Ultra-Thin Calibre 1731, a minute repeater with a case measuring 8.09mm thick housing a record-breaking 3.9mm movement. And last year, Arnold & Son (arnoldandson.com) released the UTTE (Ultra-Thin Tourbillon Escapement) powered by a manual one-minute flying tourbillon movement measuring a superslenderised 2.97mm in a case that is 8.34mm, allowing it to house twin barrels that deliver an 80-hour power reserve. Breguet (breguet.com), whose founder invented the tourbillon, has outfitted its Classique Tourbillon Extra-Thin Automatic in platinum this year, displaying its oeuvre in metalworks. Underneath its über-classical hood beats a state-of-the-art movement with a titanium cage, silicon balance spring and an escapement made from the brand’s exclusive anti-magnetic alloy. As complex as that sounds, it pales in comparison to skeletonisation, which Audemars Piguet (audemarspiguet.com) has flawlessly executed with edgy modern flair in the Royal Oak Openworked Extra Thin (3mm thick) in rose gold. It serves as a follow-up to 2012’s platinum version that marked the flagship collection’s 40th anniversary. Sleek dimensions only enhance the timeless elegance of classic designs. Cartier (cartier.co.uk) has reinterpreted its ultrachic Ballon Bleu with a super-lean iteration, the Extra-flat Ballon Bleu de Cartier, measuring 6.9mm thick and available in rose gold, white gold and platinum. Hublot (hublot.com), meanwhile, has added lacquer dials to its Classic Fusion range with the 42mm Classico Ultra Thin Shiny Dial models, a rare, understated exception to the company’s typical brawny offerings. And for quartz-loving women, Ralph Lauren (ralphlaurenwatches.com) downsizes its svelte Slim Classique to a demure 32mm with Art Deco styling that surely would have suited the Duchess. 80 CENTURION-Magazine.com
Left to right: Hublot Classic Fusion Ultra Thin “Shiny Dial” 42mm with pink old case and subsidiary seconds at 7 o’clock; Piaget Altiplano 900P with 3,65mm thin white gold case and hand-wound mechanical movement; Cartier Ballon Bleu Extra Flat with 6,9mm thin pink gold case and mechanical movement with manual winding. Facing page, from left to right: Arnold & Son UTTE with 8,34mm thin red gold and palladium case, silvery-white dial, hand-wound mechanical movement; Ralph Lauren 32mm Slim Classique with 5,15mm thin pink gold case and Swiss quartz movement; Vacheron Constantin Patrimony Contemporaine Ultra-Thin Calibre 1731 with 8,09mm thin pink gold case and mechanical manualwinding movement CENTURION-Magazine.com 81
