Elite Traveler January-February 2016

INFLUENCE WATCH COLUMN

elite traveler JAN/FEB 2016 55

The fad for big, showy “tuna can timepieces” is over. These days, men’s watches are getting ever thinner. About time, says Jonathan Bues Jonathan Bues on ultra-thin watches

Jaeger-LeCoultre’s Master Ultra Thin 1907, clocking in at an impressively svelte 4.05mm, held the record for the world’s thinnest mechanical timepiece before Piaget overtook it. Typical of the brand’s style, it is a study in refined and classical watch design with its tastefully simple dial, hands and markers. Its case gives the impression of being even thinner than its 4.05mm, owing to the subtle tapering of its edges, a design cue lifted from a Jaeger-LeCoultre pocket watch from 1907. Adding a complication such as a chronograph, a minute repeater or a tourbillon is as sure a way as any to increase a watch’s thickness. Until fairly recently, that is, when a handful of haut de gamme houses have applied their techniques for ultra-thin watchmaking to ever more complex offerings. One prominent example is Bulgari, whose Octo Finissimo Tourbillon holds the record for the thinnest wristwatch with a whirlwind escapement at just 5mm, the movement itself occupying a paltry 1.95mm from top to bottom. Bulgari’s engineers had to rethink the conventional tourbillon escapement to make it happen, dispensing with the regulator assembly (used to fine-tune the watch) in exchange for more space. This may make regulating the watch a bit more difficult for the watchmaker, but it allows for a longer mainspring and a power reserve stretching to an impressive 55 hours on a single wind. At any rate, it’s a small price to pay for a tourbillon that slides under any shirtsleeve with the greatest of ease. What heartens this watch lover most about the ultra thin’s resurgence is that it has not only given us some truly fantastic watches well worth collecting, but it has also heightened the spirit of competition among a number of prestigious brands. Will Bulgari and Piaget’s records fall at the upcoming 2016 watch shows? We shall see. Jonathan Bues has covered high-end mechanical watches in various magazines for 10 years, most recently as the editor-in-chief of WristWatch Magazine

Piaget Altiplano 900P 3.65mm, $27,800

About a decade ago, a phenomenon began to overtake the high-end watch industry . Timepieces were becoming bigger and bigger with no sign of slowing down. At the fad’s peak, which coincided with the beginning of the financial crisis, it was quite normal to see new watches surpassing 50mm in diameter and 2cm in height. A collector friend of mine derisively dubbed them “tuna can timepieces”. Much to my friend’s relief, there has been a moderation of horological dimensions in the years since. These days, most classically styled gentlemen’s timepieces range from 38mm to, at most, 42mm in diameter, a kind of sweet spot for objects crafted for the male human wrist. Equally important, manufacturers are paying attention to the height of their watches, with a class of wristwatch known as “ultra thin” enjoying a wave of popularity. The race for thinner and thinner watches is, after all, in line with horological tradition. One of the hallmarks of a skilled watchmaker has always been his ability to pare

down a mechanism without compromising accuracy or precision. It’s always harder to make a smaller timekeeper than a larger one of equal complexity. As Emmanuel Breguet, historian of the eponymous Montres Breguet and a direct descendent of its founder, recently told me: “Smaller watches were always more expensive.” One watchmaker that has long prided itself on its ultra thin offerings is Piaget. The Swiss manufacturer is the current record holder for the world’s thinnest mechanical watch with its Altiplano 900P. This model – a staggering 3.65mm from top to bottom, about as thin as two quarters – is an eminently light and wearable piece of contemporary horology. In order to reach such a level of thinness, Piaget dispensed with the movement’s baseplate, affixing gears, wheels and pinions straight onto the caseback. By raising the gear train and escapement to dial level Piaget has made a completely original interpretation of what is usually a very classical and dressy type.

Jaeger-LeCoultre’s Master Ultra Thin 1907 4.05mm, $29,100

Bulgari Octo Finissimo Tourbillon 5mm, $138,000