Piaget breaks new ground in the realm of watchmaking with the Altiplano Ultimate Concept Tourbillon, a feat of engineering that redefines thinness. At a mere 2mm thick, it earns the title of the world’s thinnest tourbillon, matching the jaw dropping thickness of its 2018 predecessor while incorporating a flying tourbillon. This innovative tourbillon design, supported by a ceramic ball bearing, is held in place by its perimeter, crafted mainly from titanium and steel for optimal performance.
Taking advantage of previous advancements, Piaget uses the caseback of the watch as the mainplate of the movement, while employing a deep blue treated cobalt alloy for the case material, striking the perfect balance between thinness and durability. Further demonstrating Piaget’s commitment to pushing the limits of horological engineering, the crown is operated with a special tool.
In IWC’s new Portugieser collection, the Portugieser Eternal Calendar is a standout piece that introduces the brand’s first secular perpetual calendar designed to keep precise time for many generations to come. A 400-year gear accounts for leap-year exceptions in the Gregorian calendar, which is not found in conventional perpetual calendars. It also features a remarkably precise moon phase that deviates by only one day after 45 million years, setting a new standard for moon phase accuracy.
This year, Jaeger-LeCoultre is driven by the pursuit of perfection and precision, exemplified by the Duometre Heliotourbillon Perpetual, a remarkable fusion of the maison’s renowned Duometre system and tourbillon expertise. It introduces the heliotourbillon, distinguished by a cylindrical hairspring and a revolutionary construction incorporating three titanium cages rotating on three axes—a pioneering feat.
Complementing the tourbillon, Jaeger-LeCoultre has integrated a perpetual calendar into calibre 388, enabling seamless backwards and forward adjustments without compromising precision. At the heart of this technical marvel is the patented Duometre mechanism housing two barrels and two separate gear trains within a single calibre, each linked to a single regulating organ. The ingenious separation of power supply ensures a high level of operating accuracy.
Trust Hermès to come up with a creation that is equal parts innovative and whimsical. The Arceau Duc Attelé features a central triple-axis tourbillon and a ‘tuning-fork’ minute repeater, both ingeniously designed to evoke Hermès’ rich equestrian heritage. The watch is a unique fusion of complications with a high-frequency movement at its core.
On the dial side, the tri-axial tourbillon with mirror-polished double H-shaped titanium carriages moves gracefully, while the hour-minutes display, adorned with inclined Arabic numerals, evokes the free spirit of galloping horses. A transparent caseback unveils the anthracite PVD-treated mainplate and bridges of calibre H1926, its horse head-and-mane rack, and its toothed wheels inspired by the Hermès carriage emblem.
The openworked sapphire-crystal strikework bridge further enhances the sound of the minute repeater while revealing the movement’s hand-finishing, its gold chatons, generous jewels, and mirror-polished screws. Limited to just 24 pieces each, the Arceau Duc Attelé is made of titanium and rose gold.
