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https://watchesbysjx.com/2020/04/piaget-altiplano-ultimate-concept-thinnest-watch-ever.html
Thinnest Watch in The World
I see Piaget is back in the lead for the title of world's thinnest watch, overtaking JLC with the new Altiplano Ultimat Concept.
The Piaget is a proto, the JLC is the thinnest. MUT Skeleton Enamel. [nt]
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Interesting...but I think...
41mm is too big for a dress watch. Besides, it's so thin it looks like it would flex at that diameter.
unless you're seriously counting millimeters....
from my memory....JLC MUT, VC Historique Ultrafine 1955, Piaget Altiplano Ultimate
on bracelet, i'm not sure but i think it is bulgari finissimo
Best,
mahesh.,
on bracelet, i'm not sure but i think it is bulgari finissimo
Best,
mahesh.,
I agree with Mahesh.
Some Piaget models, the Vacheron Constantin Historique 1955, and the Jaeger-leCoultre Master Ultra Thin 849 caliber timepieces are the thinnest movements that are in regular production and are readily available. In fact, Jaeger-LeCoultre seems to be slowing down on 849 production, they've stopped offering the "Master Ultra Thin 38" model on their website, which was the last regular model with the 849 caliber.
You're welcome! Remember, thinner does have some drawbacks... Accuracy being the biggest one of them.
I wouldn't want a watch much thinner than a Vacheron Historique 1955 anyways. To me, that's the nicest "Ultra Thin" or "Extra Plate" watch out there along with some Piaget Altiplanos. The Jaeger-LeCoultre 849 is amazing, especially for the price. A true value and underappreciated gem. It's a great place to start, because they're not too expensive and see if you like ultra thin watches and it's much less expensive than a Vacheron Constantin 1955 and the Piaget Altiplano. Great piece.
The JLC MUT is both accurate and reliable—
This is one of the things that makes it so special — a very solid watch that has none of that flimsy feel you might get with ultra-thin pieces that came out before it.
Meant to be referring to the "platinum jubilee" ref 120.6.79 in my comment above [nt]
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Oh yes! Especially that one!
That platinum Jubilee of 2013 (my "Best Value Pick of SIHH 2013" and one of my personal favorites) is indeed a great watch and especially rigid. That solid case back makes a big difference in the rigidity of the watch! The steel one isn't "flimsy" but not quite as rigid as that platinum one. Everyone should get a Platinum Jubilee Master Ultra Thin if they can afford it! They're quite reasonable, especially considering they're platinum!
The MUT Jubilée is one of my very favorite UT Watch, with only 4, 05 mm! [nt]
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Indeed! It'd be a great daily watch if the crown were just a little bigger! [nt]
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Permit me to elaborate...
1. Ultra thin watches are much more difficult to regulate and adjust. Thus, fine-tuning them to perfect levels of accuracy is more difficult.
2. While Ultra Thin watches can be reliable and accurate, they're never quite as accurate as "normal thickness" watches. For instance, you've never seen an Ultra Thin watch win top place in any Observatory Accuracy Awards. Like certain Patek Philippe and Vacheron Constantin's Chronometre Royal timepiece that were made famous because they were extremely accurate.
3. Extremely thick watches... Hard to say, but generally, high quality ultra thin watches are generally slightly less precise than high quality "normal" watches. Can't say anything about extremely thick watches. And keep in mind, we're talking about the movement here, not the case. Generally extremely thick watches have other complications on them. There are no time-only watches that I would consider extremely thick.
2. While Ultra Thin watches can be reliable and accurate, they're never quite as accurate as "normal thickness" watches. For instance, you've never seen an Ultra Thin watch win top place in any Observatory Accuracy Awards. Like certain Patek Philippe and Vacheron Constantin's Chronometre Royal timepiece that were made famous because they were extremely accurate.
3. Extremely thick watches... Hard to say, but generally, high quality ultra thin watches are generally slightly less precise than high quality "normal" watches. Can't say anything about extremely thick watches. And keep in mind, we're talking about the movement here, not the case. Generally extremely thick watches have other complications on them. There are no time-only watches that I would consider extremely thick.
Potentially. Generally. Big generalization.
Ultra thin watches today are very accurate and are reasonably close to the accuracy of normal watches. Furthermore, ultra-thin timepieces are more carefully tuned so they can achieve a higher potential for better accuracy.
Thus, if a normal Jaeger-LeCoultre timepiece has sufficient accuracy for your requirements, an ultra-thin 849 caliber is not likely to be significantly worse. It is likely an 849 caliber would be slightly less accurate than a normal JLC caliber, but it shouldn't be extremely noticeable.
However, let's say you're comparing the Vacheron Constantin Ultra Thin with a special Vacheron Constantin Chronometre Royal that's been tuned to win accuracy awards. Then there may be a more substantial difference.
However. If you're expecting superb accuracy, like Vacheron Constantin Chronometre Royal accuracy and to win observatory tests, a watch under 2mm thick is less likely to be as accurate than a superbly tuned watch of normal thickness. Keep in mind, a watch designed for observatory test trials is specially tuned to be superbly accurate. There are many strategies to achieving accuracy; high beat, small escapement wheel (the small escapement wheel has less inertia and can spin faster, but because it's smaller it is more susceptible to shocks, but the high beat means it can recover and average out the shock faster); low beat, large escapement wheel (large escapement wheel is less susceptible to shock, but the slower beat means if the watch is successfully shocked it will take longer for the watch to recover).
Thus, if a normal Jaeger-LeCoultre timepiece has sufficient accuracy for your requirements, an ultra-thin 849 caliber is not likely to be significantly worse. It is likely an 849 caliber would be slightly less accurate than a normal JLC caliber, but it shouldn't be extremely noticeable.
However, let's say you're comparing the Vacheron Constantin Ultra Thin with a special Vacheron Constantin Chronometre Royal that's been tuned to win accuracy awards. Then there may be a more substantial difference.
However. If you're expecting superb accuracy, like Vacheron Constantin Chronometre Royal accuracy and to win observatory tests, a watch under 2mm thick is less likely to be as accurate than a superbly tuned watch of normal thickness. Keep in mind, a watch designed for observatory test trials is specially tuned to be superbly accurate. There are many strategies to achieving accuracy; high beat, small escapement wheel (the small escapement wheel has less inertia and can spin faster, but because it's smaller it is more susceptible to shocks, but the high beat means it can recover and average out the shock faster); low beat, large escapement wheel (large escapement wheel is less susceptible to shock, but the slower beat means if the watch is successfully shocked it will take longer for the watch to recover).
You're welcome. I hope it makes some kind of sense!
Many different approaches to accuracy and tuning. Some watches are tuned in only 4 positions, some 5, some 6! Tuning a watch in itself can be an art form, especially in watches where the hairspring is a Breguet overcoil (meaning you can't just shorten the spring on the long end since the "bend" is there, so you'd have to remove it and shorten it from the middle, and that presents other risks and challenges).
Today, most hair springs and gold balance wheels are matched by computer. Each spring and balance wheel is tested by a computer using a laser to determine its oscillating characteristics. For instance a balance spring that is likely to have high "voltage" is paired with a balance wheel with lower "amperage" so this way the "wattage" produced is roughly the same output among all produced. Then there are the little gold weights on the balance wheel that can be tuned again by hand if necessary. Then after the watch is assembled, there can be more tuning to compensate for the various positions (dial up, dial down, crown up, crown down, crown at 3, crown at 9), where sometimes a watch may run fast if it is at a certain position. Say the watch runs perfectly except it's fast crown up, we tune it out, but you made it run even faster in another two positions so you need to adjust something else. Adjustment can truly be a long exercise if you want an "observatory quality" watch that's going to win time trials in accuracy tests.
Hopefully the above makes a little sense. Basically adjustments to bring one parameter into accuracy can sometimes make things a lot worse for other parameters. Basically I'm happy as long as my watch runs within -2 to +6 seconds fast per day on my wrist! Over the course of 10 days, the most I'll be late for is 20 seconds and I won't more than a minute fast.
Today, most hair springs and gold balance wheels are matched by computer. Each spring and balance wheel is tested by a computer using a laser to determine its oscillating characteristics. For instance a balance spring that is likely to have high "voltage" is paired with a balance wheel with lower "amperage" so this way the "wattage" produced is roughly the same output among all produced. Then there are the little gold weights on the balance wheel that can be tuned again by hand if necessary. Then after the watch is assembled, there can be more tuning to compensate for the various positions (dial up, dial down, crown up, crown down, crown at 3, crown at 9), where sometimes a watch may run fast if it is at a certain position. Say the watch runs perfectly except it's fast crown up, we tune it out, but you made it run even faster in another two positions so you need to adjust something else. Adjustment can truly be a long exercise if you want an "observatory quality" watch that's going to win time trials in accuracy tests.
Hopefully the above makes a little sense. Basically adjustments to bring one parameter into accuracy can sometimes make things a lot worse for other parameters. Basically I'm happy as long as my watch runs within -2 to +6 seconds fast per day on my wrist! Over the course of 10 days, the most I'll be late for is 20 seconds and I won't more than a minute fast.
It may also broke a record at 400,000 CHF....and broke many hearts 😂 [nt]
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It seems to me an amazing new technical achievement...It's available upon request (and will be made bespoke), though at a very high price tag, probably because of the patents involved.
This is a very informative and well written piece by SJX on this new Piaget: