The most dominant trend in the watch industry continues to be vintage revivals. And invariably, it’s the brands with a rich tapestry of work in their historical archives that tend to thrive in the category. Audemars Piguet now looks back at a mid-20th century model to create the [Re]master01 self-winding chronograph. Though the inspiration is vintage, the timepiece is a thoroughly modern interpretation of the original. Learn more in this in-depth profile of the watch from Nitin Nair of our sister publication, WatchTime Middle East.
The new chronograph has a limited run — only 500 pieces will be made — and it does an impressive job of evoking the spirit of the original with its two-tone steel and rose-gold case complemented by a champagne dial. The [Re]master01 features a modern 40 mm stainless steel case with the distinct teardrop-shaped lugs of the original. Its slim bezel, olive-shaped chronograph pushers and chamfered crown are in 18k pink gold.
The satin-brushed champagne dial has black transferred hour markers and rose-gold hour, minute, and second hands. Steeled blue chronograph hands and a blue transferred tachymetric scale add a pop of color to the dial. Also noteworthy is the Art Deco-inspired numerals and the signature “Audemars Piguet & Co Genève” on the dial. The explanation for the latter feature is that from 1887 through the mid-1970s, Audemars Piguet (based in Le Brassus) maintained a workshop in Geneva to be closer to its customers and to facilitate trade distribution within Europe.
The chronograph has a tricompax layout, with a 12-hour counter at 3 o’ clock and a running seconds subdial at 6 o’clock. The 30-minute counter at 9 o’clock has a 4/5 indication above the 15 minute mark, just as in the original. This element was added at the behest of Jacques-Louis Audemars, a fan of European football, or soccer, to help time the duration of each half of a match.
The watch is powered by a new automatic movement, Caliber 4409, whose integrated chronograph is driven by a column wheel and equipped with a flyback function. This chronograph movement, visible behind a sapphire crystal caseback, is from the same family of chronograph calibers that was used in the Code 11:59 collection last year. Caliber 4409 has a 22K rose-gold oscillating weight that matches the tone of the bezel. The rotor is satin-brushed and decorated with a “clous de Paris” pattern and it can amass a power reserve of 70 hours.
The watch is paired with a light brown, hand-stitched calfskin strap but it also comes with an additional dark brown alligator strap. Limited to 500 pieces, the [Re]master01 is priced at $53,100.
A version of this story appeared on WatchTime Middle East.
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