Swiss watch manufacturer Piaget has unveiled an ultra-thin hand-wound chronograph in its iconic Altiplano collection ahead of the Salon International de la Haute Horlogerie (SIHH).

Now in its 25th year, SIHH 2015 will be held from January 19 to 23 in Geneva, Switzerland. 
With its pure, contemporary attributes, the new watch is the first in the Altiplano line to sport a major horological complication. 

And since good things always come in twos, Piaget says that the Altiplano Chronograph also sets a record for ultra-thin watches, “a demanding art in which the maison has consistently excelled since 1957”. 
With its 4.65-mm movement and its 8.24-mm case, the new watch adds to Piaget’s impressive array of timepieces distinguished by their legendary slenderness. 

The apparent simplicity of the Piaget Altiplano Chronograph expresses the timeless understatement of the Altiplano collection. 

“For the very first time, this emblematic line welcomes a major complication, a newcomer to the range of 37 Piaget in-house movements and one that is cherished by all connoisseurs of haute horlogerie: the hand-wound chronograph,” says a Piaget spokesman.

While this fine watchmaking art is generally reserved for timepieces featuring traditional lines, Piaget has opted to house it in a case displaying a slender, understated and contemporary design. 
With its 25 ultra-thin movements holding 14 world records for their thinness, Piaget is a past master in the art of extreme thinness, and with a new 883P hand-wound chronograph calibre, it once again demonstrates peerless expertise in ultra-thin movements endowed with major complications. 

The calibre and case are said to set a new double slimness record, at just 4.65 mm for the hand-wound flyback chronograph movement, and a slender 8.24 mm for its precious receptacle.

The 883P stems from the automatic 880P movement, which is one of the thinnest on the market. 

Two years of development went into bringing this model to life, developed in La Côte-aux-Fées, the birthplace of the manufacture. 

The in-house watchmakers and developers sought to achieve extremely slim executions all around, whether for the cannon-pinion (0.12 mm), the barrel staff (0.115 mm), the chronograph gear finger (0.06mm), as well as for the finesse of the dial, the hand fittings and the glass fastening. 

The 883P calibre has a 50-hour power reserve and drives displays of the hours, minutes, small seconds at 6 o’clock, along with a 30-minute counter at 3 o’clock and a 24-hour dual-time indication at 9 o’clock. 

It is also distinguished by its flyback function serving to reset the chronograph hands to zero simply by pressing them and then automatically restarting a new timing cycle. Moreover, the chronograph is controlled by a column-wheel responsible for coordinating all its phases, and by a vertical coupling-clutch system ensuring perfect precision.

The movement is visible through a transparent case-back which features the circular Côtes de Genève, a circular-grained mainplate, bevelled bridges, sunburst wheels and blued screws.

The watch’s dial features a sunburst satin brushed finish, with slender baton-type hands sweeping over slim alternating single and double hour-markers – the style signature of Altiplano models. 

Its slender and discreetly refined elongated chronograph pushers blend seamlessly into the curves of the ultra-thin 41-mm diameter case. 

The taut lines of the Piaget Altiplano Chronograph are extended by an alligator leather strap fitted with a pin buckle. 
Available in pink gold or white gold set with 56 brilliant-cut diamonds (approximately 1.8 carats), this new chronograph is bound to appeal to a dynamic clientele with an equally self-assured penchant for classicism, says Piaget.