Manufacture
PantherXXL shares a detailed photo-report of his visit to the Audemars Piguet manufacture in Le Brassus, offering a rare glimpse into the brand's production facilities. His multi-part post covers everything from movement creation to the innovative use of materials like forged carbon. This article provides an invaluable behind-the-scenes look at the craftsmanship and technological advancements that define Audemars Piguet.
Dear all,
this week I have visited AP in Suisse and have enjoyed a wonderful day, I would like to share with you 
I will try to comment the pics as good as I can, hoping that I got all the information at this day are right. If not please excuse or correct me!
At this place once again many thanks to the AP employees for the invitation as well as for the tour and the very friendly welcome! It was really great!
I will structure this post in three parts.
But now let’s start the show!
We had wonderful weather in the Vallee de Joux.
Here you can see the new production building in which the movements are being made and where the carbon manufacturing is situated.
Part 1: „Manufacture des Forges“
First of all we have visited the „Manufacture des Forges“.
Here you can see the mandrel with the carbon threads.
Here a tiny cutted carbon thread.
These threads are precisely weighed. The filled box will make up a middle layer piece for the new GP Carbon.
The single threads will then be put in a form...
.. the form will then be heated...
...and afterwards baked.
The result: a bezel for the Grand Prix series.
Here you can see some completed pieces.
to be continued ......
This message has been edited by AnthonyTsai on 2010-07-05 16:32:49 This message has been edited by AnthonyTsai on 2010-07-08 07:09:52
Backside of the Team Alinghi – the first Carbon watch worldwide Middle layer piece of the Alinghi case. Case of the Concept 2 – great watch, but details will follow! A Grand Prix carbon case. A Bumble Bee case. The side parts of a Grand Prix. The pusher safeguard of the Grand Prix in RG or PL. and here an experiment for the environmental oriented – cannot tell more about it At the end quality checks are executed and this piece is checked very well! One thing I need to tell, I w
Part 2: Movement installation and decoration / specialities and complication Next we have viewed the area where all the different grindings are done. On the left you can see a raw piece, on the right a finished one. Here you can nicely see how many different grindings are existing. With this machine the single jewels are put in place. Once upon a time they were made with this machine. In this room the watch are water proof checked – the big pot at the window is for 300 meter, for the new diver H
Now let’s get to the different complications. Here the pushers are checked and mounted. Here the precision of the movement of the more complicated movements is checked over severall days. Now let’s get to the real premium class – we are talking here of 800.000 Euro – the Grande Complication These are the people who are manufacturing each year one of those watches – highest art of watch making. to be continued .....
On this wheel finished watches are to be seen which are just put to an acid test. One of them we are allowed to view. Each customer of this watch will receive a somehow small piano which acts as a resonance room to enjoy more intensely the minute/hour repetition – sounds really great! Here the basis modules are produced. With this device the modules are oiled with 1000% precision. and checked afterwards. At this working spot the finished module is adjusted and checked.
First of all, great post. Thank you for sharing your love and passion for watches! I feel very lucky to be able to see your photographs! A very impressive tour of the Audemars Piguet factory! Thanks for sharing your numerous photographs. I wonder what the environmentally oriented case material was... Looks almost like wood chips, some sort of vegetation, or digested vegetation - of course, it couldn't possibly be the latter (imagine the outrage it would cause among consumers). It is very interes
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