This past Thursday, on the eve of the traditional Swiss watch industry vacation, a longtime friend visited the watchmakers of the Manufacture Audemars Piguet to get an up-close look at the watch bearing his name: the Millenary Quincy Jones, which was presented at the SIHH 2010.

For several years, Audemars Piguet and Quincy Jones have been associated in developing “Project Q”, aimed at raising political and public awareness of young people’s need for self-expression and the means that must be provided to ensure they fulfill their potential. The cornerstone of “Project Q” is the “Q Prize”, an international award presented by Audemars Piguet honoring a public figure or social organization having played a central role on behalf of children. Through his Quincy Jones Foundation, the artist is also committed to helping children by improving their well-being, their health and their dignity. The new Millenary Quincy Jones watch will contribute to raising funds for this foundation.

In speaking of the man behind the foundation, Audemars Piguet CEO Philippe Merk said: “Quincy Jones is not only an amazing artist and a daring entrepreneur, but above all a man with a big heart. One cannot help admiring his career, especially considering the difficulties he encountered during his childhood. He gives us an important life lesson and naturally inspires profound respect.”

Quincy Jones tours the Audemars Piguet workshop

At the bench, examining his namesake timepiece

Quincy Jones with Philippe Merk

The Quincy Jones Millenary

Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger’s After-School All-Stars (ASAS) hosted a star-studded gala at the Mandarin Oriental Hotel in New York on June 17th honoring Francois-Henry Bennahmias, President & CEO of Audemars Piguet North America, among others, for his support of the Governor’s organization that provides comprehensive after school and summer programs for at-risk children in thirteen cities throughout the country.

Francois-Henry Bennahmias and Governor Schwarzenegger

The evening’s highlights included remarks from Governor Schwarzenegger and a live auction conducted by Sotheby’s Eliza Osborne that included the special pre-sale of an Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Offshore Legacy timepiece scheduled for general market release in March 2011. The auction raised over $500,000 (complete results below).

The Royal Oak Offshore Legacy with the Governor’s seal was taken directly from the Governor’s wrist. It sold for $100,000, with Francois Bennahmias contributing an additional $25,000 on behalf of Audemars Piguet. During their 10 year partnership, AP and Governor Schwarzenegger have co-designed 8 limited edition pieces, and AP has raised over $8 million for ASAS.

Governor Schwarzenegger addresses the crowd.

The live auction gets underway.

Governor Schwarzenegger with the limited edition Royal Oak Legacy.

Founded by Arnold Schwarzenegger in 1992, ASAS puts donated funds to work providing engaging activities to nearly 80,000 children in poverty annually. The programs are free to the participants and they are designed to improve the participants’ lives and to prepare them for the 21st century workforce by incorporating academic support, enrichment, and health & physical fitness. The New York Chapter was established in 1996 and has served over 20,000 of the city’s neediest children, including those from homeless shelters and public housing projects. To learn more about After School All Stars, visit www.afterschoolallstars.org.

“Our entire U.S. charitable efforts started with Governor Schwarzenegger and After-School All-Stars and this relationship has undoubtedly been the inspiration for our never-ending commitment to always giving back,” said Francois-Henry Bennahmias. “After a decade of working together and as a brand still in the hands of the original founding family, Audemars Piguet considers After-School All-Stars a member of this family. We are proud and humbled by the work we have done to make a difference in the lives of so many children.”

Live auction results:

AUDEMARS PIGUET ROYAL OAK OFFSHORE
Arnold Schwarzenegger Chronograph
Sold for $60,000

AUDEMARS PIGUET ROYAL OAK OFFSHORE
Chronograph with the Governor’s seal taken directly from the Governor’s wrist
Sold for $100,000 plus an additional $25,000 contributed by Francois Bennahmias on behalf of Audemars Piguet

AUDEMARS PIGUET JULES AUDEMARS
Dual time with the Governor’s seal
Sold for $40,000

AUDEMARS PIGUET JULES AUDEMARS
Perpetual Calendar with the Governor’s seal
Sold for $50,000

Photo credit: www.startraksphoto.com.

Reuters correspondent Silke Koltrowitz interviewed Ulysee Nardin President and CEO Rolf Schnyder and Audemars Piguet CEO Philippe Merk at the Global Luxury Summit in Paris earlier this month. Both men said their sales are increasing, and each has raised Eurozone prices as the Swiss franc strengthens against the euro. The franc has risen about 4.6 percent against the euro this year.

Schnyder told the Luxury Summit “We changed all our prices in the euro zone a week ago. We took an exchange rate of 1.40.” Merk said “Of course there’s the pressure to adjust pricing upwards in Europe. This trend is going to persist. We had to make a little adjustment in March. We increased prices by 4 percent.”

Commenting on global sales, Schnyder said U.S. sales turned positive at the end of 2009 and that the market is recovering strongly with sales up 35% in May against admittedly weak year-earlier figures. Schnyder said that China and Russia are also doing well. Schnyder expects UN sales to increase 20 to 25% this year.

AP’s sales were down about 10% last year, but the brand saw a 10% increase in the first 4 months of 2010. Merk said “The motor in this industry is the Chinese consumer. That’s certainly very positive. The second smaller engine I believe is Latin America, which showed excellent growth last year, a trend that continues to persist this year.” Merk also noted strong sales recoveries in the USA and the Middle East.

Commenting on the the impact of the European debt crisis on luxury watch demand, Schnyder said “I’m not so worried about it. It affects more the medium-priced brands because the middle class are the people who suffer the most.”

Merk sees the European market losing momentum over both the short and long term. “Europe compared to Asia and also the Americas has slowed down. I think it’s not only the euro, it’s the general economic climate which is not as strong as five or ten years ago,” he said. “We expect less growth from Europe in the future.”

Schnyder also addressed speculation that his independent firm might be acquired by one of the large groups such as LVMH, Richemont or Swatch Group. In a nutshell, he displayed the “Not for sale” sign, saying he expects the brand to remain independent. Schnyder said he has a successor to head the brand in mind, but did not say who it will be. Schnyder purchased the brand with partners in 1983 and has since served as its chief executive.

You can read an in-depth profile of Schnyder in .pdf format from WatchTime’s June, 2005 issue by clicking here.

Read the original Luxury Summit report on the Reuters website.

Audemars Piguet teamed with A-List celebrities to raise funds for Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS at the “Time to Give” auction in New York City. The event is a collaboration between AP and the Tony Awards. The highlight of the evening was a live auction of 13 celebrity-autographed timepieces. Signatures from Meryl Streep, Vanessa Williams, Hugh Jackman, Scarlett Johansson and others brought $816,000 for the cause.

A Royal Oak Offshore Las Vegas Strip signed by Jay Z was the evening’s top seller, bringing $220,000. Meryl Streep’s AP brought $100,000, and a piece signed by Catherine Zeta Jones drew a bid of $80,000. Other celebrities participating this year include Kelsey Grammer, Liev Schreiber, Neil Patrick Harris, Nathan Lane, and Antonio Banderas.

Here are a few scenes from the evening, which can be enlarged with a click. Photos by Bill Davila/startraksphotos.com.

Francois-Henry Bennahmias, President & CEO, Audemars Piguet North America, with Vanessa Williams

Jay Z enjoys the evening

Camille and Kelsey Grammer

Audemars Piguet announces the addition of PGA golfer Anthony Kim and European PGA golfer Rory McIlroy as the Company’s newest brand ambassadors. Kim and McIlroy join the AP Golf Ambassador Team which already includes Darren Clarke, Nick Faldo, Miguel Angel Jiménez, Graeme McDowell, Rocco Mediate, Morgan Pressel, Vijay Singh, DJ Trahan, and Lee Westwood, among others.

At 24 years of age, Anthony Kim rocketed onto the PGA scene after turning pro in 2006. His best finish on the PGA Tour in 2010 is 1st at the Shell Houston Open, and he had a remarkable 3rd place finish at April’s Master’s Tournament.

Rory McIlroy, who will turn 21 on May 4th, is the youngest ever player to make the world’s Top 50 and became only the second 20 year-old to break into the world’s Top 10, after Sergio Garcia. His victory at the Dubai Desert Classic in January 2009 and fourteen Top 10 finishes took him to 2nd place in the European Tour rankings last year. His best finish in a Major tournament to date is 3rd place at the US PGA Championship in August 2009.

Kim is currently ranked 10th and McIlroy 13th in the Official World Golf Rankings, and both players are widely recognized as two of the most exciting young players in the game.

Audemars Piguet launched a new diver’s watch at SIHH last week. The Royal Oak Offshore Diver measures 42mm x 13.75mm and is powered by AP’s manufacture 3120 automatic movement. The ROO Diver meets or surpasses each of the Swiss watch industry norms (NIHS) for dive watches, including time preselection device, visibility, water resistance, anti-magnetic properties, resistance to shock and thermal variations, and resistance to external forces.

The time preselection device norm (NIHS 92-11 corresponding to ISO 6425) calls for a device that is protected against any unintentional rotation. The ROO Diver has a unidirectional inner bezel that is activated via a click mechanism linked to the crown at 10 o’clock. The wearer must unscrew the crown to turn the bezel.

The Swiss dive watch norms require that the time measured on the inner dial ring must be readable in the dark from a distance of 25 cm, or about 10 inches. The ROO Diver meets this requirement with faceted, luminescent baton hour markers along with faceted and luminescent hour and minute hands. The inner bezel has a minutes scale that highlights 5 minute intervals.

The Swiss norms require that all dive watches must be water tight to 100 meters. The ROO Diver exceeds this standard with 300 meter watertightness. The ROO Diver also meets the standards for antimagmetic, shock and thermal variation resistance, and the size of the buckle has been increased so that the strap can withstand forces up to 200 Newtons.

The ROO Diver is equipped with the Manufacture Audemars Piguet automatic winding caliber 3120 movement. The movement uses a variable-inertia balance with a flat balance-spring oscillating at 21,600 vibrations per hour. Adjustment is performed by means of eight inertia-blocks. The cross-through balance bridge is attached on both sides of the mainplate and so provides enhanced shock-resistance. The direct-drive central seconds hand avoids backlash.

Caliber 3120 features a 60 hour power reserve, fast-adjustment date display, and stop or hacking seconds. The movement is hand-assembled in Le Brassus. The bridges are chamfered and polished. The jewel sinks are diamond-polished. The wheels feature chamfered spokes and diamond-polished jewel sinks. Screw rims and slots are chamfered. The hand-crafted decoration includes a mainplate circular-grained on both sides and bridges with Côtes de Genève. The monobloc 22-carat gold oscillating weight bears the Audemars and Piguet family crests and the AP monogram.

Technical specifications appear below the images, which can be enlarged with a click.

TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS
Royal Oak Offshore Diver

Reference
15703ST.OO.A002CA.01
Stainless steel case
Water-resistant to 300 meters

Movement
Proprietary Caliber 3120, selfwinding
Total diameter : 26.60 mm
Casing diameter: 11.5 lignes (26 mm)
Thickness: 4.25 mm
40 jewels
278 parts
22-carat gold oscillating weight
Up to 60-hour power reserve
Cadence of the balance: 21,600 vibrations per hour
Variable-inertia balance with eight inertia-blocks and flat balance-spring
Geneva-type mobile balance-spring stud holder
Three-position winding stem
Finishing: all parts finely decorated; mainplate circular-grained; bridges rhodium-plated, chamfered, snailed and adorned with Côtes de Genève. Diamond-polished jewel sinks; wheels with chamfered spokes and diamond-polished jewel sinks; chamfered screw rims and slots
Oscillating weight engraved with the AP monogram and the Audemars and Piguet family crests

Case
Stainless steel
Black rubber crowns
Diameter: 42 mm
Thickness: 13.75 mm
Back with medallion bearing the legend Royal Oak Offshore
Water-resistant to 300 meters

Dial
Black with exclusive “Méga Tapisserie” motif
Inner rotating ring with diving scale
Applied gray hour-markers with luminescent coating
Faceted white gold hour and minute hands with luminescent coating

Strap
Black rubber with oversize stainless steel pin buckle

Functions
Hours and minutes
Dive-time measurement
Date

Audemars Piguet’s new Millenary Carbon One is a technical wonder. The case is forged carbon, an ultra-light material developed by AP. The middle section of the case is created by placing a set of threaded carbon filaments inside a mold. The wire, measuring one millimeter in diameter, is itself composed of several thousand 7-micron carbon fibers held together by a resin wire. Placed end to end, these filaments are equivalent to 22.7 meters of carbon wire and 102.2 km of carbon fibers.

The mold is then compressed at high temperature at pressures of over 300 kilos per square centimeter. This process results in a material composed of 76% carbon and 24% polyamide. The hardness of 626 Vickers can be compared with the 420 Vickers score for alacrite, another highly resistant material. The case middle and lugs are made all of a piece. The bezel, crown and pushers are in ceramics. The high-tech materials and manufacturing techniques result in a very light timepiece indeed: the Millenary Carbon One weights just 69.44 grams.

The openworked dial reveals caliber 2884, a completely proprietary movement equipped with a tourbillon, a chronograph, and a 10-day power reserve. Twin barrels actually store enough energy to power the watch for 12 days, but a locking mechanism allows the watch to run only during the 10 days when the power delivery is most consistent. Each movement is first assembled on a trial basis in order to set it into motion. This stage requires ten days of adjustments. Once the watchmaker is sure that it runs completely smoothly, he takes it apart and cleans the parts before final assembly and casing up. It takes about 15 days to assemble a finished movement, three of which are devoted to the 80-piece tourbillon.

The high-tech theme continues inside. Eloxed aluminium is used for the the bridges and carbon for the mainplate, but not ordinary carbon. It’s an isotropic material composed of carbon nanofibres injected at an extremely high pressure of 7500 N/cm2 and at a temperature of 2400°C in order to achieve a material possessing mechanical, physical and chemical stability in all directions. This amorphous and chemically neutral composite material maintains its dimensions over a broad range of temperatures. Due to its minimal elastic deformation, this carbon provides a highly stable base for the metal elements attached to it.

The Millenary Carbon One Tourbillon Chronograph will be produced in a limited series of 120 watches.

Technical specifications appear below the images, which you may click to enlarge.

TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS
Millenary Carbon One Tourbillon Chronograph

Reference
26152AU.OO.D002CR.01
Forged carbon case, black crocodile leather strap
Limited edition of 120

Movement
Caliber : 2884 hand-wound with twin barrel and tourbillon
Carbon mainplate
Bridges in eloxed aluminium and blackened steel
Total diameter : 38.40 x 33.40 mm
Casing diameter : 37.40 x 32.40 mm
Thickness : 9.7 mm
30 jewels
336 parts
Up to 240-hour power reserve
Cadence of the balance : 21,600 vibrations per hour
Finishing : all parts decorated by hand.

Case
Forged carbon with black ceramic bezel, crown and push-buttons
Dimensions : 47 x 42 mm
Cambered glareproofed sapphire crystal
Blackened titanium back fitted with sapphire crystal
Water resistant to 20 meters

Dial
Openworked to reveal the movement
White hour-markers with luminescent coating
Blackened luminescent hands

Strap
Hand-sewn “large square scale” crocodile leather with AP folding clasp in blackened titanium

Functions
Hours and minutes
Chronograph
Power-reserve indicator

The first automatic winding chronograph in the Jules Audemars collection wears 1920s inspiration on the outside, but it is thoroughly up to date on the inside. The numerals on the dial and the pear hands give the watch a strong, classic look. Under the dial ticks the new caliber 3124/3841, based on a new generation of Audemars Piguet manufacture movements. The 41mm case is available in 18k white or pink gold.

Jules Audemars Chronograph

References
26100OR.OO.D088CR.01
18-carat pink gold case

26100BC.OO.D002CR.01
18-carat white gold case

Movement
Exclusive self-winding AP Calibre 3124/3841
Power reserve: up to 60 hours
Cadence of the balance: 21,600 vibrations per hour
Finishing: all parts decorated by hand

Cases
18-carat white or pink gold
Diameter: 41 mm
Water-resistance: 20 m
Sapphire crystal caseback

Dials
White-lacquered or off-white-lacquered dial with black transferred Arabic
numerals
Black leaf-shaped hands

Functions
Hours and minutes
Small seconds
Chronograph with central
seconds hand, 30-minute
counter
Tachometer