Piaget Altiplano Skeleton Revisit

ED209 · 2012-12-26T18:03:04Z

ED209 reviews the Piaget Altiplano Skeleton, comparing prototypes to the production model and discussing its ultra-thin movement and design.

ED209

WPS member · Piaget forum

14 replies4570 views0 photos

ED209 revisits the Piaget Altiplano Skeleton, reflecting on his 2008 manufacture visit and a recent encounter with the production model. His post delves into the intricate details of the ultra-thin movement and case, offering a comparative perspective between prototypes and the final boutique offering.

14 collectors discussing this on the WatchProSite forumJoin the Conversation →

A few weeks ago, PuristSPro and Piaget hosted a contest centered around the Piaget Altiplano Skeleton watch with an opportunity to win a visit to Switzerland and to meet the watchmakers who developed the watch.
The contest reminded me of my first PuristS On Tour (POT) trip back in October 2008 where I joined a group of fellow PuristS to visit Piaget in Geneva and La Cote-aux-Fees facilities. For me it was an eye opening experience to visit the Piaget manufacture and learn more about their offerings.

Besides the actual watches, I was pleasantly surprised to see so many smiling and happy watchmakers at Piaget. Must be a wonderful place to work.

During our visit we were shown this hand engraved skeletonized version of the legendary 9P. I couldn't believe that it was only 2mm thin.

For the complications, the Piaget watchmakers were busy working on the Piaget 600S hand wound movement with a flying tourbillon movement (at mere 3.5mm thin!). The flying tourbillon is housed in a titanium cage and displayed at the 12 o'clock position. Similar to the Altiplano skeleton, the Piaget Emperador Tourbillon Skeleton watch with the 600S movement has a guilloche sunburst motif.

Fast forward to the Christmas holiday weekend, where my family spent our time in Las Vegas and wandered around the Piaget Boutique at The Shoppes at The Palazzo Resort and Casino. I remembered hearing that the Altiplano skeleton collection is only available exclusively at the Piaget Boutiques, so I had a chance to see a production version in person (our PuristS group saw the prototypes in 2008) .

The Altiplano Skeleton has the Piaget 838S ultra thin mechanical hand-wound movement with a diameter of 26.8mm and an incredible 2.7mm thinness. This movement is made of 131 components with a 61 hour power reserve and beats at 21600 vph. You can clearly see the large mainspring from the front of the skeletonized dial at the 6 o'clock position. The mainplate is circular grained and beveled by hand, with a guilloche sunburst motif. When viewed on the backside, the blue screws adds a nice visual contrast to the movement. The c ase is made of 18k white gold with transparent sapphire case back and is 40mm in diameter and a mere 6.6mm thin.

Besides the hour and minutes display, there is a small seconds hand at the 10 o'clock position. The standard Piaget Altiplano with the solid dial has baton hands while the skeletonized versions have a greyish colored dauphine shaped hands.

There is a version available in 18k rose gold and black PVD movement which gives it a more contemporary look, but I much prefer the classic white gold version. For the ladies, Piaget offers a gem-set 34mm version with 160 brillant-cut diamonds (approximately .9ct) along the case and a beautiful 219 brilliant-cut diamonds set on the movement with ruby cabochons which really makes the watch stand out.

The newer ultra-thin Altiplano skeleton with the automatic movement gives Piaget the record for the thinnest automatic watch in the world at 5.34mm thin, with the skeletonized 1200S movement being a mere 2.4mm thin. The automatic rotor is positioned off-center at the 9 o'clock position and is made of platinum with the Piaget logo engraved on one side and the Piaget coat of arms on the backside. I didn't have a chance to see the automatic skeleton but I'm sure it's just as impressive as the manual wind.

So which version do you prefer? The 40mm white gold, the PVD and rose gold, or the 38mm automatic? For me, I vote the white gold manual wind skeleton .

Happy Holidays,
ED-209

Key Points from the Discussion

While the 40mm Altiplano Skeleton is impressive, many collectors prefer the new 38mm Automatic Skeleton due to its more attractive size, gorgeous balance bridge, and overall coherent and balanced design.
Despite the nice work on the movement, the 40mm Altiplano Skeleton's movement is considered too small for its case, necessitating an inner flange, and some feel the second hand could be removed for a cleaner aesthetic.
The hand-engraved skeletonized 9P movement is recognized for its incredible thinness, a testament to Piaget's mastery in ultra-thin watchmaking.
The 38mm automatic version is favored for its dial layout and size, with the micro-rotor adding to its elegance, making it a highly desirable piece for daily wear.
Piaget's watches, particularly the Emperador Tourbillon Skeleton, are gaining recognition for their exquisite craftsmanship and design, prompting some collectors to reconsider their previous oversight of the brand.

The Discussion

amanico

Dec 26, 2012

Emperador Tourbillon Skeleton for me.

I must confess that I often neglected Piaget watches, and your reports prove me that I was wrong. They make some delicious watches! The Emperador Tourbillon Skeleton is one of them. Exquisite. Best, and thanks for this nice report, Ed. Nicolas

ED209

Dec 27, 2012

The Piaget tourbillons

Thanks Nicholas, I agree with you that the Emperador tourbillon is exquisite. It was impressive to see the watchmakers testing the tourbillon during our Piaget tour. Regards, ED-209

amanico

Dec 27, 2012

Please post more pictures, if you have some!

foversta

Dec 28, 2012

Here are some...

I assume you are talking about the Emperador with rectangular case. I think I shoot them all... Fx

ED209

Dec 28, 2012

Thanks for the extra pics

Nice! Regards, ED-209

foversta

Dec 27, 2012

Frankly speaking Ed, I'm not a great fan of the 40mm Skeleton

Even if the work on the movement is nice, the movement is too small for the case so the presence of the inner flange. And I would have removed the second hand. I really think that the 38mm Automatic is much more beautiful, more coherent, more balanced... almost perfect! Thanks Ed for your post! Fx