The new Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Jumbo – SIHH 2012 is a post from: Monochrome.nl

This year is Audemars Piguet celebrates the 40th anniversary of the Royal Oak. The timepiece Gerald Genta design and that was launched in 1972, became a true classic and an icon in the horological history. 

For this celebration they release many new Royal Oak models and among them a new Royal Oak Jumbo, a new Royal Oak Automatic and a Royal Chronograph. My personal preference is the new Royal Oak Jumbo and my first reaction is… I WANT ONE!

The new Royal Oak Jumbo has brought back several elements of the original Jumbo from 1972, like the AP logo that is now (again) positioned above the 6 o’clock position. Like on the old version, the new Jumbo has no white line around the date window. This is something I’m pleased with and I’m sure many enthusiasts will love it as well. The hobnail dial is now finer, with smaller hobnails (or tapisserie), however not as fine/small as on the vintage version.

The dial now has a black/blue/grey color and how it looks depends on the light and angle you look at it. According to Audemars Piguet, the color is pretty much similar to how the original one used to be when it was launched. I actually thought the original was black and vintage models from the early seventies have changed color over the years. So maybe AP wanted to get as close as possible to the color of the vintage dials? Not sure, we’ll get back on this and let you know.

The double index markers at 12 o’clock are back, which looks great, and the left out the small arabic numerals above the hour markers. New is the black datewheel with white date font, which is in my opinion a great improvement.

The bracelet is slightly thicker and has a more solid feel than on the vintage Jumbo reference 5402. Purist might find that a bummer, but personally I’m glad the bracelet has a bit more hefty feeling to it, because I always found the old version quite fragile. Not that it is fragile… it feels fragile.

The now introduced a double folding clasp with double push button to open the clasp and that is also a great improvement in my opinion. Much easier to open en close and actually more contemporary.

The movement used in the vintage Jumbo, was the gorgeous caliber 2121, which was based on the Jaeger-LeCoultre caliber 920. In the previous Jumbo, Audemars Piguet changed the caliber to their own caliber as introduced in 1969. This movement was also used in the previous Jumbo and now in this latest version of the Royal Oak Jumbo. It looks like only the rotor has been changed.

Related posts:

1. The Auction Hammer – Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Jumbo
2. Pre SIHH 2012 – Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Openworked Extra-Thin 40th Anniversary
3. Weekly Watch Photo – Audemars Piguet Royal Oak 5402

Audemars Piguet – Jules Audemars Extra-Thin Bolshoi Limited Edition is a post from: Monochrome.nl

Audemars Piguet released a limited edition of the Jules Audemars Extra-Thin in honor of the re-opening of the Bolshoi theatre. The facade of this renowned Russian theatre is engraved in the rotor. 

Although we believe the Bolshoi is a beautiful theater, we are actually more exited about the limited edtion Audemars Piguet created. The Jules Audemars collection does unfortunately not get enough attention on the internet, being blown away by the massive popularity of the Royal Oak (RO) and Royal Oak Offshore (ROO).  Luckily there are other AP models that do get some attention, like the Millenary 4101 that recently was awarded with the Public Prize of the Grand Prix, the Millenary Star Wheel and now this Jules Audemars Extra-Thin Bolshoi.

The special Jules Audemars Extra-Thin Bolshoi comes in either pink or white gold and has an elegant anthracite dial. The case measures 41 mm in diameter and measures only 6.7 mm in height. Usually we would expect such a classic dress watch to be around 36 mm in diameter, maximum 39 mm, but Audemars Piguet choose for a more contemporary size.

The dial of this limited edition looks absolutely fabulous and we actually prefer it over the dials available on the normal Extra-Thin models. Applied hour markers are placed around the edge of the dial and made of white gold or pink gold, of course matching the case. One of those superb details, that can also be found on the Millenary collection, is the rounded mid-case with brushed/satin finish. The bezel is polish, drawing the attention to the dial and giving the whole watch something understated ‘chique’.

The real gem is the extra-thin movement, caliber 2120, which is the same movement used in the vintage Royal Oak ref. 5402 and the Royal Oak P10 Edition. It measures 2.45 mm in height, which is very thin for an automatic movement, especially since it has a full rotor. This rotor is skeletonized and shows the facade of the famous Bolshoi theatre.

If I had the choice, I would get this limited edition if it where only for the beautiful dial. Of course one might expect a limited edition too keep its value, probably better than a non-limited edition.

Jules Audemars Extra-Thin Limited Edition « Bolshoï » specifications

Movement:

• diameter: 28.49 mm
• Thickness: 2.45 mm
• 37 jewels, 214 parts
• Power reserve: approx. 40 hours
• Balance: 19’800 vibrations/hour

Case: 18-carat white gold or pink gold case, Sapphire crystal case-back, water-resistant to 20m

Dial: Anthracite dial, white gold or pink gold applied hour-markers

Strap: Hand-stitched ‘’large square scale’’ anthracite crocodile strap with 18-carat white gold or pink gold pin buckle

Both models together are limited to 99 pieces, 50 in pink gold and 49 in white gold. For more info and availability we usually advice to check the Audemars Piguet website, however we cannot find any details. At the AP website you can find points of sale, where you can ask for more info.

Related posts:

1. Pre SIHH 2012 – Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Openworked Extra-Thin 40th Anniversary
2. Weekly Watch Photo – Audemars Piguet Royal Oak 5402
3. Weekly Watch Photo – Audemars Piguet Millenary Star Wheel

Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Geneve Award winners at Salon de Belles Montres is a post from: Monochrome.nl

And the winner is… De Bethune with the DB28. The Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève is more or less the Oscars of the watch industry and the De Bethune DB28 won the Aiguille d’Or which can be seen as the most important prize. This weekend all winning timepieces will be on exposition at Salon de Belles Montres in Paris. 

Besides the Aiguille d’Or (the golden hand) prizes where awarded in many other categories, just like at the Oscars. It must be said that the De Bethune DB28 is a remarkable watch and I’m not surprised it won. Technically at the forefront, a futuristic design and ergonomically unmatched.

De Bethune is a brand that is very different from other watch brands, or perhaps even very different from the entire watch industry. The relatively small manufacture is in the Swiss Jura and is run by David Zanetta and technical director (master watchmaker) Denis Flageollet. Although De Bethune is a relatively small independent brand, they keep amazing watch collectors with a constant stream of innovations. Besides the innovations at the technical side, they also innovate on the design side and aren’t scared to come up with a magnificent new case that is the most comfortable I’ve ever tried on my wrist.

The persons who handed over the award where Robert Greubel and Stephen Forsey who won the Aiguille d’Or last year for their Double Tourbillon 30 degrees Edition Historique. Another independent watch brand that pushes the boundaries of technical innovation and sets new limits for the beauty of finishing.

Besides the Aiguille d’Or there where prizes in other categories as well. Audemars Piguet won the Public Prize for the Millenary 4101, a well deserved prize for Audemars Piguet. Although the Millenary 4101 is maybe not the ‘talk of the town’ on the internet, we’ve always noticed that whenever we wrote about the Millenary, like our review of the fabulous Millenary Star Wheel, the responses where surprised and very positive.

Another magnificent prize winner, is made by Hermès. Not the usual watch brand however they are making very interesting timepieces and their new Arceau Le Temps Suspendu is not only beautiful, it has a very interesting feature to stop time How? Well, check out our report on the Arceau Le Temps Suspendu.

Personally, I would have had a hard time choosing between Laurent Ferrier‘s Galet Micro-rotor (left) or Kari Voutilainen’s Vingt-8 (right on the photo below) as best men’s watch. Both are extraordinary beautiful and elegant men’s watches and both have a movement that is simply stunning.

When it comes to design, there are several young and innovative watch brands who do such a great job. They know how to show us time in an unusual but very refreshing way. After Vianney Halter (awarded as Best Watchmaker), URWERK was also one of the first to shock the watch industry, and many collectors, with their out-of-the-box approach to telling time. URWERK winning the DesignWatch award for the stunning UR-110, is something that is simply meant to be and also very well deserved!

In order not to be distracted by the marvelous techniques, the UR-110 can comfortably be worn under the sleeve and it’s easy to let just a small part peek from under your sleeve to read the time.

The Petit Aiguille was won by Montblanc for the Star Worldtime GMT Automatic, a very nice watch that I saw at the SIHH earlier this year. A very nice execution of a Worldtime GMT watch and especially on the steel bracelet it looks ver nice.

At the Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève website you can see all winners in all categories and find much more information, even from previous years. Here is the list with this years winners:

• “Aiguille d’Or” Grand Prix: De Bethune, DB28
• Best Ladies Watch Prize: Boucheron, Hathi
• Best Men’s Watch Prize: Hermès, Arceau Le Temps Suspendu
• Best Design Watch Prize: Urwerk, UR-110
• Best Jewellery and Artistic Crafts Watch Prize: Van Cleef & Arpels, Lady Arpels Polar Landscape
• Best Complicated Watch Prize: Zenith, Academy Christophe Colomb Equation of Time
• Best Sports Watch Prize: TAG Heuer, Mikrotimer Flying 1000 Chronograph
• “Petite Aiguille” Prize (for models under CHF 5’000): Montblanc, Star Worldtime GMT Automatic
• Best Watchmaker Prize: Vianney Halter
• Special Jury Prize: Patek Philippe Museum
• Public Prize: Audemars Piguet, Millenary 4101

Related posts:

1. Great watch event in the UK – Salon QP
2. Vacheron Constantin for Only Watch 2009
3. Montblanc Grand Tourbillon Heures Mysterieuses

Pre SIHH 2012 – Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Openworked Extra-Thin 40th Anniversary is a post from: Monochrome.nl

Next year the Audemars Piguet will celebrate the 40 anniversary of the Royal Oak, that was designed in by the late Gerald Genta in 1972. To celebrate this anniversary in due style, the Audemars Piguet now unveils the Openworked Extra-Thin Royal Oak, a platinum anniversary edition, limited series of just 40.

The first Royal Oak, launched in 1972, was not just another watch. The Royal Oak was the world’s first luxury sports watch and set a trend that was followed by others. During the past 40 year, the Royal Oak has left an indelible imprint on the history of Audemars Piguet and actually on the entire watch industry.

The 39 mm diameter of this Openworked Extra-Thin Royal Oak is identical to that of the 1972 Royal Oak. Considered outsized and extravagant at the time of its launch, it shaped the trend for larger watches and now represents a medium-sized diameter. The platinum case is water-resistant to 50 metres and fitted with sapphire crystals front and back that are treated with anti reflective coating.

The octagonal bezel and its eight polished hexagonal screws – consistently made in white gold – are held on the case-back side by eight recessed nuts. The Royal Oak also owes its reputation to the total integration of the case– a definite rarity in 1972 – with the tapering bracelet composed of non-identical links arranged by decreasing order of size. This set of signature features has been inherent in the collection right from its origins and is still sported by all the current Royal Oak models. The new folding clasp, also in 950 platinum, is distinguished by a double safety fastening system.

The ultra-thin selfwinding proprietary Calibre 5122 is 3.05 mm, which is the same thickness as the famous caliber 2121 that used in the very first Royal Oak. Audemars Piguet choose to skeletonize the movement and use galvanic treatment to get an anthracite color.

All finishing of the bridges and mainplate (polishing, satin-brushing, circular-graining, circular satin-brushing and drawn flanks) is done by hand. The monobloc oscillating weight entirely made in 22-carat gold bears the raised inscription “AP Royal Oak 1972-2012”.

The Audemars Piguet Openworked Ultra-Thin Royal Oak 40th Anniversary is limited to 40 pieces in platinum.

Related posts:

1. The new Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Jumbo – SIHH 2012
2. Audemars Piguet – Jules Audemars Extra-Thin Bolshoi Limited Edition
3. The Auction Hammer – Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Jumbo

Audemars Piguet Millenary Star Wheel reviewed is a post from: Monochrome.nl

Monochrome had the chance to wear a very rare Audemars Piguet for two weeks. We bring you a review of the Audemars Piguet Millenary Star Wheel!

Recently a good friend said he was going to sell his Audemars Piguet Millenary Star Wheel. This is one of those watches we always enjoy seeing at collector’s dinners and other watchgeek meetings. However this one is so rare that chances you come across one are very rare. So we had to jump to the occasion…

We would like to thank the owner for letting us wear, photograph and review this magnificent timepiece. We believe the Audemars Piguet Star Wheel models to be landmark pieces in watchmaking history and we always wondered how much inspiration Felix Baumgartner and Martin Frei, from URWERK, found in the Audemars Piguet  Star Wheel.

This particular version was released by Audemars Piguet in 2000 for their 125^th anniversary. It was a limited edition of 50 pieces in yellow gold, 75 pieces in rose gold and 125 pieces in steel. The Star Wheel complication wasn’t new to the Audemars Piguet collection, as they already released a Star Wheel in 1991. For the 125th anniversary, Audemars Piguet also released a pocket watch featuring a star wheel complication to display the month and date. Audemars Piguet also created a Star Wheel with minute repeater. Now back to the Millenary Star Wheel…

Overall appearance

The overall appearance of this watch is simply incredibly elegant. This is just the first impression and at second glance you see the star wheel complication. Although it’s right in the middle of the dial, it doesn’t draw too much attention. It’s intriguing and you immediately start wondering how this works. When a watch like this is on the wrist, the time is not the first thing we look for. When looking for the time, one might need a little time to get used to the (digital) way the time is displayed.

The Millenary case has a beautiful oval shape that has been designed with much attention for detail. This is also the case for the dial, the complication and… well actually everything of this watch has been well thought through. The more you look, the more details you notice that are just perfect, down to the hefty rose gold tang buckle.

The typical dial layout does have its advantages as well. When only a small part of the dial is peeking from under your jacket or shirt’s sleeve, it’s easy to read the time.

Let’s take a closer look…

Features

The features of the Millenary Star Wheel look simple, however they are quite complicated. It tells the time in an entirely different way than most mechanical timepieces, who make use of the typical hour and minute hands. The Millenary Star Wheel uses a so-called star wheel complication and displays the time digitally; the hours, visible in a 120-degree white scale/arc, point to the current minute that is to the right of the hour. The hours are printed on three sapphire disks, which are mounted on star shaped wheels (hence the name of the watch) and these are attached to a rotating center wheel. This entire assembly turns and the current hour is always displayed above the fore mentioned 120-degree white scale, with the minutes to the right of it.

The star wheel complication was first released in 1991 in a round watch with a diameter of 36 mm. The time display was positioned on the topside of the dial, where the time display of the Millenary Star Wheel has moved to the right side of the dial.

Attached on the center staff, where usually the hour and minute hands are attached, is a rotating center ring on which the star wheels are attached. The sapphire disks with hour printed on them, are attached on the star wheels. The rotating ring turn 360 degrees, one full turn, in 3 hours. The minutes are displayed besides a 120 degree arc, so when an hour passes along that 120 arc, it takes exactly 1 hour for the hour indicator to start at the 1st minute and end at the 59th minute. Here you can see the hour pointing to the 57th minute and the next hour is already lining up, shortly before the 1st minute.

The movement of the hours along the minutes besides the 120 degree arc, is driven from the continuously rotating ring. When a sapphire disk is not over the 120 degree arc, the star wheel combined with other parts take care of positioning the correct next hour.

Watches with a jumping hour complication require quite some force once every hour, to let the hour jump. This is however no jumping hour construction, but the sapphire disks with hours do need two (small) rotations to position the correct hour before it reaches the 120 degree arc. Changing of a jumping hour, or even a date, a moon phase or a perpetual calendar will influence the watch’s rate in a negative way. While a date only changes once every 24 hours, the sapphire hour disks of the Star Wheel will make a small rotation 2 times every hour. This means 48 times per day! The forces caused by this, must be as minimal as possible to reduce negative forces on the watch’s rate.

Dial/hands

The dial is light grey with a 120 degree white arc on the right side, with a minute scale. The name of the brand, Audemars Piguet, is printed on the right side of the dial, and the name of the watch, Star Wheel, is printed at the usual 6 o’clock position. At the 12 o’clock position we see the Audemars Piguet logo printed in gold matching the color of the rose gold case.

When you’re familiar with the watch, the construction of rotating wheel and the star wheels with attached sapphire hour disks are becoming a feast to look at. The parts of this complication are beautifully hand-finished with angling and polishing. Although the complication is positioned in the middle of the dial, it is done in an extremely elegant way and thus not something that draws too much attention nor is it visibly ‘loud’.

Case/strap

The oval case is brushed and has a polished bezel. Because the sides of the case are rounded, we can only assume the brush-finishing must be incredibly difficult and can only be done by hand.

The screw down case back is closed with an brushed middle part and posilhed edges. On the brushed middle section of the case back we find engravings. In the middle of the case back is the word “Millenary” engraved and below that is “Série Limitee 125 And”, above it we find a serial number.

The crown shows an embossed AP logo and gives enough grip when winding the watch or adjusting the time. The lugs are entirely polished.

Originally the Millenary Star Wheel comes on a light grey calf leather strap, however the owner of this particular Star Wheel attached a stingray strap, custom made by ABP Paris. A splendid combination! The strap is closed by a relatively thick tang buckle.

Movement

The movement Audemars Piguet used is caliber 2224/2811; caliber 2224 is the base caliber. This is an automatic movement, beating at 28,800 vibrations per hour (4Hz). The base movement has 35 jewels, we have however no information about the number of extra jewels used for the complication. The movement measures 26.00 mm (or 11.5 ligne) and is 4.85 mm thick; again no information on the additional thickness added because of the complication. The power reserve is 35 hours when fully wound.

The verdict – pros and cons

We simply love the Audemars Piguet Millenary Star Wheel. For its magnificent complication, for being a source of inspiration for others, for the gorgeous classy and sophisticated looks, for its comfortable wearing, for how easy it is to read the time, even when it just peeks from under your jacket or shirt’s sleeve… Visually it isn’t ‘loud’ and yet it’s a complicated watch. A watch with classic looks and a great story to talk about.

Unfortunately it’s time for us to say goodbye to the Millenary Star Wheel and return it to its owner, after one more photo…

Edit: This Audemars Piguet Millenary Star Wheel is for sale at Watch-store.com; click on the A-B section to see it.

Related posts:

1. Weekly Watch Photo – Audemars Piguet Millenary Star Wheel
2. Audemars Piguet Millenary – perfect dress watch?
3. Audemars Piguet – Jules Audemars Extra-Thin Bolshoi Limited Edition

The Auction Hammer – Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Jumbo is a post from: Monochrome.nl

Another magnificent find is an Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Jumbo A-series, that is for auction this Saturday. Although the Antiquorum auction is in Hongkong, you can also bid online!

Since this A-series of the Royal Oak Jumbo, the most sought-after of all Royal Oaks, featuring the AP logo just above the 6 o’clock position, in stead of positioned at the 12 o’clock position like later Royal Oak Jumbos. This A-series also features the finer hobnail dial, that looks more refined that the bigger hobnail pattern found on later RO’s.

According to Antiquorum this is No. A 745 and it’s made in 1972. The estimated price, between $ 7,800 and $ 10,000 , seems LOW. Even when you know the case has some scratches and the (original) hands are slightly oxidized. The Antiquorum condition report states that the movement is in good condition, however they advices a complete overhaul. Something that is always smart to do, when you buy a used watch that has not been serviced to quite some time.

This Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Jumbo reference 5402 A Series is LOT 252 of the upcoming Antiquorum auction in Hongkong.

Related posts:

1. The new Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Jumbo – SIHH 2012
2. Weekly Watch Photo – Audemars Piguet Royal Oak 5402
3. Pre SIHH 2012 – Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Openworked Extra-Thin 40th Anniversary

Weekly Watch Photo – Audemars Piguet Royal Oak 5402 is a post from: Monochrome.nl

A Weekly Watch Photo that is perfect in every way. A beautiful watch, a beautiful photo, all in monochrome colors and at the right moment. Why? Well, Audemars Piguet just announced a special Royal Oak Jumbo to celebrate 10th anniversary of the Purists Pro watch forum.

The photo below shows the ‘real deal’, the ‘real McCoy’, a watch that’s high on the wish-list of many watch collectors (including me). It is the Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Jumbo reference 5402.

These vintage Royal Oak Jumbo’s are very difficult to find and if you find one, be prepared to pay a serious price. I prefer this vintage Jumbo (ref 5402) over the newer Jumbo (ref 15202), because of the finer ‘clous-de-paris’ dial. The photo above shows the Audemars Piguet Royal Oak 5402  A-Serie from a private collector (who wishes to remain anonymous).

While the ‘normal’ Royal Oak Jumbo (ref 15202) is already difficult to aquire, Audemars Piguet will bring a limited edition of 10 pieces of the Royal Oak Jumbo to celebrate ten years of the Purists Pro watch forum. Yes indeed, only ten pieces indeed, so the demand will be huge. Even with a price of CHF 49,500 (ex VAT) which is kind of steep.

But for this price Audemars Piguet does offer a very special PuristS edition. First of all the bezel and bracelet links will be made of tantalum. This offers a nice contrast with the stainless steel case and bracelet.

The movement of the Royal Oak Jumbo is the legendary caliber 2120, that will also appear in this limited edition. For the limited edition the movement will be partially skeletonized and the base plate will get a dark anthracite rodium finished for extra contrast.

But, the real trait for collectors is the special “P10″ rotor!

Look at the Audemars Piguet forum of PuristS Pro for more details and how to order on of only 10 pieces.

Related posts:

1. The Auction Hammer – Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Jumbo
2. The new Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Jumbo – SIHH 2012
3. Pre SIHH 2012 – Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Openworked Extra-Thin 40th Anniversary

Weekly Watch Photo – Audemars Piguet Millenary Star Wheel is a post from: Monochrome.nl

Again a photo made by GEO, although this time no Cartier. Audemars Piguet made this rare Millenary Star Wheel for the 125th anniversary of the brand and in my opinion one of the most beautiful of this manufacture.

It’s almost refreshing to see another timepieces from Audemars Piguet, than the Royal Oak or Royal Oak Offshore collections. Like the Millenary collection, Audemars Piguet does have several more collections that are very appealing and much more elegant than the RO and ROO. Besides the Millenary I also enjoy beautiful esthetics of the Jules Audemars collection and the Edward Piguet collection (especially the EP chronograph).

GEO posted this Millenary Star Wheel at Revolution Online and in the post and replies you can find much information about this timepiece. Earlier I wrote about the Millenary Piano Forte, a perfect dress watch!

The Millenary Star Wheel was a limited edition of 250 pieces in total; 125 pieces in steel, 75 in rose gold and 50 in yellow gold. The automatic movement is AP calibre 2224/2811, based on the JLC 889/2, 35 jewels, 28,800 vph.

The Star Wheel uses an unconventional method of time indication. Three transparent sapphire disks, or star wheels, are each inscribed with four hour indicators and attached to a rotating center wheel. As the assembly turns, the current hour indicator is rotated into view and then passed across a 120-degree minutes sector. The time is read by noting the visible hour pointing to the current minute. If you like more information about this wonderful timepiece, I recommend to read Dr Thomas Mao’s excellent article.

Related posts:

1. Audemars Piguet Millenary Star Wheel reviewed
2. Audemars Piguet Millenary – perfect dress watch?
3. Weekly Watch Photo – Audemars Piguet Royal Oak 5402

The ultimate balancing act is a post from: Monochrome.nl

The quest of making a watch brand successful isn’t an easy one. Especially because of the ecenomic recession, it might seem difficult. There is however another (surprising) reason why it’s so difficult to keep a watch brand successful.

Over at The Watch Lounge, guest author Olivier Muller, wrote three four (edited by Mono) excellent stories about the difficulty of choosing between innovation and tradition. The ultimate balancing act… In part 1 Olivier describes the dillema many watch brands are confronted with. Jean-Claude Biver, CEO of Hublot, also gives his vision on how to build a successful brand. Something he has much experience with, after a successful career with Omega, Blancpain and now Hublot.

In the part two of the three part story, the recent developments at Mont Blanc show another solution of dealing with this ultimate balancing act. Alexander Schmiedt, business development manager for Villeret 1858, Mont Blanc’s own development department, is interviewed.

The third part is about an entirely different, yet very successful, way of dealing with these modern quests. Romain Jérôme speaks about his own watch brand. In the last part Arnaud Vidal, General Manager of Audemars Piguet in France, speaks about the relation between limited editions and the normal collection.

It’s a great read, so take a look at Olivier’s story about the ‘unexpected’ difficulties watch brands are faced with.

Related posts:

1. Limited Editions and charity….
2. Pita Oceana – the ultimate dive watch
3. Hublot – An extraordinary breed of watches

Audemars Piguet Millenary – perfect dress watch? is a post from: Monochrome.nl

Sometimes you see a watch that immediately grabs your attention. For me the Audemars Piguet Millenary Piano Forte is such a watch. Is this the perfect dress watch?

I can still remember the first time i saw an advertisement for the Millenary Piano Forte. Deeply impressed… A few days ago i was looking through the catalog of the upcoming Antiquorum auction. Seeing a Audemars Piguet Millenary for sale doesn’t happen too often. A Millenary Piano Forte i have never seen for sale before…. until now. This one will be auctioned in New York at September 17th. What a beauty…

Audemars Piguet Millenary Piano Forte

The Audemars Piguet Millenary has a classic, distinct and unique design. With the oval shaped case, is stand apart from other watch designs. The oval shaped case was inspired by the architecture of the Roman Colosseum. The case has stunning details and the finish is beautiful with brushed and polished parts. Although it has a classic look of a dress watch, it’s size is absolutely modern with no less than 40 x 45 mm!

I’ve never had the pleasure of wearing this beauty, so i looked for a photo on the internet. This photo shows exactly how i imagined it would look. Like a perfect dress watch. Just imagine this watch with black tie…

Audemars Piguet Millenary Piano Forte

This Audemars Piguet Millenary Pianoforte is available in a white gold case. It has a stunning black and white mother of pearl piano motif dial with white gold hands and roman markers. Like all Millenary watches it features an off-center hour display. The Millenary Piano Forte also has a sweep second hand and a date display at 3 o’clock. The automatic manufacture caliber 3120 has 60-hour power reserve. It was released in 2007 and comes in a wooden piano-shaped box. The Millenary Pianoforte watch is a limited series of 500.

Audemars Piguet Millenary Piano Forte with piano shaped box

Audemars Piguet used the Millenary design for highly complicated watches as well. Just think of the Dual Time Millenary Maserati watch with power reserve and second timezone, the Millenary Tourbillon Chronograph, the Millenary watch with dead beat second and the Millenary No.5 of the Tradition d’Excellence Collection.

Besides these complicated watches and the Millenary Piano Forte, Audemars Piguet offers a Millenary with time and date. Personally i just love the ‘regular’ Millenary… but what’s ‘regular’ about such a beauty.

Audemars Piguet Millenary

Related posts:

1. Weekly Watch Photo – Audemars Piguet Millenary Star Wheel
2. Audemars Piguet Millenary Star Wheel reviewed
3. Audemars Piguet – Jules Audemars Extra-Thin Bolshoi Limited Edition