Audemars Piguet Article Status Magazine 2013

AUDEMARS PIGUET
The Tradition Grande
Complication’s 47mm
white gold case is fitted
with a movement that
includes a minute repeater,
perpetual calendar, moon
phase and a split-seconds
chronograph.
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Grande
DESIGNS
Complication is a grande tradition for
Audemars Piguet’s watchmakers.
J
BY SCOTT HICKEY
ules Audemars and Edward Piguet unveiled their first grande complication in 1882, just seven
years after they started their company in Switzerland’s Vallée de Joux. More than a century
later, Audemars Piguet remains dedicated to refining the beauty and performance of one of
watchmaking’s most intricate challenges. In fact, no other brand has continuously produced
grande complications longer than Audemars Piguet.
But what is a grande complication? To be considered one, a movement must possess at
least three functions beyond basic timekeeping. While the combination is open to interpretation, certain kinds of complications must be included: timing (e.g. chronograph),
striking (e.g. minute repeater) and astronomical (e.g. perpetual calendar).
The modern incarnation of Audemars Piguet’s grande complication,
known as Caliber 2885, presents an impressive summary of more than
a century of tradition and knowledge. It’s used in four of the brand’s
five wristwatch collections, a clear indication of just how much
Audemars Piguet values this mechanism. Having already
appeared in the Jules Audemars and Royal Oak collections, the
movement debuted this year in both the Royal Oak Offshore
and Tradition.
LIVING HISTORY
The story behind the cushion-shaped Tradition Grande
Complication revisits a key chapter from the brand’s
early years.
In 1892, Audemars Piguet became the first company
to make a minute repeater small enough to fit in a wristwatch. Originally only found in pocket watches, this
complication uses sound to express the time — on command — by using tiny hammers to chime the hours,
quarter hours and minutes on finely tuned gongs.
Intrigued by this innovation, American industrialist
John Shaeffer commissioned Audemars Piguet to create
a one-of-a-kind, white gold minute repeater wristwatch
for him. As a special request, he asked that the hour
markers be replaced with the 12 letters in his name.
Today, that same watch is part of the collection at the
brand’s museum in Le Brassus.
Top: Made entirely
in-house, caliber 2885
is a self-winding grande
complication that represents
more than a century of watchmaking expertise.
Left: Custom made for John Shaeffer
in 1907, this minute repeater wristwatch
helped inspire the direction taken by
the modern Tradition collection.
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AUDEMARS PIGUET
Above: Part of the Offshore’s 20th anniversary, this
Royal Oak Offshore Chronograph features a 44mm
case made primarily of black ceramic, a material that
is almost impossible to scratch.
Above: The bezel found on the 44mm Royal Oak
Offshore Chronograph 10 Days Tourbillon is made of
forged carbon, a strong and lightweight material
Audemars Piguet pioneered in watchmaking.
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Audemars Piguet artistic director Octavio Garcia didn’t have
far to look when it came time to expand the brand’s universe of
unique shapes beyond the Royal Oak octagon, Millenary oval and
Jules Audemars circle. “A cushion shape was the natural choice,
and the John Shaeffer watch was a logical starting point,” he explains. “Everyone at the brand knows this watch. It’s an important
part of our history.”
But as Garcia explains, the inspiration it provided had less to
do with the shape of the watch and more to do with what it represented. “What it does so well is strike a balance between Audemars Piguet’s avant-garde spirit and its reverence for tradition.
That duality is one of the qualities that defines this brand.”
Another great source of inspiration for the Tradition was a
pocket watch the company made in 1923. Its elegant expression of
the cushion form foreshadowed the modern collection’s look,
while its complex movement pointed the way to its emphasis on
complications.
In terms of mechanics, the Tradition Grande Complication
sets the pace for the entire line. Its list of functions includes a
minute repeater, perpetual calendar, moon phase and a split-seconds chronograph. It even features a rare week indicator that
counts up the 52 weeks of the year.
ROYAL ANNIVERSARY
Both the past and present come together this year as Audemars
Piguet celebrates the 20-year anniversary of one of its most successful creations, the Royal Oak Offshore.
Technical ceramic is used for much of the 44mm black Royal
Oak Offshore Chronograph, including the caseband and bezel. It
requires formidable skill to shape this unyielding material, but
the effort isn’t wasted here. Clad in its new scratch-resistant armor, the sporty Offshore identity remains instantly recognizable.
The firm’s mega tapisserie pattern crisscrosses the dial, which
features a date window and a small seconds, plus two red-handed
chronograph counters and a red-tipped central seconds. As the
exceptions to the monochrome design, these small pops of color
truly stand out and further emphasize the presence of Audemars
Piguet’s chronograph movement.
The Royal Oak Offshore Chronograph 10 Days Tourbillon
captures both sides of the brand’s personality by pairing a traditional rose gold case with an unconventional bezel made of forged
carbon, a space-age material made especially for Audemars
Piguet.
Designed to maximize depth, the openwork dial quickly draws
the eyes to the black anodized aluminum bridges used for the
tourbillon and the twin winding barrels. Dedicated enthusiasts
will surely appreciate the in-house movement, which is a rare example of an integrated chronograph. This holistic design integrates the chronograph into the movement, unlike most, which
add a chronograph module to an existing movement.
EXTENDED CELEBRATION
Just last year, Audemars Piguet marked the 40th anniversary of the Royal Oak
in epic fashion with the introduction of several interpretations of this trendsetting watch. One of the biggest highlights from the anniversary was the
Extra-Thin Royal Oak Tourbillon.
The tourbillon movement, one of the slimmest produced by any brand, deepens the Royal Oak’s historic connection to ultra-thin watches. It’s worth remembering that in 1986, Audemars Piguet was the first brand to introduce a series of
self-winding extra-flat tourbillon movements.
This stainless
steel model upholds
that tradition with
great distinction in a
case that is less than
9mm thick. Secured
by eight screws, the
Royal Oak’s octagonal
bezel frames the familiar petite tapisserie pattern covering
the dial, which can be
read in the dark
thanks to luminescent hour markers
and hands.
That sporty edge
is tempered by the
decorative attention
lavished on the movement. The handiwork
is visible from back,
where the clear caseback reveals the perThe Extra-Thin Royal Oak Tourbillon is fitted with one
lage on the mainplate
of the world’s thinnest tourbillon movements, which is
and the côtes de Gewhy its stainless steel case is less than 9mm thick.
nève finishing on the
bridges. It’s here, amid
the undulating lines, that you’ll find the gauge used to monitor the watch’s
70-hour power reserve.
Diamonds on the bezel add a glamorous touch to the Royal Oak SelfWinding. Ideally suited for smaller wrists, its 37mm case comes in either rose
gold or stainless steel. Both versions offer aesthetic flexibility. Making the
jump from relaxed to formal is as simple as replacing the leather strap with a
matching bracelet.
Despite the smaller size, the watch makes no concessions mechanically.
The movement, which Audemars Piguet produces exclusively at its manufacture, features a window display for the date and an engraved, gold oscillating
weight to automatically wind the mainspring.
It’s that steadfast refusal to compromise that keeps Audemars Piguet on
horology’s cutting-edge. ¨
Above: Calibrated for smaller wrists, the
rose gold Royal Oak Self-Winding measures
37mm in diameter and its octagonal bezel
is set with 40 brilliant-cut diamonds.
Above: The stainless steel version of the
Royal Oak Self-Winding features a silvered
grande tapisserie dial with luminescent
hands and markers.
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