Audemars Piguet

Craig LA
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NOT a Royal Oak . . .

Mods: Please do not move this post to the brand specific forum.

From its inception (in the late 1800s), Audemars Piguet ("AP") was principally a haute horology manufacturer. Early on, they commenced their "Grande Complication" line of superlative watches that continue through the present day. Through the years, AP manufactured many of the most innovative, complicated and technically advanced watches of their time (or any time). AP's achievements are too numerous to list here.

In 1972, AP deviated a bit from its roots and, with the assistance of Gerald Gentra, introduced the Royal Oak line of sport watches. Needless to say, the Royal Oak (and ROO) became a wildly successful, iconic watch that, today, is what most people associate with AP. I suspect AP sells ten Royal Oaks (inc ROOs) for every non-Royal Oak it sells. I briefly owned a Royal Oak Offshore Scuba, but it did not work well on my wrist and I let it go.

Fortunately, AP never abandoned its haute horology roots and, even as it turned the Royal Oak line into a house-hold name, AP continued to manufacturer innovative, technically advanced watches. As I looked beyond the Royal Oak design, I fell in love with AP's Jules Audemars line of complicated pieces, including their amazing minute repeaters, tourbillons, split second chronographs, and grand complications, as well as their Millinary No. 5. IMHO, this is what AP is all about -- this is AP's DNA. The Royal Oak line is fantastic and, if I were at the helm of AP, I would squeeze every drop out of the Royal Oak line, just as AP is doing. That being said, AP was founded first and foremost as a manufacturer of highly complicated watches, and that remains their core character even today.

Yesterday, I took delivery of an AP Jules Audemars Tourbillon Chronograph. Remarkably, I purchased the watch having never seen one in the metal. However, I was so captivated by the photos that I proceeded on faith, knowing that, if it was an AP, it would incorporate the highest standards of workmanship and finish. I am pleased to report that I was not disappointed. To the contrary, my new AP exceeds my expectations by a considerable margin.

The watch is indescribably beautiful . . . classic, yet contemporary . . . visually stimulating, yet understated . . . in a word, timeless (without being staid). The tourbillion is extremely well finished and utterly mesmerizing – it has a small cut out at the bottom that extends through the entire movement (unfortunately, the watch was delivered freshly wound and, therefore, I was unable to capture the true beauty of the tourbillion because it was in motion when I took the photographs – I will shoot more photos when the tourbillion is stationary). The column wheel chronograph operates as smooth as butter. The gold hands and matching gold roman numerals set against the guilloche dial is absolutely stunning. The case finishing is excellent, and includes some brushed surfaces (the sides of the lugs in particular) to add character. The finishing of the movement is first rate, albeit not particularly ornate (I would gladly wear this watch upside down). Even the strap is fantastic.

Rather than bore you with more words, all of which fail to do the watch justice, here are a few photos (I took these late last night, in a rush, so please excuse the mediocre quality – the black reflections on the side of the lugs and case is particularly bad).

First, a good photo taken by someone else (much better than my photos):

Now my inferior photos:

AP’s photos of the movement:

Needless to say, I am ecstatic about this watch!

Regards,

Craig

Ps: To those who find it ironic that I acquired a tourbillon, designed to improve accuracy, after proclaiming that accuracy is over-rated, I freely admit that my love of tourbillons has little to do with improved accuracy. Rather, I love tourbillons because: (1) they represent a technical competence and proficiency that few watchmakers are able to master; (2) they are visually captivating; (3) watches with tourbillions are rare and distinctive; and (4) I find the historical origins of the movement interesting and part of the mystique of the watch.