Piaget

The two collections answer different needs. The Altiplano is Piaget's pure expression of ultra-thin dress watchmaking, while the Polo is its sports watch, recognisable by its rounded cushion-shaped dial. If you want a refined watch for tailoring, look at the Altiplano; if you want something more relaxed and recognisable for everyday wear, the Polo is the natural choice.

Piaget commands a high entry price because it operates at the level of high horology and fine jewellery, but the craft behind it is the real story. The brand has repeatedly set world records for ultra-thin movements, so what you are buying is genuine technical mastery rather than just a name. For collectors drawn to that specialism, it earns its place.

Ultra-thin watchmaking is Piaget's signature. In 1957 its workshop produced the Calibre 9P, the first ultra-thin hand-wound mechanical movement at just 2mm, and in 2014 it presented the Altiplano 900P, at 3.65mm the world's thinnest hand-wound mechanical watch, which integrated the case and movement into a single unit. That pursuit of thinness defines the house.

Piaget was founded in 1874 by Georges Edouard Piaget, who set up his first workshop on the family farm in the small village of La Côte-aux-Fées, high in the Swiss Jura mountains in the Neuchâtel region. The company began by crafting pocket watches and high-precision clock movements before becoming a watch brand in its own right.

The Piaget Polo was brought out in 1979 with its avant-garde style and became one of the brand's signature models. Its 1970s origin is part of its charm, capturing the bold, gold-forward spirit of the era while still relying on Piaget's ultra-thin watchmaking underneath.

Piaget is currently a subsidiary of the Swiss Richemont group, which acquired the manufacture in 1988, when it was part of the Vendôme group that later became Richemont. The brand keeps its own manufacture and identity within that group, so a Piaget is still very much a Piaget.

Piaget's movements continue to be produced at La Côte-aux-Fées, the family's birthplace, while in 2001 a Haute Horlogerie manufacture opened at Plan-les-Ouates just outside Geneva, grouping together over 40 watchmaking and jewellery professions. The brand also has a Geneva factory dedicated to jewellery. That split between ancestral home and modern manufacture is part of its story.

Yes. Alongside its watches Piaget created its first pieces of jewellery in the late 1950s and opened a factory in Geneva dedicated to jewellery, with its first boutique following in 1959. That dual identity as both watchmaker and jeweller is unusual, and it explains the gem-set dials the brand became known for.

In 1964 Piaget presented its first watches with dials worked in precious stones, using lapis-lazuli, turquoise, onyx and tiger's eye, and it then launched the cuff watch. These hardstone dials are among the brand's most collectible signatures and helped cement its reputation for marrying watchmaking with jewellery.

It does, and that is central to its standing. The manufacture at La Côte-aux-Fées has produced its own creations since the 1940s, and in 2002 it brought out its first in-house tourbillon, the Calibre 600P, the thinnest tourbillon in the world at 3.5mm. Producing its own ultra-thin movements is what places Piaget among the serious horological houses.

Treat an ultra-thin mechanical watch with respect: keep it away from knocks, strong magnets and water it is not rated for, and have it serviced periodically by Piaget or an approved watchmaker. Well-maintained models with complete documentation also tend to hold their value better, so keeping the papers and service records matters.