Audemars Piguet - Tradition Tourbillon Minute Repeater Chronograph NEW
As a company still in the hands of the founding families,
Audemars Piguet cultivates its original traditions by producing, with
the help of brilliant, devoted and manually gifted watchmakers, an array
of works that are admired by the most discerning collectors and
connoisseurs.
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This year, in order to express the very best in watchmaking, the
Manufacture in Le Brassus has decided to develop a model equipped with
complications and clothed in a case inspired by that of a
1920s
cushion-shaped pocket-watch belonging to its private museum.
The
result is the
Tradition Tourbillon Minute Repeater Chronograph, produced
in two 10-piece limited editions: one in pink and white gold, and the
other in
titanium and white gold.
The first version, featuring a
pink gold case middle topped by a white gold bezel, associated with an
anthracite dial, pink gold hands and hour-markers, lends the model an
original and timeless charm.
The other version with its
titanium
case middle and white gold bezel offers the wearer the best possible
auditory experience when the minute repeater is in operation. Few people
are aware that the quality of the sound emitted by a watch largely
depends on the metal from which the case is made, as well as its volume.
The larger the case and the lighter and harder the materials, the more
it enables the acoustic waves to expand. The 47 mm
titanium case thereby
maximises the sound volume, thus enhancing connoisseurs’ listening
pleasure.
In addition to its original design, this extraordinary
instrument also houses an exceptional movement combining highly
sought-after horological complications including a tourbillon regulator
and a minute repeater mechanism. Assembled within a single mechanism and
complemented by a chronograph function, they form a rare and
outstanding whole.
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The appealingly curved case of the
Tradition
Tourbillon Minute Repeater Chronograph accommodates a mechanical
hand-wound 13¼-ligne (29.90 mm) calibre that is 7.65 mm thick and
comprises
504 parts – of which some of the individual elements and
mechanical subsets are visible through the transparent case-back.
Moreover, the 83 parts composing the one-minute rotating tourbillon with
its balance oscillating at a rate of 21,600 vibrations per hour may be
admired through the dial opening, thus enabling the owner of this
fantastic instrument to revel in the sight of this 0.4 gram regulator of
which the constant revolutions are designed to enhance the precision of
the watch.
This exceptional timepiece is also superbly crafted by
hand according to the highest Fine Watchmaking standards in order to
reveal meticulously worked parts fully respectful of tradition.
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The
patient finishing work, to which specialised artisans devote hundreds
of hours, is clearly visible through the transparent case-back. Finishes
such as bevelling, recesses, sinks and sandblasting call for countless
hours of fine craftsmanship and incredible dexterity, in a process
amounting to around one-third of the price of the movement. Among the
techniques used to make this movement visually appealing, bevelling is
undoubtedly the most highly appreciated manual technique, as well as
that which requires the greatest accuracy. This exercise, which calls
for years of experience, consists in using a file to cut down the edges
of components and in polishing them with a slightly curved burnisher, so
as to highlight the rim by enabling the light to play across the
bevels. These finishes serve historically functional purpose, by
protecting the movement against dust and humidity, and thus any risk of
oxidation. Nonetheless, these finishes and decorations will only
effectively magnify the beauty of the mechanism if the technique
involved in this art is fully mastered. It is indeed a form of art fully
mastered by
Audemars Piguet and continually applied to our products.
Functionality meets aesthetics in these infinitely delicate operations.
This aesthetic treatment of the mechanism powerfully reveals this
meticulous workmanship, executed to perfection at
Audemars Piguet. In
the case of this model, each part has been treated with infinite care.
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Some components, such as the hammers of the minute repeater striking
mechanism which are visible through the case-back, combine two finishes
entailing highly complex execution: a mirror polish that is so fine that
artisans even joke among themselves that “a glance is enough to scratch
it”; along with a bevelling featuring interior and external angles
embodying the ultimate expression of the artist’s mastery. These
specific angles, which can be easily pinpointed in the mechanism, may be
viewed as the secret signature of the artisan, and provide undeniable
proof of the authenticity of a work performed by hand because no machine
could possibly produce this type of finish.
These two intense and
exceptional models, with their cases featuring a particularly
distinctive design, share the same
Manufacture Audemars Piguet
hand-wound
Calibre 2874, partially visible through the case-back and
ensuring a 48-hour power reserve. This watch interpreted in pink and
white gold version fitted with an alligator strap is secured to the
wrist by a pink gold folding clasp, while the
titanium and white gold
version of this Tradition watch comes with a white gold folding clasp.
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Technical specifications
Calibre :
proprietary
Calibre 2874, hand-wound
Total diameter : 29.90 mm (13¼ lines)
Movement thickness : 7.65 mm
Number of jewels : 38
Number of parts : 504
Minimum guaranteed power reserve : 48 hrs
Cadence of the balance : 21,600 vph
Case : titanium case (47 mm), glareproofed sapphire crystal and case-back, 18K white gold crown, bezel, pushpieces and case-back.
Dial : silvered opaline dial, pink gold applied Arabic numerals and hands.
Functions : tourbillon, chronograph, minute repeater striking on 2 gongs, hours, minutes, small seconds.
Specific characteristics
Triple complication movement
Column-wheel chronograph mechanism
30-minute counter
Hand-finished bridges and mainplate
Hand-finished cut-out parts (polished bevels, straight-grained on top and matt surface underneath)
Strap :
hand-sewn black “large square scales” crocodile leather with 18K white gold AP folding clasp.
Reference 26564IC.OO.D002CR.01
10-piece limited edition
Press release
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journal.hautehorlogerie.org
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www.AudemarsPiguet.com