Sensationally Slender

The latest embodiment of Piaget’s virtuosity in the field of ultra-thin movements since 1957, the Emperador Coussin Automatic Minute Repeater sets another double record for slenderness in its category: 4.8 mm for its calibre, and 9.4 mm for its case. This exceptional model was entirely crafted in-house thanks to the twin expertise of the two Manufactures Piaget: the one located in La Côte-aux-Fées for the calibre, and the other in Plan-les-Ouates for the case. And since the exceptional loves to rub shoulders with perfection, the new 1290P calibre beating at its heart is adorned with the highest level of hand-crafted finishing.

Expressing Piaget’s insatiable quest for ultimate horological excellence, Calibre 1290P testifies to the exceptional mastery cultivated by one of the rare fully integrated Haute Horlogerie manufacturers. This first Minute Repeater represents the fourth major complication developed by Piaget, which has created in-house no less than 35 movements, including 11 comprising major complications, within the space of just 14 years. This rare breed of expertise is embodied in such iconic calibres as the 600P (the world’s thinnest hand-wound shaped tourbillon), 880P (ultra-thin automatic chronograph), the 855P (ultra-thin automatic perpetual calendar) and the 1270P (ultra-thin automatic tourbillon), to mention but a few. This involves constant challenges, since the desire to push boundaries in ultra-thin watchmaking is backed by a will to make calibres perfectly tailored to the cases. The idea is in fact that the movements follow the case contours so closely that the two become an inseparable whole. The Manufacture applies this philosophy to all its movements featuring major complications, and the 1290P is no exception to the rule.

Exclusively Piaget

If there is one major complication that is particularly difficult to produce, it would definitely be the Minute Repeater. To also enrich the movement with an automatic winding mechanism; to endow it with an exceptional sound; to offer the thinnest calibre in its category along with the thinnest case; to guarantee water resistance to 3 ATM; and to achieve all this 100% in-house: this array of individual feats form a unique accomplishment that is unique in the world of Haute Horlogerie. The Manufacture Piaget has thus achieved an authentic tour de force in developing the Emperador Coussin Automatic Minute Repeater. The development of its 1290P movement alone involved three years of work by six engineers dedicated to this task.

Developed on the basis of Calibre 1200P (the world’s thinnest automatic movement), the 1290P measures just 4.8 mm thick, a new record in its category despite its 407 parts – a mind-blowing number that demanded exceptional miniaturisation and a refusal to compromise on the sound or on technical reliability. A daunting feat indeed, that called for each part to be skilfully thought out and shaped.