Audemars Piguet’s newest collection of luxurious timepieces showcases the brand’s adept skill in fusing haute horlogerie with haute joaillerie. The watchmaker’s rich tradition in gem setting has always been a defining feature of its timepieces, and recent advancements have taken this art to new levels of excellence.
In the early years, the watchmaker collaborated with others to create bejewelled timepieces. However, the growing popularity of watches with integrated bracelets in the late 1970s and early 1980s led Audemars Piguet to open its own jewellery workshop. This shift naturally led to Audemars Piguet dedicating more time and attention to creating its own gem-set timepieces, prompting the watchmaker to embrace gem setting as a core in-house expertise.
This strategic shift allowed Audemars Piguet to create technically impressive and visually awe-inspiring objects of desire. Today, the brand’s jewelled creations benefit from high jewellery and fine watchmaking expertise.
Imagine the iconic Royal Oak adorned with precious stones arranged in a camouflage pattern. Audemars Piguet has recently unveiled two gem-set 41mm Royal Oak Selfwinding wristwatches. They feature a camo print created with 861 baguette-cut gemstones in 179 different sizes, each delicately hand-polished to achieve a scintillating finish.
The timepieces are available in two colour palettes – cool blues or earthy greens. The blue variation features graded blue sapphires and Swiss blue topaz, while the green variation uses black sapphires, intense and light tsavorites, and smoky quartz to achieve harmonious shades of green, brown, and black.
The level of craftsmanship involved is exemplary. Finding the right stones, colours, and contrasts that meet Audemars Piguet’s strict colour, clarity, and quality criteria was crucial. Each gemstone underwent rigorous quality control, including supplier selection, internal checks for overall harmony, and verification of its purity and gemological nature by an external laboratory.
The watch is powered by the self-winding calibre 4309, the manufacturer’s latest automatic hour, minute, and second movement. There is no date indication, which gives prominence to the fully gem-set dial. The movement’s large diameter ensures excellent chronometry, and its minimum 70-hour power reserve makes it suitable for a contemporary lifestyle.
The Code 11.59 by Audemars Piguet collection has also been given a scintillating touch, resulting in two new and visually arresting 38mm models. For the first time in the 38mm Code 11.59 by Audemars Piguet collection, the case is entirely set with 335 brilliant-cut diamonds, representing a significant technical achievement.
The dials of these new watches are the highlight, with diamonds and sapphires set in a deliberately haphazard manner. There are two variations available. The white gold version has a dial set with 134 diamonds and 399 sapphires (totalling around 2.05 cts) and a rhodium-toned inner bezel. The pink gold option features a dial set with 533 diamonds and blue sapphires (totalling 1.95 cts), combined with a dark blue inner bezel.
A closer look at the new Code 11.59 by Audemars Piguet Selfwinding in 38mm
In regards to the case, diamonds are prominently featured along the case middle, bezel, crown, and, notably, the open-worked case lugs. The manufacture’s savoir-faire is visible in the details of the gemsetting, where meticulously hollowed lugs allow diamonds to be set right on the edge of the case. Within these sparkling creations tick the self-winding calibre 5909, which provides a solid 60-hour power reserve. This 3.9mm selfwinding movement beats at a frequency of 4Hz and has 60 hours of power reserve, making it ideal for today’s lifestyle.
These gem-set Royal Oak and Code 11.59 by Audemars Piguet models finely blend haute joaillerie with haute horlogerie, highlighting the brand’s dedication to preserving its rich heritage while continually pushing the boundaries of watchmaking.
Click here to discover the Royal Oak Selfwinding 41mm and Code 11.59 by Audemars Piguet Selfwinding 38mm.
