HANDS-ON: 6 decades on and still going strong – the Piaget Altiplano 60th anniversary
Though Piaget has made a lot of noise in the past 12 months with the sporty steel Polo S, the undeniable heart of the collection is the ultra-slim and ultra-sexy Altiplano. Born in 1957 and named for the flat South American high plains, the Altiplano and the legendary caliber 9P that powered it, have become synonymous with thin. This year marks the collection’s 60th anniversary, and to celebrate Piaget has released two limited editions in white gold that speak to the model’s rich heritage. Today we’re looking at the larger 43mm automatic version, though there’s also a manually wound 38mm option. For a watch that slides under the cuff at a mere 5.25mm thin (and a movement that’s less than half that, at 2.35mm), this Altiplano has ample presence on the wrist. Basically, that’s because this watch is all dial. It’s a blue sunburst, which – as you can see from these pictures – shifts from cool grey to far richer tones, depending on the light. Aside from the colour, the dial is an exercise in pure design, with long white gold indices and matching hands. Somehow the elegant printed dial text and pale blue cross hair (another nice nod to…
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For years IWC has staked its claim as being one of the biggest, baddest and most masculine of the major Swiss brands. Recently though, we’ve sensed a change in the wind. In 2014 they released the delicate Portofino, and last year their more petite pilot had women firmly in its sights. That’s set to continue for 2017, with the latest evolution of the historic Da Vinci collection very much conceived with the female wrist in mind. The core of the collection is a range of eight 36mm references, three with moonphase complications. These models with their smaller size, optional diamonds and numerous colourful straps are intended purely for female customers. Things get a little more ambiguous with the two 40mm versions – including this one, the Da Vinci Automatic. I’d comfortably wear it, but I could also easily imagine my partner purloining for the day/week/rest of my natural life. It’s quite simple, with handsome rose gold hands and applied Arabic numerals. So far so good. But hold the watch in your hands and the party trick becomes apparent. The lugs aren’t just unusual and distinctive, they’re articulated. This means the Da Vinci is supremely comfortable on the wrist, whether it be large or small.…
You never know who you’re going to bump into in the halls of a watch fair like SIHH. Apart from when you get a tipoff in your schedule that a celebrity will be at a booth at a certain time, and you get there early with your cameraman to make sure you make something happen. Unfortunately in this case the chat was off camera, but the quotes were real. Here are five things you almost certainly (apart from you crazy Ryan and Deadpool fans) didn’t know about Ryan Reynolds on the subject of watches. 5 things you probably didn’t know about Ryan Reynolds and his watches He had a smart watch, but he accidentally smashed it on a wall. Smart watches, says Reynolds, are for “counting calories” and that’s it. He was handed down his grandfather’s watch, which was issued to him as a solder in a World War 2. He says it has a mystical air. He has his daughter’s initials engraved on his watch. His daughter’s name is James Reynolds. He has a criteria for all watches that he buys. They must tick the following boxes: timeless, elegant, functional and flexible. What on earth is SIHH? (The Salon International de la…