LOOKS NEW, FEELS VINTAGE
AUDEMARS PIGUET’S MILLENARY COLLECTION PUTS TIME ON WOMEN’S SIDE
Known as an unconventional rule-breaking brand, Audemars Piguet is also very philosophical and creative in fashioning women’s watches under the Millenary collection.
The Swiss maison encourages women to reappropriate time through its new Millenary Frosted Gold Philosophique, whose aesthetics is inspired by 17th-century single-hand timepieces.
The design is a statement of creative freedom and free-spirited individuality. In defiance of the rush and frenzy of today’s world, the new model puts time on women’s side, its single hand defying contemporary conventions of time measurement.
Founded in 1875, Audemars Piguet is the oldest fine watchmaking manufacturer still in the hands of its founding families (Audemars and Piguet). The company is led by Jasmine Audemars, chairwoman of the board of directors.
“At Audemars Piguet, we have always charted our own course, following our firm convictions and starting our independent trends, even during times of crisis,” she said. “We continue today with our new Millenary Philosophique. This watch takes a break from the rushing minutes of our world and invites you to set your own tempo.”
The first hand-wound Philosophique watch was released in 1982, in the midst of the quartz crisis. Inviting wearers to question the notion of passing time, it returned to the beginning of time measurement devices, which were equipped with a single hour hand until the beginning of the 18th century to simplify energy transmission.
The abstract watch has been reinterpreted as the Millenary Frosted Gold Philosophique, housed in a pink or white gold case featuring alternating satin brushing and the Frosted Gold finishing.
The latter is a technique mastered by
Florentine jewellery designer Carolina Bucci, who has collaborated with Audemars Piguet in recent years. Hours of meticulous micro-hammering results in the diamond-dust effect on the 39.5mm case.
The polished and sandblasted single hour hand sweeps on the brown or blue “hammered like” or dimpled dial, achieved through another technique.
Adding to the current hand-wound models, the latest versions are equipped with a new self-winding movement, whose patented mechanism makes the hand move around the dial in an elliptical trajectory.
The hour wheel directly corresponds with a transparent disc on the dial, on which the single hand is mounted. This enables the hand to follow a clear trajectory despite the elliptical case.
Originally conceived for men in 1995, the Millenary family is inspired by architecture and art, and been a platform for creativity.
Since 1998, the watches characterised by an elliptical case, eccentric dial and visible hand-wound movement became available for women.
In 2015, the Millenary collection has been exclusively designed for ladies, offering offbeat and multifaceted models endowed with a wide array of materials and finishing techniques.
The Frosted Gold finishing also adorns the case sides, bezel, inner bezel and lugs of the new white-gold Millenary Frosted Gold Aventurine Dial, which boasts a deep blue aventurine off-centred dial and seconds counter recalling a starlit sky.
The watch is complemented by a handmade white gold Polish mesh bracelet, which adds a vintage touch and feels like second skin.
For information, visit Audemars Piguet Boutique on G Floor, Central Embassy or call 02-160-5838.