Audemars Piguet 1895 Pocket Watch Conversion

Ancienne Le Brassus · 2014-08-13T14:54:14Z

Ancienne Le Brassus shares his 1895 Audemars Piguet pocket watch conversion, highlighting its baroque dial, historical 'extra' movement, and personal connection to AP's founder.

Ancienne Le Brassus

WPS member · Audemars Piguet forum

26 replies4481 views6 photos

Ancienne Le Brassus unveils a deeply personal and historically rich Audemars Piguet timepiece from 1895, a converted hunter pocket watch he wears weekly. He shares the unique aesthetic of its baroque dial, the beauty of its loud movement, and the special connection to AP's founder, Jules Audemars, who personally inspected 'extra' quality movements.

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Given Bernard Cheong's recent post on screws... and all his discussions about value. I thought I'd share a little piece of Audemars Piguet history that I wear weekly.

Its the more formal companion to my AP RO ... and it is the watch, out all that I have, and have had, that gets the most comments from everybody. The dial is fun, baroque, interesting to look at. and the movement, beautiful... and quite loud. Whenever I take the watch off to show somebody, they immediately hear the movement whirling about, and suddenly fall in love with this watch.

As you can tell, it's a marriage with a generic case. The watch, if I remember correctly is from 1895 and made as a hunter pocket watch. I'll tell the story behind it some other day here, but to put it simply: I became very good friends with the person I purchased it from! I've had this for over 4 years and... worn it through many important moments- it's not what I paid for it that is important with this watch, it's the aesthetic it represents, the quality, the tradition it embodies for a brand that is by far my favorite! Every single screw, pinion, detail, has been hand labored by the best craftsmen of AP back at the end of the 19th century....

Another interesting thing of this AP is that it is marked 'extra' it was the highest quality time-only movement at the time, and according to the AP book.. Jules Audemars would personally inspect all movements marked 'extra' before sending them out of the factory. So this very watch passed through the hands and loupe of the founder of AP. For me that's very special, since Jules Audemars also had worked for the company Louis Audemars- which is one of my all time favorite brands!

So without further ado... here are some pictures of this watch. It has seen LOTS of action, the screws, quite distorted, the movement, touched and scratched by countless services, brutes, and scrappers who finally killed it's original shell... and damaging the dial...but now, fortunately, it sits very nicely in my weekly watch rotation. I think it has a decent home.

Someday when I manage to part with it for long enough, I might recase it in a more noble metal... but now, as bluntly a frankenwatch as it is, it suits me quite fine!

yes... the dial, the dial is quite amazing. Competes with the movement in terms of aesthetic prowess.. I'm sure some expert could say how many different firings it went through, but it is quite spectacular, three dimentional wiht the touches of raised gold.... it really is what makes this watch- the dial!

Hope you enjoy the photographic essay here. And thanks for letting me splash these images all over this forum,

This message has been edited by Ancienne Le Brassus on 2014-08-13 15:03:47

Key Points from the Discussion

The inscription 'Brassus' instead of 'Le Brassus' and 'Geneva' in English on the dial suggests the watch was likely marketed for the US market, offering a unique historical detail.
The elaborate, three-dimensional dial, potentially from the same artisans as CH Meylan, is a significant aesthetic highlight, competing with the movement's beauty.
While generally wary of 'marriage watches' (movements recased), the author believes certain historically significant or high-quality loose movements deserve a proper modern home.
Vintage Audemars Piguet pieces, particularly non-Royal Oak models, offer exceptional quality comparable to modern independent watchmaking at a more accessible price point.
The watch's loud movement is a distinctive characteristic that often captivates those who handle it, immediately drawing them to its charm.
The 'extra' marking on the movement signifies the highest quality time-only movement of its era, personally inspected by Jules Audemars himself, adding immense historical value.

The Discussion

Ancienne Le Brassus

Aug 13, 2014

Here are some more images... showing the different qualities of this watch. Thanks for looking S

Ancienne Le Brassus

Aug 13, 2014

Thanks again for looking, I hope you enjoy this very niece piece of AP history, S

emijar3

Aug 13, 2014

Thanks for sharing! Great description! Best! Ernesto

Luis6

Aug 13, 2014

Everyday I learn something new here from fellow Purists. Just wonderful.

Tim_M

Aug 13, 2014

Ancienne, This is one of the most touching and eloquent tributes to our shared passion that I've had the pleasure to read. Your words will stay with me for quite some time and resonate in my heart for even longer. Thank you for sharing this chapter of your journey, and congratulations on that gorgeous AP. Best, Tim

Sandgroper

Aug 13, 2014

Thank you very much for these beautiful pictures. What a great "transformation", I love it. The dial is to die for, so is the marvellous movement. I find the inscription on the dial quite interesting, "Brassus" instead of 'Le Brassus" followed by "Geneva" in English, not French, is intriguing. I had never seen the two names together on the same dial before. Was the entire movement made in-house or if not which maison made the ebauche? Congratulations Ancienne Le Brassus, very, very nice indeed.

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Audemars Piguet 1895 Pocket Watch Conversion

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