Audemars Piguet publishes its “bible” of complicated wristwatches
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Extracts from Book Audemars Piguet 20th Century Complicated Wristwatches published in May 2018
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Extracts from Book Audemars Piguet 20th Century Complicated Wristwatches published in May 2018
Open Gallery
Extracts from Book Audemars Piguet 20th Century Complicated Wristwatches published in May 2018
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Minute repeater wristwatch, calibre 12PMV, platinum case. Movement made in 1927, watch sold in 1945
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Perpetual calendar wristwatch, 18-carat yellow gold case, calibre 13VZSSQP. Movement made in 1957, watch sold in 1969 to Vacheron Constantin
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The first wrist-watch with a perpetual clendar showing the leap years, 18-carat yellow, Ø 36,5 mm, calibre 13VZSSQP. Watch made in 1957, sold in 1966
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Extracts from Book Audemars Piguet 20th Century Complicated Wristwatches published in May 2018
Between 1892 and the end of the 1970s, Audemars Piguet produced 550 complicated wristwatches. They are documented in an impressive new book, which also narrates the Manufacture’s efforts to safeguard this grand tradition.
Haute Horlogerie watchmaker Audemars Piguet announces its first ever book dedicated entirely to the history of the manufacturers complicated wristwatches, following 4 years of Archival research and writing on the part of the Heritage Department. From the world’s first minute repeating wristwatch crafted in 1892 until the revival of complications in the late 1970s, Audemars Piguet produced a grand total of only 550 complicated wristwatches, of which no two are identical: 35 minute repeaters, 188 calendar wristwatches, 307 chronograph wristwatches and 20 double complication wristwatches featuring both calendar and chronograph. The entire story Audemars Piguet’s complicated wristwatches is shared for the first time – comprised of detailed photography, enriching narratives with cultural context, 1st generation historic documents, Archival images, technical specifications and production data.
In addition to the 550 complicated wristwatches, the book also tells the fascinating story of the revival of complications that occurred during the height of the Quartz Crisis in the late 1970s. During a time of great change and disruption in the industry, Audemars Piguet shifted the focus back to complications, setting the stage for great developments and innovation during the 1980s, 1990s and into the 21st century.
The book is available for CHF 150 on watchprint.com.
