The Thin Men

by Michael Thompson

In the 1950s, a bulge under the cuff meant a well-dressed man quite likely wasn’t wearing the latest in Swiss timepiece technology. Prior to late 1960s, when sport watches began to expand, watch diameter and thickness generally remained modest, a competition of sorts waged among several well-known Swiss firms for the title of thinnest dress watch.
Thin was seriously in, and Piaget was in the thick of the competition.
The firm had only begun placing its name on wristwatches following World War II after seven decades of mostly Swiss notoriety as a movement maker extraordinaire. Brand names like Audemars Piguet, Cartier and Vacheron Constantin led the firm’s enviable (and long) list of customers who prior to the 1950s sought Piaget for its caliber-making expertise.
Several of these same firms came to market with thin calibers in the 1950s as the race for thinness heated up. It was Piaget that entered the next decade with the winner, Caliber 12P, which at a wispy 2.3 mm thick earned Piaget an entry in the Guinness Book of Records as the creator of the world’s thinnest automatic watch movement. Just a few years prior, in 1957, Piaget made the Caliber 9P, which at 2.0 mm remains among world’s thinnest mechanical calibers.
Creating a thin caliber proved that a firm knew how to design and manufacture the gears, springs and pinions that would operate smoothly in a confined space. It was a test of mettle and a chance to secure bragging rights for in-house expertise. A century earlier numerous firms across Europe made boasts of slim pocket watches, but these watches were considerably larger in diameter and watchmakers could spread out components in the comparatively larger area within the case. The wrist in the 1950s therefore became the newest arena in which Swiss micro-engineers could prove themselves.
Since their debuts, both of these Piaget ultra-thin calibers have served the firm brilliantly. Their fifteen updates and adaptations can today be found in many models made by Piaget, primarily within the firm’s iconic and dressy Altiplano collection. In addition, the firm continues to sell a small number of these time-proven calibers to long-time partners. While most prefer to remain unnamed, at least one, the new timepiece partnership between Richemont and Ralph Lauren, boasts about its use of Piaget movements in several models.   
To celebrate the fiftieth anniversary of the ground breaking Caliber 12P Piaget this month debuts two new ultra-thin automatic movements, Caliber 1200P and Caliber 1208P, direct descendents of that original movement.
The new automatic movement will be placed into a new Altiplano model whose 43 mm case was specifically engineered to fit the new caliber. At 29.9 mm in diameter, Caliber 1208P is larger than any previous ultra-thin movement from Piaget, but it nonetheless retains its slim profile, measuring 2.35 mm—still the thinnest automatic currently available, according to Piaget. 
While this caliber will be featured in an ongoing series that includes a small ex-centered seconds display, the sister Caliber 1200P is far more limited. It removes the seconds display entirely and will only be utilized in a limited edition gold Altiplano featuring a platinum micro-rotor and the name and number of the model engraved into the sapphire caseback. Only 235 in rose gold and 235 in white gold will be made, a figure that honors the 2.35 mm thinness of the caliber inside.
“Altiplano is a very strong line for us, across all markets. It is the best expression of our DNA, an elegant watch with a beautiful manufacture movement. It is also a watch that highlights the expertise of Piaget in ultra-thin movements and ultra-thin watches,” explains the firm’s CEO Philippe Léopold-Metzger. 
The ongoing Altiplano series features a small seconds display that recalls last year’s Altiplano, but instead of residing at 10 o’clock, the new seconds display sits between 4 o’clock and 5 o’clock. In order to retain the watch’s exceedingly thin 5.25 mm profile Piaget built two layers into the dial so that the central stem need only be long enough to support two hands. The seconds display is set into the main dial and operates via its own tiny stem.      
This model has been in the works at Piaget’s La Cotes-aux-Fees facilities for some time, notes Metzger. “The launch of the new Altiplano automatic 43 mm was planned three years ago already to coincide with the 50th anniversary of the 12P,” he says. “It is great that the timing coincides with a new spirit in our industry, a return towards elegance and understatement.”