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Piaget Altiplano 40mm Automatic Mens Watch
Ref. G0A38139
Piaget's obsession with slimness traces directly to the 12P calibre of 1960, one of the thinnest automatic movements made at the time, and the Altiplano has carried that ambition forward ever since. The 1205P inside this watch continues the line: at 3mm thick, it is a movement built around a rose-gold micro-rotor recessed flush into the plate, finished with circular Côtes de Genève and bevelled bridges — the kind of work visible through the caseback that repays the attention of someone who knows what they are looking at. The result of putting a 3mm movement inside a 40mm case is a watch that sits at just 6.36mm from dial to caseback, which means it disappears under a shirt cuff in a way that most dress watches cannot manage. The silvered dial is deliberately spare — small seconds positioned between four and five o'clock, a date at nine, nothing else — and the 72 diamonds set into the fixed bezel provide the ornament without crowding the face. On the wrist it reads as a watch that has removed everything it did not need, and the rose-gold ardillon buckle on the alligator strap closes with the same quiet precision the rest of the piece implies.
- Reference
- G0A38139
- Brand
- Piaget
- Collection
- Altiplano
- Case size
- 40mm
- Case thickness
- 6.36mm
- Lug width
- 21mm
- Case material
- Rose gold
- Case shape
- Round
- Dial
- Silver
- Crystal
- Sapphire
- Movement
- Automatic
- Calibre
- 1205P
- Functions
- Date, Small seconds
- Water resistance
- 30m
- Bracelet / strap
- Leather strap
- Strap colour
- Brown
- Clasp
- Buckle
- Lume
- Luminous
- Condition
- Ex-display
- Retailer
- Mappin & Webb
Additional specifications
- Power reserve
- 44 hours
- Gem set
- Yes
Learn more about Piaget
Georges Piaget set up a workshop on the family farm in La Côte-aux-Fées in 1874, producing movements for other houses. The name did not appear on dials until 1943, and the decision that defined the company came a decade later.
In 1957 Piaget released the calibre 9P, a hand-wound movement two millimetres thick. The 12P automatic followed in 1960 at 2.3mm, then the thinnest automatic in the world. Thinness became the house obsession and its competitive territory, pursued through decades of records and continuing in the Altiplano line — including complete watches, case and all, under four millimetres.
Extreme thinness forced Piaget into a distinctive aesthetic. There was no room for conventional dials, so the company used hardstone: lapis, opal, turquoise, tiger's eye. The 1960s and 70s cuff watches, with woven gold bracelets and gem-set bezels, made Piaget as much a jeweller as a watchmaker, and the Polo of 1979 gave it an integrated gold sports watch of its own.
The company remained family-run until 1988, when it was acquired by Cartier — later folded into Richemont — and it continues to manufacture ultra-thin calibres at La Côte-aux-Fées while assembling and gem-setting in Geneva.
- 1874
- Georges Piaget founds the workshop at La Côte-aux-Fées.
- 1943
- The Piaget name is registered as a brand.
- 1957
- The 9P sets an ultra-thin benchmark at 2mm.
- 1960
- The 12P becomes the thinnest automatic movement.
- 1979
- The Polo launches.
- 1988
- Acquired by Cartier, later Richemont.
Also in 7 collections
This watch appears in the Piaget Altiplano range (7), Back in Stock (4,191), Automatic Watches (1,701), Leather Strap Watches (929), Silver Dial Watches (637), Dress Watches (507) and Pre-Owned, Ex-Display & Vintage Watches (355).
Best of 2 retailers
What the specifications mean
A slim watch on leather, made for wearing with a shirt.
Strengths
- 40mm suits most wrists
- 6.36mm is unusually slim for a 40mm case
- Sapphire crystal, which resists scratching
- Luminous hands and markers for low light
Worth knowing
- 30m means keeping it away from water
Piaget Altiplano alternatives
Watches from other brands at a similar price, style and size, so you can see what else your budget can buy.
| Specification | G0A38139 | 102714 | 116503 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | £20,995 | £17,325 | £21,150 |
| Case size | 40mm | 40mm | 40mm |
| Water resistance | 30m | 30m | 100m |
| Movement | Automatic | Automatic | Automatic |
| Strap | Leather strap | Leather strap | Stainless steel bracelet |
| Power reserve | 44 hours | 65 hours | 72 hours |
| This watch |
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Your new watch
Frequently asked questions, and things you should know about this watch
Can I swim with it?
No. At 30m it will survive rain and handwashing, but not submersion of any kind.
Water resistance explainedWill the glass scratch?
Unlikely. Sapphire is second only to diamond in hardness and shrugs off everyday marking.
Sapphire, mineral and acrylic comparedDoes it need a battery?
No. It is automatic — the motion of your wrist winds it, and there is no cell to replace.
Quartz, automatic and solar comparedHow long does it run for when it's not worn?
About 44 hours fully wound — enough to survive a night off the wrist, but not a full weekend.
What size strap does it take?
21mm. Any strap of that width will fit, and on most modern watches quick-release bars make the swap a two-minute job with no tools.
Is it a men's or women's watch?
Listed as men's, though at 40mm it sits in the range that suits anyone.
Cheapest place to buy
Both Mappin & Webb and Goldsmiths list it at £20,995, so choose on delivery and warranty rather than price.
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