A day at the Audemars Piguet Musée Atelier

Spending time at the Audemars Piguet Musée Atelier, in the middle of the pandemic, was a terrific experience. Expectations were high and still, they were surpassed. Means have been deployed to make everything tick right for a wow experience.

The brand new Audemars Piguet Musée Atelier was finally inaugurated, or should I say opened due to international sanitary restrictions. We have heard of the millions spent on the project. So now, does it add a real value to the watch world ? Follow me for the visit…

Like a conductor setting the music in motion, the guide is telling us the brand’s story in a symphony marked with highlights. It all starts with facts about the project itself and the achievement of such an incredible architecture in the middle of the Vallé de Joux. Then, we dive deep into the brand’s heritage acquiring a better understanding of watchmaking along the way.

The collections

There is hardly another place that offers the opportunity to see such a large selection of complicated watches (and I include time-only ultra-thin movements under this naming because we often forget that the smaller the movement, the harder the manufacturing). What is even more striking is the fact that most of the watches on display are proudly bearing the same signature.

In preparation of the opening of the new Audemars Piguet Musée Atelier, Audemars Piguet had cared for the most important pieces of its heritage by acquiring the collection gathered by Marcus Margulies . A man of taste, highly demanding when it comes to design, Marcus Margulies had passionately gathered the finest vintage Audemars Piguet timepieces over years. Probably to his greatest satisfaction, the watches have finally joined the AP Museum and they now became the masterpieces of the current exhibition.

What I really loved from the exhibition was the systematic link made between past and present collections. AP developed an unsurpassed know-how producing complicated watches and ultra-thin movements that are no less complicated to achieve. And this is one of the key takeaways from the visit.

Royal Oak

So when the brand introduced the Royal Oak in 1972, they disrupted the industry in terms of design. But Georges Golay, who was then the head of sales, knew that he was relying on their best movement ever, the ultra-thin automatic calibre 2021 measuring only 3,05 mm of thickness. Introduced in 1970, it succeeded the introduction in 1967 of the automatic calibre 2020 without date and measuring a staggering 2.45mm. While the early versions of the jumbo are quite rare to find, it is even harder to find the earliest versions of these calibres in round cases.

The Universelle

Fully immersed in AP’s history, I had nearly forgotten the presence of the Universelle. Previously part of the Margulies collection, the ultra-complicated timepiece is standing at the heart of the spiral. 21 functions, 13 hands and 1168 components are witnessing the international connections maintained by Audemars Piguet since its foundation. They are attesting of the key role played by Audemars Piguet in supplying the finest mechanical watches to the most prestigious names worldwide.

Architecture and complexity

A watchmaker is not afraid of complications. Especially in La Vallée de Joux where Audemars Piguet has always specialised in creating the most complicated movements. They would rather embrace it.

I had not realised the complexity of building the new Audemars Piguet Musée Atelier. The extreme temperature variations to which the glass structure is exposed is one of the reasons for this complexity. Simply imagine attending the visit at room temperature looking at the snow outside with the thermometer announcing -15° or -30°C…..

It immediately reminded me of Burj Khalifa and how I wondered about the engineering required to manage the effects of the temperature on the dilatation of the glass…. And this brings us back automatically to watchmaking. Same issues.

Integrated to the old building

The administrators of the brands are obviously very attached to the heritage of the brand. The historic building, where Jules Louis Audemars and Edward Auguste Piguet had established their workshop in 1875 is now connected to the later addition next door thanks to the architectural spiral.

All buildings are respectively situated Route de France 18 and Route de France 16 in the village of Le Brassus.

Nature as a strength

I always though that this location, in the Middle of the peaceful Vallée De Joux, surrounded by nature, is an incredibly priviledged position within the watchmaking landscape. It permits the brand to focus on itself and write its own history. And think of the watchmakers ! They can enjoy an envious life balance sharing their time seating at the bench, being highly concentrated on assembling these marvels of timekeeping and practicing outdoor activities such as sport or picking mushrooms. Have you already heard of morels?

Oh ! By the way ! My personal favorite out of the modern collection ? The ultra-thin perpetual calendar refered as 26574ST. But I am also a big fan of the Super Sonnerie and the love affair started with the Code 11.59 after I was properly introduced to the model. More to come in a next article !

@lady_dream_watches