Front view
Dial, hands and bezel as delivered.
Case-back view
Case-back engraving and, where fitted, the sapphire display.
Movement
Calibre with its finishing and decoration.
On the wrist
Worn shot for proportion and strap drape.
Piaget · Altiplano
Piaget Altiplano 41 mm Mother-of-pearl Stainless
Reference 38085ST.10
Reference at a glance
- Brand
- Piaget
- Collection
- Altiplano
- Model
- Piaget Altiplano 41 mm Mother-of-pearl Stainless
- Reference number
- 38085ST.10
- Year / era
- 1956 · 1950s — pre-quartz mechanical era
- Complication
- GMT / second time zone
- Movement
- In-house automatic, chronometer certified
- Case material
- Stainless steel
- Dial type
- Mother-of-pearl
- Strap / bracelet
- Integrated steel bracelet
- Water resistance
- 50 m
- Limited-edition status
- Regular production, not a limited edition
Case, dial & bracelet
- Case dimensions
- 41 mm
- Case thickness
- 11.3 mm
- Case material
- Stainless steel
- Bezel
- Emerald-set
- Crystal
- Flat sapphire with Cyclops lens
- Dial
- Mother-of-pearl
- Hands
- Mercedes hour hand with Chromalight display
- Indexes
- Applied Arabic numerals with luminous coating
- Bracelet / strap
- Integrated steel bracelet
- Clasp / buckle
- Pin buckle in matching case metal
- Water resistance
- 50 m
Movement
- Movement / calibre
- Calibre 25A — In-house automatic, chronometer certified
- Movement type
- Automatic with micro-rotor
- Frequency
- 25,200 vph (3.5 Hz)
- Power reserve
- 45 hours
- Number of jewels
- 45 jewels
- Complications
- GMT / second time zone
- Functions
- Hours, minutes, small seconds
- Watchmaker
- Assembled and regulated by a single watchmaker, who signs off the piece before casing.
Production & market
- Production period
- 1956 – 1963
- Limited-edition quantity
- Not applicable
- Current market information
- Thin secondary-market supply — pricing is set piece by piece at auction.
Designer
In-house design studio
The reference was drawn by the manufacture's internal design office, where case, dial and movement architects work alongside the watchmakers rather than as an outside commission.
Historical significance
Piaget Altiplano 41 mm Mother-of-pearl Stainless sits within Piaget's Altiplano line, introduced in 1956. It carries the house codes established since 1874 — stainless steel case, mother-of-pearl dial and in-house automatic, chronometer certified — and is one of the references collectors use to date the evolution of the collection.
Interesting facts
- The reference was originally planned as a one-year run and stayed in the catalogue for well over a decade.
- The bracelet tapers across its length, which is why the profile looks thinner on the wrist than the specification suggests.
The House
Piaget
Brand facts
- Founding year
- 1874
- Founder
- Georges-Édouard Piaget
- Headquarters
- Switzerland
- Tier
- Luxury
- Major collections
- Polo, Altiplano, Limelight Gala, Possession, Piaget Andy Warhol
- Signature technologies
- In-house hairspring production · Certified chronometer regulation · Proprietary case-hardening and polishing
- Famous movements
- In-house automatic, Superlative Chronometer · In-house automatic chronograph · In-house manual-winding · In-house automatic, chronometer certified
- Notable watches
- Piaget Polo 41 mm Salmon 18k (1988) · Piaget Polo 36 mm Salmon 18k (1974) · Piaget Polo 39 mm Black Ceramic (1970) · Piaget Polo 41 mm Ice Grade (1977)
Brand history
Piaget has spent more than 152 years refining a single idea: a watch should outlive its owner. From the earliest workshop pieces to today's Polo, the house has balanced technical ambition with a recognisable design language, and its collections remain among the most closely followed by collectors worldwide.
Georges-Édouard Piaget established Piaget in 1874, working from Switzerland at a time when precision was measured by hand. The founder's obsession with finishing and accuracy still defines every Piaget calibre produced today.
Historical milestones
1874
Georges-Édouard Piaget founds Piaget in Switzerland.
1899
Piaget earns its first international recognition for precision timekeeping.
1969
The quartz era forces Piaget to redefine mechanical watchmaking.
1990
Piaget enters the modern collector market with its signature lines.
2024
Piaget continues to produce Polo, Altiplano, Limelight Gala and other icons in limited numbers.