BACK TO THE FUTURE
Historian for Audemars Piguet, Michael Friedman, on how the brand’s watches continue to reflect its heritage for the avant-garde. By Charmaine Ho
How do the 2018 watches fall in place with the Audemars Piguet legacy?
I think we need to begin with the exclamation point of this year, which is the Royal Oak RD#2; and this is, historically speaking, a landmark for perpetual calendar watches. If you had told me five years ago that we will be producing a Per petual Calendar Royal Oak that’s thinner than the current 33mm quartz Royal Oak, I truly would not have believed you. To evolve the perpetual calender along the history of ultra-thin watches is extremely exciting from a historical as well as a futurist perspective.We have to ask where we’re going to go from here. What else is possible? For watch enthusiasts, both internally and externally, it opens up a whole new world of possibilities.
And then you’ve got a strong representation of women’s watches for the year.
There’s a lot that I could talk about the women’s collection. But, through a historian’s lens, there are three that really appeal to me. First, the reintroduction of the Polish mesh bracelets on the Millinery. I love to see something historically rooted get modernised and be appreciated by a new generation. Equally exciting for me is the Frosted Gold Royal Oak Double Balance Wheel Openworked. I’ve been waiting for a skeletonised women’s watch; it’s been over 15 years since we’ve done it on a women’s Royal Oak. So I’m extremely excited by that; and with the same calibre as the men’s watch, too. Then, there’s the first concept watch for women, [which comes] 16 years after we introduced our first concept watch, and, on top of that, with a flying tourbillon! It’s a phenomenal piece; it’s high-end watchmaking and jewellery combined in a way I ’ve n e ve r seen before.
What’s interesting about the Royal Oak Concept Flying Tourbillon is that it almost seems like a continuation of the Diamond Trilogy.
I agree! The Diamond Tr ilogy pushed gemmology, gem-setting, and form and design language but were quartz. [The Concept watch] takes many of the lessons learnt from the Diamond Trilogy and combines that with some of the most sophisticated calibres we’re producing. I credit Chadi [NouriGruber; AP’s Product Director] and her team massively for bringing in all these different elements together so beautifully well.The fact that we have a woman who is now at the head of product is a very important
development for our company.
There seems to be a vivaciousness as well.
Yes, absolutely! There’s a desire to have fun with your watch now. We’re in a different era: Watches are tied to a broader cultural phenomenon, where anything that is inter-disciplinary, that cuts through the timeline, that is an objection to obsolescence is being looked at more carefully, particularly by millennials who grew up in an era of obsolescence. The first generation to grow up in the computer age are some of the ones looking most for authenticity and for objects of permanence. So, I think it is a lifestyle aspect more than anything—that desire for a little bit of escapism, fun and enjoyment. ■