SIHH 2015 Audemars Piguet Creates the Perfect Chime

 

Audemars Piguet is set to drown out the show with a new improved Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Concept Acoustic Research Episode 1 Watch.  Aside for the lengthy scientific title, this watch promises a minute repeater louder and clearer than any other mechanical watch. Of course the title does imply quite a bit of actual scientific research  including some cognitive and neuropsychology dealing with human perceptions (yay my degrees in psychology did not go to waste)  that went into this timepiece.   This type of attentiveness to the scientific approach, as opposed to trial and error, is becoming quite the thing in watchmaking.  The first company that really applied this principle with a huge success is  Greubel Forsey, after which the awards kept piling on.  One just has to look at the most recent being the first middle east awards in Dubai, where Greubel Forsey won the Best Technical Innovation Watch. 

So with a concept in hand, Audemars Piguet's highly reputable Le Brassus  Renaud & Papi Audemars enlisted the help of young innovative minds at the  EPFL polytechnic school of Lausanne (École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne) to assist in creating the perfect chime as perceived by the mind.

Now one must remember to emit a loud chime, quite a few factors come into play.  The watch case must serve as an amplifier of sorts.  The striking hammer must  bare down on thegongs with as much force as possible.  To create a great amplification and a large force within the small confines of a watch case is quite a challenge.  So before one even begins, the octagon Royal Oak case shape, designed by Gerald Genta, has the spacial capability to accommodate a great many complications.  A couple years ago, I went to a fascinating Royal Oak Exhibition, at Antiquorium in NYC; the great number and variety of Royal Oak timepieces on display was quite astounding.  It is quite one thing surveying a collection here, a collection there; a model here, a model there, but to actually view decades of Royal Oak timepieces laying side by side, emphasizes the versatility of the Audemars Piguet Royal Oak. 

How does Audemars Piguet succeed in creating the Perfect Chime?

After no less than eight years of intense research and development, the prototype of the  Audemars Piguet's

Royal Oak Concept Acoustic Research must be downright amazing.  Within the 44mm titanium case, an in-house tourbillon, visible at the 6 'o'clock position,  ensures gravity will not exert unnecessary force upon the movement and column wheel chronograph, aided by a 30 minute counter at the 3 'o'clock,  ensures additional timing complications.  But it is the loud chime which compels Audemars Piguet to announce:

“the first chiming watch so acoustically considered as to become a sound concept in its own right.”

For this chime, Audemars applies a stringed instrument concept, which creates a loud and clear chime. Since January 19th, 2015 is still over a month away, Audemars Piguet is still mum about the actual nitty gritty of the mechanics.  So instead of boring you all with suppositions of the watch's acoustic mechanics, I will hold my ramblings at bay and wait until Audemars Piguet is ready to release more details. 

As a conclusion, I find this concept watch fitting into a unique niche portraying a sporty and resilient minute repeater as opposed to the more dressy timepieces in which this particular complications is most often found.

Audemars Piguet Millenary Onyx Tourbillon Watch Review

Audemars Piguet Millenary Onyx Tourbillon is a delicate interplay of watchmaking mastery.  The skeletonization is worked into pitch black onyx creating a mysterious allure like a talisman in some forgotten land.  The Onyx main plate and diamond encrusted rose gold rings exquisitely secures the moving parts of the Calibre 2861 Onyx movement. A double row of diamonds set into the bezel  encircle a diamond encrusted inner , off center dial. 
The timepiece totals 423 brilliant cut diamonds weighing in at 4.11 carats.
Maintaining the Millenary signature design, the off center ring of the dial surrounds engraved Arabic numerals of unequal size.  Skeletonized white gold hands track hour and minutes.  At the 9 'o'clock, a tourbillion rotates beneath a bridge counteracting the effect gravity plays on the movement. (If indeed Abraham Louis Breguet 1795 invention designed for a pocket watch is effective in a wrist watch is highly debatable, but make no mistake a wristwatch bearing a tourbillon is a treat for all to see.)

184 parts make up the movement including a Breguet balance spring. Manual finishing ensures a result of pure splendor free from even the minutest of imperfections.The movement is completely visible via a glare proofed and scratch resistant sapphire crystal and case back.  Since the movement is hand wound, no rotor is found on the underside of the movement thereby maximizing visual of the movement. A 72 hour power reserve reduces the need to wind the watch everyday.  Winding is performed with the aid of an elegant crown set with a translucent cabochon sapphire. Take heed near water, as this watch is only water resistant to 20 meters.
Teh Audemars Piguet Millenary Onyx Tourbillon is presented on a hand stitched black crocodile band and is affixed to the wrist by a secure diamond studded 18K pink gold  AP folding clasp.

Like the iconic Royal Oak, which is celebrating its 40th anniversary, the Millenary Collection is highly versatile in its ability to accommodate a wide range of movements and complications. This is a factor in Audemars Piguet success - providing its customers with the comfort of familiarity and the delight of versatility. This secures a brand to the past and paves the way to its future.

This List Price for this watch is $476,100.00.  Affordable for few, desired by many.

Audemars Piguet Millenary 4101 Elevates a Movement and Redesigns a Face

Audemars Piguet Millenary 4101 is a stunning reorganization of  dial and movement. This movement, unveiled at the beginning of this year, joins the dial on the watch face so neither takes precedence at first glance. The signature Millenary dial has been shrunk and placed beside the crown making space for the redesigned escapement and balance wheel at the 9'o'clock position. The Audemars Piguet Millenary 4101 is an exclusively in-house movement comprising of 253 parts. Encapsulated in an Audemars Piguet signature Millenary Case, the movement is reconstructed so that vital components of the movement - balance, lever and escapement- face to the front, and are plainly visible at the 9 'o clock position. The idea is brilliant in its simplicity.

There is no need for a skeleton dial, as the dial and movement share the same elevation nor a see through case back as the movement is up front. Although the watch face accommodates the dial and movement, it remains remarkably uncluttered.  This feat in organization is made possible by its oval shape.  

The oval Calibre 4101 movement is nothing less than impeccable.  Crafted in the LeBrassus workshop, the movement has undergone extensive finishing.  The oval main plate is decorated on both sides with

Côtes de Genève on front and two different sizes of circular graining on the back to create a contrast and greater perception of depth. Viewing the bridge on the dial face, one can marvel at the fine horizontal  Côtes de Genève snailing and circular graining while on the back the bridges feature circular Côtes de Genève engravings. The oscillating weight or rotor is crafted in 22 carat gold and emblazoned with Audemar Piguet Family crest and the companies signature mark.

This model is available in two colors - a steel version treated with an anthracite galvanic achieves a look of quiet elegance. The rhodium plated and pink version (inset above) exudes a powerful mark of distinction.  Every component of the timepiece is polished until gleaming and all jewel sinks diamond polished to perfection.

Audemars Piguet Millenary 4101 Blends Form and Function

Audemars Piguet has blended form and function in an exquisite display of mechanical craftsmanship. The Audemars Piguet Millenary 4101 is an exclusively in-house movement comprising of 253 parts. Encapsulated in an Audemars Piguet signature Millenary Case, the movement is reconstructed so that vital components of the movement - balance, lever and escapement- face to the front, and are plainly visible at the 9 'o clock position.

The construction of this timepiece is accomplished with the aid of 12 well placed bridges securing the various elements of the movement. The bridges are crafted in gentle curves and decorated in horizontal Côtes de Genève, circular graining, and snailing on the “trottoirs”. On the left of the dial, jewels and screws ,often obscured by the dial, are now visible.

This accomplishment by no means effects the integrity of the movement, but on the contrary,due to a variable-inertia balance equipped with eight white gold inertia-weights, it actually increases the long-term rating stability. The timepiece beats at 28,800 vibrations per hour. Many new watches on the market today are geared towards improved shock-absorption, and the Audemars Piguet Millenary 4101 is no exception. Utilizing cross-through balance-bridges, Audemars Piguet has improved shock resistance by securing it on both sides of the main plate.

The automatic timepiece is wound via a 22-carat gold oscillating weight mounted on ceramic ball bearings. The watch is available in pink gold and is rhodiumed and gilded. The steel version has an attractive finish accomplished by an anthracite galvanic treatment.

This watch has achieved the Hallmark of Geneve, and is a fine example of craftsmanship at its best.

Audemars Piguet spins a magical masterpiece.

Ever glance at something so beautiful, so arresting that your heart seems to leap out of your chest and your mouth drops in a gape of pure wonderment. Well that is what happened to me when I gazed at Audemars Piguet latest creation: the Audemars Piguet Millenary Calcedoine. I will go on to describe various aspects of the watch, but as per the Gestalt perspective, "the whole differs from the some of its parts" We cannot understand the magnificence of the watch when broken down into the description of its parts.

The price is high, but as Karl Lagerfeld, Chanel designer says, "I can be interested in a $20m diamond I will never buy, without desiring the diamond. If you want only things you can afford, it's boring too." The economy may be in a down turn, but can you imagine if companies like Audemars Piguet and Vacheron Constantin stop producing masterpieces what will the world be then? What would we admire and praise? No! These companies must continue producing beautiful masterpieces.

I love the numbers on the dial, they seem to be vanishing like Alice down the rabbit hole, providing the watch with a whimsical touch. Orbits of 395 brilliant-cut diamonds shimmer on 18K pink gold. The in-house Audemars Piguet Calibre 2861 manually wound tourbillon movement is visible both through the front and back.

The luxury watch has a Galuchat strap -Galuchat, refers to sharkskin or stingray skin named after Louis XV’s master leather artisan, Jean-Claude Galuchat, who introduced this exotic material to France during the 18th century.

To the left of the watch face lies the tourbillon. The tourbillon ,was invented in 1795 by French watchmaker Abraham-Louis ,to reduce the effect gravity has on a pocket watch. The effects of gravity on a wristwatch is questionable as well as the actual effect of gravity on a watch movement; however, the tourbillon has become a respected complication coveted for its aesthetic appeal, mesmerising spins and intricate craftsmanship.

If you have a pretty penny to spend and an ultra-luxury watch to buy, place your name on the waiting list and wait. A watch like this cannot be rushed.

The Equation of Time Complication

Audemars Piguet introduced a timepiece with an Equation of Time Complication to Support Clinton Foundation. It is a stunning collection each watch with a 41 jewel mechanical movement comprised of 423 parts as well as a 40 hour power reserve. The Watch is crafted in platinum, rose gold and white gold equipped with a self-winding 2120/2808 caliber movement just 5.35 mm thick. Complications include a perpetual calender with leap year indication and moon phase function as well as the elusive equation of time complication. This complication is indeed rare and indicates in a plus or minus value the difference between mean civil time and true solar time.


Let me delve deeper on the actual concept of the Equation of Time.

Definition: An Equation of Time shows the difference between "true" solar time (that which existed since the beginning of time) and "mean" solar time (that which was created by man).

Explanation: The Earth makes an irregular path across the sky as a result of a combination of two factors:
a) The Earth makes an elliptical orbit around the Sun.
b) The Earth is tilted on its axis perpendicular to the plane of the equator.

Thus the "true" solar day, which is the interval of time between two "true" noons when the sun is at its highest point in the sky is never the same length over the course of the year. Our daily 24 hour days only exist on four days of the year: April 15th, June 14th, September 1st and December 24th. Every other day is either longer or shorter. The difference ranges from less 16 minutes and 23 seconds on November 4th to plus 14 minutes and 22 seconds on February 11th is "the equation of time"
.


This has become quite a horological endeavor to track these celestial differences. There is a point of departure as the variations occur identically on the same date all year and can be "programmed by means of a cam making one complete rotation each year.

This is an extremely sophisticated complication which at first appeared in long case watches. Later it was miniaturized in a pocket watch and in the twentieth century it appeared in a wristwatch. This complications are rarely seen alone as with the Audemars Piguet Jules Audemars Clinton Foundation Equation of Time. This timepiece utilizes a hand sweeping an arc at the outer edges of the dial extending from = 15 to -15. To enhance the precision of the "Equation of time" Audemars Piguet has set to show solar time and equation of time graduations specially adjusted to the White House.

The Case back is engraved with the Seal of President Clinton , and the words " William J. Clinton 42nd President of the United States"

Audemars Piguet has donated 3 Million Dollars to the Clinton Foundation which is devoted to providing care and treatment for those fighting HIV/AIDS. A large focus of the Foundation is education, health and poverty issues around the globe. The same priorities established by The Audemar Piguet Foundation, founded by Jasmine Audemars, daughter of Jacques-Louis Audemars, in 1992. The Clinton Foundation founded by Bill Clinton in 1997, which has set a goal to improve peoples capacity to meet the challenges of global interdependence.

Striving for the ultimate luxury watch material

Since the first watch was created, watch makers have been striving to better their timepieces in terms of accuracy, durability and aesthetics. Watch manufacturers are forging ahead inventing exciting new materials. Many of these material innovations are targeted to eliminate friction without the use of oils and thereby obtaining greater accuracy in mechanical movement and simultaneously increasing durability and decreasing weight. Up till now the oils and lubricants are critical for reducing the friction of wheels. These oils and lubricants deteriorate with time requiring ongoing watch maintenance. Is there a material that is so friction free within itself that no oils or lubricants are necessary to maintain the accuracy of the timepiece?


Patek Phillipe has gained great ground in the progress of inventing an oil free watch in experimenting with the potential application of silicium in watchmaking techniques. During the past six years Patek Phillipe Advanced Research Department developed Silinvar - a patented substance derived from oxidising the constituents of pure silicium in a vacuum. From this material , Silinvar, Patek Phillipe has presented an escape wheel, a hairspring and an escapement which requires absolutely no oiling as well as eliminating long term servicing concerns, resistance to corrosion and magnetism and in addition improves the performance of the mechanical movement. Patek Phillip has utilized Silinvar in its Patek Philippe Ref. 5450 Annual Calendar watch. This platinum timepiece, produced in a limited series of 300, features an escape wheel, hairspring, and pallet fork in Silinvar which boasts a density 1/3 that of steel components.

Richard Mille agenda in developing a new material was to create an ultra lightweight watch that is expectationally resistant. The success was in the RM 009 which has Alusic for the case- a super light hybrid material- aluminium AS7G, silicium and carbon used for the production of ultra-light satellites, and another aluminium-lithium alloy for the tourbillon skeleton movement. The RM 009 weighs just over one ounce and is the worlds lightest mechanical watch ever produced as well as being extremely resistant.






Audemar Piguet has adopted carbon for its Royal Oak Offshore Alinghi Line as Carbon is both lightweight and shock resistant.




Jaeger-LeCoultre presented a watch that required no lubrication - the ExtremeLab Tourbillon. Jaeger-LeCoultre tested the amazing properties of its watch to a whole slew of witnesses to provide evidence for its claim. The watch was first subjected to extreme temperatures from -40 degrees Celsius to + 60 degrees Celsius. A quartz watch and another regular mechanical watch was used as a control. When these watches were removed from the test baths only one was working - you guesses it - the ExtremeLab Tourbillon. The success is not as a result of a simple new material but a collage of 13 different materials such as carbon, titanium, ceramic, magnesium, polyurethane, carbonitride Easium, silicium carbonitride, black crystalline diamond, platinum-iridium and Ticalium. The end result is a new calibre, the 988C. Jaeger-LeCoultre is definitely ahead in the game for the development of ultimate watch - a watch where time does not symbolize the nearing of the end, but merely the passage of time.


Some Watch Manufacturers have developed there very own materials that actually bear there name: Zenithium - A Zenith innovation. Zenith has every right to name a material after its company. 7% of all Zenith turnover was poured into years of research and development. The end result is Zenithium which is three times stronger than steel. The material is comprised of titanium for resistance, nobium for memory of shapes, and aluminium for lightweight. Zenith is not the only company to name a material after its company:


Hublot has created Hublonium. Hublonium which combines magnesium and aluminium creating a timepiece that is lightweight and durable. Its Mag Bang timepiece is the first timepiece ever to have a movement and case made of the same material.


These materials are incredible in innovation and functionality, but don't kiss the good old elements goodbye ... not just yet.

Traditional materials such as brass (copper and zinc), steel (iron and carbon) and nickel silver (copper, nickel and zinc) are still favored in watch productions. Many modern companies have attacked the use of these materials as old-fashioned; however, steel pinions and brass wheels still provide the best friction coefficient and so these two alloys remain crucial in modern watch production. In addition, these materials are familiar to watchmakers and watch repairers throughout the world, and there workbenches are laden with tools, oils and lubricants designed to service these old time materials. If these new materials flood the market will the watch makers know how to repair these pieces or are these pieces going to be so durable that no repair is needed?
These pieces are still very costly as the price incorporates the years of research and development as well as the specialized craftsmanship and materials required to manufacture a watch of this calibre.

Audemar Piguet Royal Oak and Royal Oak Offshore

Audemars Piguet's three main virtues that fuel the company forward, "tradition, daring and excellence" and a whole lot of creativity. Instead of baffling the watch enthusiasts with a zillion different collections, Audemars Piguet sticks to the ones that work such as the Royal Oak and Royal Oak Offshore. Audemars reinvents the hugely successful Royal Oak collection and Royal Oak Offshore time after time and often times produces watches with names of celebrities and sport heroes or sporting events. Audemars Piguet watches exude a sense of careful abandonment where the watch is pulling at the far reaches of design while still deeply embedded in tradition, and unlike most watch manufacturers today that have been overpowered by large watch groups, Audemars Piguet still stands alone as a Watch Manufacturer. Audemars Piguet is still, after 130 years, in the capable and innovative hands of the founding family. Audemars Piguet embraces the passage of time and marks time's relentless running with its Luxury Watches.

The Royal Oak was unveiled at Basel World 1972 as a high-end steel sports watch with the Octagon shape and became an immediate success. Designed by Gerald Genta, the flexibility of this case design is endless whether in movements (either quartz or mechanical), complications, colors or materials. Riding high on the success of the Royal Oak, Audemars Piguet released an extreme sports version, in 1992, called the Royal Oak offshore. Audemars Piguet has experimented with cutting edge materials such as applying forging technology to machining carbon which resulted in forged carbon.
One watch to use the high tech forged carbon technology is the Royal Oak Offshore Singapore Grand Prix Chronograph. commemorating Formula One's first night race, the timepiece commissioned by Singapore Grand Prix. Self-winding, forged carbon with steel bezel, case back engraved with the inscription Royal Oak offshore Limited edition- Singapore GP 2008. Water resistant to 100 m. This pretty in pink watch may give the impression of cotton candy but this Ladycat self-winding chronograph watch commorates one of the meanest extreme sports out there: Yacht racing. A sport that requires stamina, agility, precision and coordination — all qualities brilliantly demonstrated by women. Audemars Piguet is partnering with first-class yachtswoman Dona Bertarelli SpÄth, the person who put together the all-women Ladycat crew. To commemorate this partnership Audemars Piguet released the Royal Oak Offshore Ladycat, a limited series of 150 watches, combining diamonds and rubber. The Ladycat comes in a 37mm stainless steel case, black dial with pink applied hour markers, a fuchsia rubber strap, and the back is engraved with the inscription ‘Royal Oak Offshore Ladycat’. This watch also sends the message about the cardiovascular disease in woman which has highly prevalence in women with little public awareness.


Of course there is the Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Concept Tourbillon

The Royal Oak and Royal Oak offshore has a 8 distinctive edges which emits power and a sense of energetic passion that spurs life on. To own this watch is to own a spark of energy that is Audemars Piguet. Every timepiece is crafted with attention to detail and quality. 

Coming soon: Royal Oak Carbon Concept Tourbillon and Chronograph

Not yet available, a watch of the future. The near future. Audemars Piguet is always on the forfront of utilizing new materials. Now for the first time a concept watch where both the case and the movement is equiped with carbon. This exceptional timepiece ,along with the carbon, forged carbon and amorphous carbon is crafted with ceramics, titanium and eloxed aluminum making the watch both surprisingly light and sturdy. The display is another unique aspect of the watch featuring, a linear chronograph minute counter.

Material outline:

• Forged Carbon ( a carbon fiber that has been placed within a mold, compressed at a high temperature under pressures over 300 kilos per cubic centimeter) is used for the case middle.
• The Royal Oak signature bezel, push pieces and crown are ceramics.
• The ring surrounding the case back is held in place by no less than eight screws and crafted from PVD blackened titanium.
• The materials used to make the movement of the watch is equally unique: The main plate is carbon, the central bridge is green eloxed aluminium. The case back side, the bridges are black PVD in addition to the control and coupling levers. The two power reserve cones, the inserts displayed in the openworked zones at 6 and 12 'o' clock.sport an amorphous carbon coating.
• The tourbillon ,weighing in at just 0.45 grams and comprising of an astounding 70 parts , is exceptionally crafted from two-tone black PVD and steel finish.

Phew, now that was just a partial list of the materials, and I haven't even gotten to the complex rapid-rotation twin-barrel system.

In the end I think that this watches appeal will be in its mind bending aesthetics and it's cutting edge futuristic watch craftsmanship. A piece of the future able to fit in the palm of ones hand or, then again, on ones wrist.

The watch is not here yet, it is still on its journey, so that by the time it does surface, it is perfection.