Limited Edition of 500 Pieces
Swiss Haute Horlogerie manufacturer Audemars Piguet's newly crafted automatic chronograph brings the aesthetics of the past into the present. Like a remastered recording from the 1940s, [Re]master01 Selfwinding Chronograph reinterprets one of Audemars Piguet's rare chronograph wristwatches with the Manufacture's latest technology and a dial design increasing legibility for the present day.
Audemars Piguet's vintage chronograph wristwatches are among the rarest in the world with only 307 units made between the 1930s through the 1950s. This first remastering project brings forward the Manufacture's creativity during the tumultuous and transitional World War II era. This limited edition evokes the highly distinct design attributes of the original chronograph wristwatch from 1943, with its two-tone steel and rose gold case enhanced with a champagne dial.
"People are very cognisant of the design shake up that took place in the 1970s and in the early 2000s. However, creative expressions of case form and dial design have occurred during every decade of our history. For [Re]master01, we chose to explore the strength and elegance of one of our chronograph wristwatches from 1943 through the prism of 2020. This is not a historic reissue it is a contemporary remastering of one of our past creations" said Michael Friedman, Audemars Piguet's Head of Complications.
Faithful to the original design language of pre-model 1533 from 1943, [Re]master01 features a round case and lugs in stainless steel, enhanced by a bezel, olive-shaped pushers and chamfered crown in 18kt rose gold. The teardrops lugs highlight the two-tone case's harmonious curve, while the very thin bezel provides unobstructed view on the dial's detailed work. The case has been meticulously polished by hand.
The case's two-tone polished aesthetics is complemented by a satin-brushed gold-toned dial enriched with black transferred hour-markers, pink gold hour, minute and seconds hands, blue chronograph hands and a blue transferred tachymetric scale. Although the dial design has retained the original timepiece's classic features and Art Deco-inspired numerals, the watch's enlarged 40mm diameter ensures better legibility fit for a contemporary use.
The chronograph counters have also been rearranged for improved readability. Yet, [Re]master01 has subtly kept the original watch's 4/5 indication above the 15 minutes mark inside the 30-minutes counter at 9 o'clock to allow the wearer to record up to 45 minutes. This indication was requested by Audemars Piguet's third-generation family-founder Jacques-Louis Audemars (1910 2003) to satisfy his taste for soccer and indicate his favourite sport's half time. The blue chronograph hands add a subtle touch of colour to the gold-toned dial enhanced by an 18-carat pink gold bezel.
A REMASTERED CHRONOGRAPH EQUIPPED WITH THE LATEST MECHANICS
The 22kt rose gold rotor is satin-brushed and decorated with Clous de Paris a traditional decoration technique used since the 1950s at Audemars Piguet. Bringing the past into the present, [Re]master01 is equipped with the Manufacture's newest generation of selfwinding chronograph mechanism: an integrated chronograph with column wheel and flyback function. Contrary to the original wristwatch of 1943, [Re]master01 features a glareproofed sapphire crystal caseback which reveals the beauty of the chronograph mechanism and the dedicated 22-carat pink gold oscillating weight matching the bezel.
Similarly to the 1943 wristwatch, [Re]master01 features the signature "Audemars Piguet & Co Genève" on the dial. From around 1885 to the mid-1970s, Audemars Piguet had a workshop in Geneva to be closer to end clients and facilitate distribution within Europe and beyond. When Audemars Piguet started to sign its watches in the early 20th century, the city of Geneva was frequently mentioned on the dial.
A TRIBUTE TO AUDEMARS PIGUET'S CONNECTIONS TO THE WORLD
The logo "Audemars Piguet & Co Genève" pays tribute to the Manufacture's global distribution network. Every Audemars Piguet watch was unique until 1951. The Manufacture's vintage chronograph wristwatches are among the rarest in the world today. This ultimate sports function started to equip Audemars Piguet's wristwatches in the 1930s at a time when the measure of performance had become an integrant part of society. During World War II (19391945), when pre-model 1533 was crafted, chronograph wristwatches accounted for just under one-tenth of the company's total watch production. Only three stainless steel and gold chronograph wristwatches with the present case design were sold in 1943. The watch's 36 mm diameter was quite large for the era when most chronograph wristwatches used to measure between 31 and 34 mm.
HISTORICAL RARITY
"There were many inspiring watches within our Heritage collection that could have been the basis for this remastering project. The entire team unanimously decided on this chronograph wristwatch because of the specific aesthetic and emotional connections we all felt for this echo of the past" said Michael Friedman, Audemars Piguet's Head of Complications.
Technical Specifications:
Ref. 26595SR.OO.A032VE.01
The case, in stainless steel with an 18kt rose gold bezel, crown and pushpieces, measures 40mm. It has a domed AR-coated sapphire crystal, a saphpire display back, and it is water resistant to 20 meters.
Movement is the Swiss automatic Audemars-Piguet in-house caliber 4409 with 40 jewels, 28,800 vph and a power reserve of 70 hours. Functions are: hours, minutes and small seconds. Flyback chronograph.
The yellow gold-toned dial has a blue tachymetric scale, rose gold hour, minute and seconds hands, and blue chronograph hands.
It comes on a hand-stitched light brown calfskin leather strap with a steel pin buckle, and with an additional brown alligator leather strap.
MSRP is $53,100.
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