Audemars Piguet Voices
An Audemars Piguet timepiece is always made of the following mix: meticulous craftsmanship, beautifully detailed artistry and emotive power. Handmade in the Vallée de Joux, Switzerland, these watches are worn by discerning connaisseurs all over the world. We watch them take shape in the following series of videos
Once in a while, over time, or because of an unforeseen accident, even an Audemars Piguet watch will stop working perfectly. Extraordinary pieces will be taken apart by the head of the restoration workshop, who will handcraft parts where necessary from scratch, and make it tick again. With the help of state-of-the-art tools and an archive of components, rare watches – some discontinued masterpieces of horology – are given a new life.
This film explores Audemars Piguet’s specialities workshop. We get to meet highly skilled, keen-eyed and steady-handed artisans, observe the art of precision filing and sawing, and learn the importance of handing down knowledge and expertise to the next generation, human to human.
The sun rises over La Vallée de Joux. Outside, all is peaceful, but inside a sequence of carefully controlled accidents is in full swing as Audemars Piguet reliability researchers artificially induce the shocks, knocks and falls that a watch may experience during its life. A link between horology and astrology, the infinitesimal nature of learning and outer space, is discussed in earnest.
Snow falls on Le Brassus. At the workbenches of the Audemars Piguet atelier, expert hands focus on the meticulous task of timing: oscillation and spiral; balance and spring; the beating heart of the watch. According to the exacting demands of Monsieur Audemars himself, a perfectly wound spring must 'spread out like waves around a stone thrown into water'.
The Audemars Piguet watch's dial is a carefully crafted facet of an expertly engineered jewel. This film maps the highly detailed process of making the Guilloche dial, charting everything from the raw materials to the gentle pulse of the completed watch's first tick.
There are two characteristics that set apart an Audemars Piguet watch made in La Vallée de Joux; its complications and its finishing. This short video celebrates the meticulous craft of the master “horloger” and the emotions that an Audemars Piguet timepiece provokes in the heart of its owner.