AUDEMARS
PIGUET
Quantum Calendars
It has been nearly forty years since Audemars Piguet introduced
their fist wristwatch with a perpetual calendar movement inside. On
the following pages we’ll revisit a bit of that history and recall the
brand’s mechanical perseverance during the quartz era, but before
you turn the page, enjoy a moment reviewing Audemar’s latest Royal
Oak to house the perpetual calendar complication.
Launched last year in rose and white, this latest Royal Oak Perpetual Calendar arrives in an 18-karat yellow gold case and benefits
from the usual impeccable finish AP applies to every aspect of the
watch. Polished bevels counterpoint the brushed finishes on the
remarkably slim case, while the “tapisserie” dial in Prussian blue
evokes a masculine feel and compliments the brighter tones of the
yellow gold. Inside the 41 mm case resides and equally well-dressed
automatic winding perpetual calendar caliber 5134 visible through
apphire back.
the large sapphire
Gerald Genta’s 1972 design was and remains a fusion of sport, style,
and fine watch making with few equals. The Royal Oak has seen
dozens of permutations through the years, and back in 1978 this
instant classic was to become the platform for AP’s first wristwatch
with perpetual calendar caliber 2120/2800. This movement became
a staple for the brand that was curating a focused collection during leaner times. Audemars Piguet’s manufacturing capabilities,
combined with a private ownership, allowed them to nimbly adapt
to the somewhat evanescent (and occasionally gaudy) nature of the
1970’s-80’s well to do collectors without abandoning the “haute” in
their horology.
Take a moment and enjoy the details of this latest Royal Oak Perpetual Calendar and the Caliber 5134 within the new yellow gold
case. When you turn the page you’ll be among the first to view the
work of Audemars Piguet’s’ own historian Michael Friedman, and
their Heritage and Museum Director Sebastien Vivas as they bring
you back to the origins of AP’s first perpetual calendars.
A remarkably slim movement
allows the Royal Oak Perpetual
Calendar to achieve near-perfect
proportions of 41mm x 9.5mm
and is as easy to wear as it is on
the eyes.
100
WRISTWATCH | 2016