Piaget 'French Altiplano'

Regular price: $5,800
Regular price
Sale price: $5,800
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Manual-winding

31 MM

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SKU	AS11417
Article Number	4099278
case size	31 MM
movement	Manual-winding
approximate age	1970s
dial color	Silver
material	White Gold
style	Dress
category	Vintage
bracelet	Leather
lug width	16 MM
Includes	taupe calfskin strap with signed 18K white gold pin buckle.
overall condition	good condition overall. case shows moderate wear while retaining factory lines. dial and matching handset show even patination.

Inquire about this item

Manual-winding

31 MM

– Show less

SKU	AS11417
Article Number	4099278
case size	31 MM
movement	Manual-winding
approximate age	1970s
dial color	Silver
material	White Gold
style	Dress
category	Vintage
bracelet	Leather
lug width	16 MM
Includes	taupe calfskin strap with signed 18K white gold pin buckle.
overall condition	good condition overall. case shows moderate wear while retaining factory lines. dial and matching handset show even patination.

Why We Love it

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Few watches say more by saying less than a mid-century Piaget. This 1970s Piaget Altiplano–style dress watch is a masterclass in restraint: ultra-thin, impeccably proportioned, and quietly confident in a way only Piaget ever truly mastered.

Housed in a white gold case, complete with French hallmarks, the watch wears with the kind of elegance that modern sizing trends have had to rediscover. The dial is beautifully minimal—slender 'stick' indices, delicate hands, and just the Piaget signature, allowing proportion and finishing to do all the talking. Inside beats a manual-wind ultra-thin caliber, a reminder that Piaget wasn’t chasing thinness for marketing points—they were defining an entire category.

While the name Altiplano wouldn’t formally appear until decades later, Piaget was already perfecting the concept as early as the 1940s. An in-house advertisement from 1948 even shows a watch nearly identical in spirit to what we now recognise as the Altiplano, proudly proclaiming its record-setting thinness. Finesse wasn’t a design choice—it was Piaget’s identity.

Founded in 1874, Piaget focused from the beginning on precision and delicacy, first through anchor escapements, then through impossibly thin pocket-watch movements in the 1920s. That lineage led directly to the legendary 9P manual caliber, followed by the revolutionary 12P micro-rotor automatic, both benchmarks that competitors spent decades trying to catch up to.

This watch is an early expression of that philosophy—long before “ultra-thin” became a buzzword. Elegant, discreet, and deeply confident, it represents Piaget at its purest.

If you are a disciple of stealth luxury, this is the watch for you.

Brand Story

Piaget is perhaps the foremost player in ultra-thin watches and watch movements in the world. Established in 1874 in Geneva and currently under the Richemont Group umbrella, the maison began producing wristwatch movements in 1911, manufacturing the Calibre 9P, its first ultra-thin, hand-wound mechanical movement, in 1957.

In 1960, Piaget released the Calibre 12P, the thinnest automatic movement in the world at the time, at just 2.3mm. It fitted many of its miniature movements into innovative timepieces hidden in coins, brooches, and cufflinks, becoming known equally for its jewelry.

The Piaget Altiplano Ultimate, released as a concept in 2018, became a full production model in 2020. At just 2mm thick, it took the record for thinnest watch on Earth. Today, Piaget continues to innovate in the realm of ultra-thin watchmaking, creating ultra-thin tourbillons, retrograde movements, and more.

A:S Guarantee

Our Pledge

Analog:Shift stands behind the authenticity of our products in perpetuity.

Condition

Since our pieces are vintage or pre-owned, please expect wear & patina from usage and age. Please read each item description and examine all product images.

Warranty

We back each Analog:Shift vintage timepiece with a two-year mechanical warranty from the date of purchase.

International Buyers

Please contact us prior to purchase for additional details on shipping and payment options.

Shipping & Returns

All of our watches include complementary insured shipping within the 50 states.

Most of our products are on hand and will ship directly from our headquarters in New York City. In some cases, watches will be shipped directly from one of our authorized partners.

We generally ship our products via FedEx, fully insured, within 5 business days of purchase. An adult signature is required for receipt of all packages for insurance purposes. Expedited shipping is available at an additional cost. We are also happy to hand deliver your purchase in Manhattan or you may pick it up at our showroom.

Returns must be sent overnight or by priority international delivery, fully insured and paid for by the customer. A restocking fee may apply. Watches must be returned in the same condition as initially shipped.

We welcome international buyers, please contact us prior to purchase for additional details on shipping and payment options.