Piaget Altiplano 900P vs. 43mm Self-winding

WHL revisits Piaget's Altiplano collection, offering a comparative look at the ultra-thin Altiplano 900P and the 43mm Altiplano Self-winding. This post builds on previous discussions, providing new side-by-side images to highlight the remarkable thinness and aesthetic impact of these horological achievements.

The phrase “flat as a pancake” might seem to conjure and image of thinness, but when it comes to Piaget’s Altiplano watches “flat as a crepe” would likely be a more precise analogy. A little while ago in a post  titled “Thin and Thinner” I sat the two 38 mm members in the Altiplano family side by side and in profile to show the relative and absolute thinness of the new 900P model.

I have now had the opportunity to get the 900P, Piaget’s thinnest manual winding watch at 3.65 mm thick, side by side with the 43 mm Altiplano Self-winding, the slimmest self-winding watch in the Altiplano collection at 5.25 mm thick, and actually the second slimmest mechanical watch Piaget makes:

The 5 mm in additional diameter does not intuitively sound like much but the effect is dramatic! 

And here they are in profile:

The Altiplano 43 can only be considered a thick watch in relation to the 900P!

A few more musings on the Altiplano 900P

The last Altiplano 900P I had on hand was rose gold. Now that I have seen the white gold model, I think that this might be one of the rare exceptions when I prefer a white metal piece to one in either yellow or rose gold. There is something about the cool colors of black and white that really suits this thinnest of ultrathin watches. It is hard to imagine a better piece for black tie attire (not that I wear a tuxedo often enough to merit a dedicated high-luxury tux watch. )

I would say that there is only one other watch that quite compares to it in terms of concept: the Breguet Tradition, which also showcases the gear train of the movement on the dial side, with a small dial to show the hours and minutes, but the execution by each manufacture of their designs is 100% true to the codes of their respective brand DNA. To choose the Altiplano 900P would not preclude me from also seeking out a Heritage, nor vice versa.

I bring up Breguet for another reason as well. With the 10th anniversary of the Tradition collection, I see now that Breguet has built an entire collection around the design codes of the Tradition, with a number of complications and models now available for collectors to choose from. I don’t see Piaget extending the concept of the Altiplano 900P further than with this watch, though perhaps the colors may change over time. The 900P was designed to be the slimmest mechanical wristwatch in production, and it succeeds wonderfully in this. To add complications would take away from its purity. 

Bill