On an evening in late May, thanks to the collaboration between our magazine L'Orologio and Piaget, which opened the doors of its Milan boutique, readers were able to admire the Altiplano Ultimate Concept up close and discover all its secrets. The Piaget Society, this is the name of the event, saw the combination of such a technical prodigy and the professionalism of Gianfranco Ritschel, Vice-President of the jury of the Grand Prix d'Horlogerie de Genève and Consultant and trainer of the Fondation de la Haute Horlogerie. He was entrusted with the task of illustrating the mechanics of the Concept, a concentrate of technology certified by five patents, which encloses in its astonishing overall thickness of 2 millimetres the Piaget 900P-UC calibre, capable of 28,800 vibrations per hour and 44 hours of power reserve. It is a challenge to the imagination of the designers, won with unprecedented solutions starting with the material from which the case is made, a steel and cobalt alloy with very high mechanical resistance, which allows the movement to be protected from the shocks and stresses to which it would be subjected if it were worn. In the latter, the balance, at 9 o'clock, is mounted directly on the structure by means of a ball-bearing system and without the use of a traditional bridge, while the barrel, at 6 o'clock, dispenses with the cover and drum, to the benefit of thickness as well as aesthetics. In addition to the Concept, the guests present at the event, together with their companions, were also able to have a close look at some of Piaget's current production models, such as the Ultimate Automatic, which remains the benchmark in the brand's catalogue (and not only) when it comes to ultra-thin watches: 4.3 mm in total thickness, making it the thinnest self-winding watch in the world. Available in both pink and white gold, with a 41 mm diameter case and a black alligator strap.
