Audemars Piguet Jules Audemars Chronometer With AP Escapement Luxury Watch Review
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- Опубликовано: 28 сен 2015
- www.thewatchbox.com/watches/au...
The Audemars Piguet Jules Audemars Chronometer With AP Escapement stands at the intersection of art and science. As high-horology’s first daily-wearable direct-impulse escapement, the Chronometer is a masterpiece two centuries in the making.
Envisioned by watchmakers as a horological Holy Grail since its conception during the French Revolution, the direct-impulse escapement has been realized in the 21st century by Audemars Piguet.
Virtually every luxury watch constructed since the inception of the type has employed the time-tested Swiss lever. In observatory chronometer form, the Swiss lever (ironically, an English invention) has proved capable of incredible precision. But the clear drawbacks of the system were evident from its earliest days.
By its very nature, a Swiss lever wastes energy. The lever transfers power between the escape wheel and the balance wheel while metering the former and impulsing the later. Combining these two functions means that a great deal of energy is lost between the (mainspring-powered) escape wheel and the hairspring-propelled balance wheel.
In 1791, the French watchmaker/clockmaker Robert Robin conceived of a direct-impulse escapement wherein the balance interacts with the escape wheel directly. Critically, the lever is relegated to locking and unlocking the escape wheel exclusively; the lever no longer transmits any power. As a result, less energy is lost, and the potential precision of the watch increases dramatically. While Robin’s prototypes and countless follow-up efforts fell short of the required durability and component tolerances, the brilliant concept endured to tantalize generations of watchmakers.
The manual-wind Audemars Piguet caliber 2908 realizes this longtime dream. Not only does its direct-impulse escapement operate with less energy loss, but its increased efficiency means smaller contact patches between jewels and escape wheel teeth. This reduction allows AP to run the escapement at a blazing 43,200 VpH (6hz) and to do so without lubrication. Not only does the higher rate enable even better timing precision, but the absence of lubricating oil ensures that the watch will continue to keep excellent time for longer periods between overhauls.
Audemars Piguet compounds the advantage of its eponymous escapement by backing it with a 90-hour power reserve and a double hairspring for exceptional precision. The twin hairsprings are superimposed atop the balance wheel and positioned 180 degrees out of phase. In doing so, AP ensures that gravity’s effect on one hairspring will be cancelled by the opposing spring; in a physical position that induces one spring to speed up the balance, the opposing spring will be acting to slow the wheel. This solution offers an alternative to the pocket watch-specific tourbillon and helps to ensure COSC Swiss Chronometer precision.
While cerebrally satisfying, technology without art is sterile; Audemars Piguet provides an embarrassment of the latter. All elements of the fully open dial are finished by hand in the grandest tradition of the Vallee de Joux. Mirror-grade anglage adorns every bridge; black polished wheel cocks explode and vanish on the dial side of the movement; the entire base plate of the caliber is a solid 18K white gold disc blazon with intricate Clous de Paris guilloche.
And to stun even the most jaded haut-de-gamme holdouts, AP crafts the primary dial at 12 o’clock from kiln-fired white enamel. Its railroad minute track, red accents, and heat-blued hands form a masterpiece in miniature.
Louis XV once remarked that platinum was the only metal fit for a king, and while the Bourbon dynasty didn’t survive the French revolution, both the Robin escapement and men’s reverence for fine platinum certainly did. Audemars Piguet cloaks its epic escapement in a 46mm platinum vessel that would have impressed even Louis himself. Alternating brushed and polished surfaces create contrast; compound curves exude elegance. The tapered lugs ensure an easy fit even on small wrists, and their teardrop profiles are achingly gorgeous.
Vindicate Robert Robin; experience the historic 46mm platinum Audemars Piguet Jules Audemars Chronometer With AP Escapement in high-resolution images on www.thewatchbox.com.
Video and content by Tim Mosso 
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By popular demand, I'd like to clarify the magnitude of this watch's achievement against the evaluation battery of the COSC in October of 2010, when this particular movement was certified as a Swiss Chronometer. Over two weeks, in six positions, at three temperatures, the AP Escapement caliber 2908 was clocked at an average deviation of +.3 seconds per day. Yes, that's less than one-third of one second per day. We're still talking about the -4/+6 COSC chronometer standard, so this watch lived up to its billing in every sense. Other details of the watch's performance are delineated on the COSC certificate accompanying the watch.
Best,
Tim
so whats the test result of one of this collection from COSC?
How much weight this watch have? 300 grams? I always curious about the weight of platinum watches
+Jason Fletcher Hi Jason, I'll have to put it on my postage scale to get an accurate figure, but my preliminary estimate is 200-220 grams. The watch would be overwhelming if it weren't on a strap, and most of the mass is concentrated in the case, the movement plate (18K White Gold), and the deployant. Just by feel, I think it has the same mass as my JLC Grande Memovox, but spread over a larger case. I know the JLC is 200g, and it's also on a platinum deployant with a leather strap.
Best,
Tim
Another great review, really technically amazing piece, looks fantastic and wherever you go, you'll be the one with the best watch, haha
+HydroZxZInferno Absolutely! Plus it's a watch that's probably less likely to draw gawkers than a standard two-tone Rolex. As spectacular as this watch appears, the technical principle and branding are far enough off the mainstream radar that people are more likely to comment that it looks "cool" or "wild" than to ask what it costs or whether it's real. I've had this curious experience with a couple of seriously high-end watches, and it's always a pleasure to see folks enjoying the merits of the watches when price, brand, and status aren't a focus.
Best,
Tim
Awesome watch. I just wish it was a little smaller
But when you have a watch like this wouldn't you want it to be pretty noticeable?😏
+Roelf van der Merwe I can understand both perspectives. In this instance, there's a bit more than meets the eye. Due to the incredibly high rate of the escapement and AP's desire to give this manual wind watch a big power reserve (90H), it was necessary to incorporate a large case for the barrels. High-rate escapements burn through power at an incredible rate. Consider the small balance of the Zenith El Primero, and you can see one of the sacrifices that must be made to run a blazing VpH. But the El Primero has only a single barrel and a 50-52 hour reserve because it can wind itself on the wrist.
The AP Escapement runs 20% faster than the El Primero, and the design team wanted almost four days of autonomy between manual windings. The resulting mainspring barrels can be seen sitting adjacent in the video, and you can visualize how the diameter of the case is determined almost exclusively by the width of a barrels and the intermediate pinion that couples them in parallel. That's the REAL reason this watch is 46mm.
A Millenary case could accommodate these barrels in a somewhat more compact package, and AP did that with the Cabinet No.5. But in a round case, the only solution would be to reduce the power reserve or stack the barrels (like many Chopard LUC calibers or the old Longines 890). Stacked barrels would have created a visual imbalance, and they have a host of technical shortcomings that would have been unwelcome in a watch that's designed - above all - to validate the direct-impulse AP escapement as reliable. It had to look good, and it had to be tough, and stacked barrels complicate matters on both counts.
Best,
Tim
I like it, it's like a La Tradition but nicer
+Sean Chiang Hi Sean, this AP definitely has the La Tradition look. I do think this watch is a bit more in the spirit of Breguet - the man - rather the current Breguet watches. Abraham Louis Breguet liked to push the limits of technology, and he wasn't too sentimental about old styles. It's important to remember that Abraham Louis Breguet died while still attempting to achieve a reliable direct-impulse escapement... this AP Escapement Chronometer would have pleased him greatly ;-)
Best,
Tim
You should write screenplays
+BfoSHIZnats Wow, that's the best compliment I've ever received! Ironically, my buddy from college moved to Hollywood to write screenplays (well, he's trying...), and yet I'm the one in Hollywood (Florida!) making movies every day ;-) But I will admit, in the watch business I've probably worked with enough actors, entertainers, sports stars, and even musicians to make the LA paparazzi jealous :-)
Best,
Tim
PUT NORMAL WATCHES WITH JUST COTES DE GENEVE OR PERLAGE TO SHAME... ABSOLUTE SHAME. I JUST CHEKED THE PRICE IN YOURS SITE... I MUST HAD EXPECTED IT... :)
+BDF30 You got it; this is a work of art on every level. Watches like this are remembered decades later as high-water marks for the craft and the industry. More than art and science conjoined, this watch is like wearing a chunk of major AP history on your wrist..
Best,
Tim
Beautiful timepiece.....perfect size & as a bonus it's in PLATINUM!!!!
Looks like it's time to make my children homeless & sell my house
+Spooky Bugger Believe me, they'll thank you. Not just platinum, but a full gold movement plate! This watch is big enough to act as a roof over their heads!
Best,
Tim
watchuwantinc ha ha no holds barred, pure luxury
sorry a bit of criticism Audemars. "s" pronounce the "s"
No you don't pronounce the "s" it's a silent S, like many French/Suisse words.
You don't pronounce the s!
+Hit Instaa Hi guys, thanks for the shout-outs! I admit that I don't always get it right, but I do try. Could it be that high school French is finally paying off? (:-0)
Best,
Tim
Audemars Piguet is from the French-speaking region of Switzerland, and as such is pronounced the French way, with a silent 's', dipshit.