March 27, 2013 | Audemars Piguet, Hands-On, Reviews
Designed by Gérald Genta (1931-2011) in 1972, the Royal Oak was the first steel luxury wristwatch. Over the past four decades, it has become the icon of the storied Swiss manufacture — Audemars Piguet. Located in the Vallée de Joux, and still in the hands of the founding families, AP sits among an elite few at the top of the Swiss watch range.
March 22, 2013 | Audemars Piguet, Hands-On, SIHH
Introduced in January at SIHH, the Jules Audemars Extra-Thin now comes with a beautiful new silvered guilloché dial. The 18K pink gold case is 41 mm in diameter and a mere 6.7 mm thick with alternating brushed and polished finishes. It is an elegant time only dress watch, with just hours and minutes displayed by pink gold facetted hour markers and hands. The movement is only 2.45 mm thick — it has 36 jewels, 212 total parts a 40-hour power reserve and a frequency of 19,800 (2.75Hz). The bridges are hand finished with Côtes de Genève and the mainplate has perlage (circular graining). The oscillating weight is skeletonized in 22K rose gold, with a brushed finish.
March 18, 2013 | Audemars Piguet, Horology, Videos
This video depicts the production of the Audemars Piguet’s beautiful “Grand Tapisserie” dial. It shows the machines that perform the guillochage of the Royal Oak’s dial, resulting in the signature weaving pattern that forms the square and lozenge motif that the brand has been famous for since 1972.
February 18, 2013 | Audemars Piguet, SIHH
The highlight at Audemars Piguet during SIHH was the Royal Oak Offshore Grande Complication — which features minute repeater, split-second chronograph and perpetual calendar complications. To exemplify their know-how in the area of highly complicated timepieces, AP exhibited 16 Grand Complication pieces from their museum in Le Brassus (pictured below).
February 14, 2013 | Audemars Piguet, Hands-On, SIHH
Audemars Piguet introduced a very interesting triple complication watch at SIHH 2013, the Tradition Minute Repeater Tourbillon Chronograph, which combines a Minute Repeater, Tourbillon and Chronograph. It is presented in a polished titanium cushion shaped case, measuring 47 mm by 12.30 mm, with an 18K brushed white gold bezel. Inside is caliber 2874, a hand wound manufacture movement that runs at 21,600 vph (3Hz), with 38 jewels, 504 components and a power reserve of 48-hours.
January 29, 2013 | Audemars Piguet, Dive Time, Hands-On, SIHH
Last week at SIHH 2013, Audemars Piguet introduced a new Royal Oak Diver in black ceramic.
Audemar Piguet’s new diver will sit alongside the stainless steel and forged carbon divers in the model lineup, however, ceramic may eventually supersede forged carbon. AP was the first watchmaker to utilize forged carbon, and while it was originally considered to be an exclusive high-tech material perfect for watch cases and bezels, they have since decided to put more focus on ceramic, as it is much stronger.
January 18, 2013 | Audemars Piguet
François-Henry Bennahmias, who has been acting as the General manager ad interim of AP since May 2012, has now been officially appointed as the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Audemars Piguet Group. It comes as no surprise, that Bennahmias, who has successfully run AP North America for longer than decade (since 1999), is now the global CEO. Long overdue, and much deserved.
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