Carol Besler has written about watches and jewelry for nearly 30 years. She has featured articles in Watch Time, Robb Report, Nuvo, Hollywood Reporter and Rapaport.