The pink or white gold bracelet versions have been fitted with bracelets that, like the frosted end, possess a hand-crafted element that gives the watch a jewelry aesthetic. Audemars Piguet calls it the Polish bracelet since it’s given a high gloss to make it even more supple on the wrist. From the bracelet, the gold threads are in a right-over-left pattern rather than in precisely the exact same direction. The end result is a bracelet that is more elastic and therefore hugs the wrist like another skin. This is made more possible by the ability to closely size the bracelet by removing or adding links in 5mm sections. The sub-dials on the bracelet models are mother-of-pearl. The instances on all 3 new Millenary watches are scaled to 39.5mm, which makes them more wearable than the 45mm bits in previous models, and far more wearable than the 47mm Millenary 4101, a model more intended for a person’s wrist. The new, scaled-down versions make the Millenary more only a women’ collection, which is a fantastic movement for Audemars Piguet. All three new models contain the manually-wound Caliber 5201, which is reversed to display some of its elements on the dial side. Pricing for the newest Millenary models will be accessible mid-January. Irrespective of whether or not you are into all things that glitter, it can not be denied that 2017’s SIHH trends were punctuated by heaps of the 79th element in white, yellow, and frosty colours. And no one needed more to reveal in this camp than Audemars Piguet, whose Extra-Thin Jumbo Royal Oak (mention 15202) in golden didn’t quite steal the spotlight from the showstopping Perpetual Calendar in ceramic, but it surely came incredibly close — especially for those who’ve been following the last 40 or so years of this Royal Oak.
Audemars Piguet just reopened its flagship boutique in Singapore, now restyled and enlarged, making it the largest such store in the world. We take you on a quick tour of the fresh premises.
Sitting just off Orchard Road, Singapore’s main shopping boulevard, the revamped boutique is over 2000 sq ft, the largest Audemars Piguet boutique in the world. Liberally decorated with oak and stone, the store leans heavily on Audemars Piguet’s hometown of Le Brassus for inspiration. The flagship outpost of the only haute horlogerie watchmaker still owned by the founding families, the new Singapore boutique is fronted with a three-story facade fronted with vertical strips. Made of matte bronze, these are meant to evoke the trees of Le Brassus, which sits high in the mountains of the Vallee de Joux. Despite the imposing height outside, the interior is only two floors, giving both levels expansive space.
An enormous chandelier on the ground level is inspired by the cloud and fog that will be familiar to visitors to Le Brassus.
A watchmaker sits at his bench on the second level, available for simpler tasks like replacing batteries, swapping straps or evaluating a watch for servicing.
The store is fully stocked with Audemars Piguet timepieces, including most of the Royal Oak Concept watches, various limited editions (including the limited edition “Jumbo” 15202 in yellow gold), along with some of the SIHH 2016 new releases. The Audemars Piguet boutique is located at:
541 Orchard Road
Liat Towers #01-03
Singapore 238881
First and second images courtesy of Audemars Piguet