This is a concept watch, which means of course that it doesn’t have to cope with the rigors of daily use, and of course I can’t help but wonder how it would fare if worn as a daily wear watch, or even as an occasional watch. Watches that push the boundaries of flatness are generally more fragile than not, and the most most extremely thin watches and movements are notorious for being difficult for both owners and watchmakers – the ultra thin Jean Lassale calibers from the 1970s, for instance, were basically impossible to service; servicing a watch using one of these calibers generally meant simply replacing the movement, and Concord’s incredibly flat quartz Delirium watches could actually bend, to the point that they’d stop, if you tightened the strap too hard. Were Piaget to sell these watches, even as a limited series, it seems certain that they would require a degree of prudence on the part of the owner, so for now, they remain concept watches only, which is a shame – nobody can take one out into the world and wear one, but I’d sure like to try. In the meantime, it remains a fascinating achievement.
Hands-On The Record-Setting Piaget Altiplano Ultimate Concept Watch
