Audemars Piguet may be known for the Royal Oak, but that’s not all the brand does well. Prior to 1972, Audemars Piguet was known for its movement manufacturing and highly complicated watches. The maison also played with a number of artistic approaches to case and dial finish. This heritage is still reflected in some of AP’s lesser known collections.
Introduced in 1995, the Millenary Collection has been the platform from which AP has experimented with more distinctive takes on watch design. Named for the excitement coming with the new millennium on the horizon at the time of its launch, the collection came to reflect a dreamy, aspirational, forward-looking philosophy. Known for its oval, stretched case shape, the Millenary never caught on in the mainstream. Instead, a discerning group of collectors has come to appreciate the off-the-beaten-path charm this piece has. In many respects, the Millenary line is the polar foil to the Royal Oak.
The Millenary Philosophique takes this theme to its natural extreme. This piece, in white gold, is rife with details to obsess over. Influenced by one-handed clocks dating to the 17th century, the Philosophique has just one slow-moving feuille hand that advances around the dial. Intrigue continues with the gorgeous blue dial which has been scalloped and grained in a complex, yet beautiful way making it one of the most subtly-striking dials on the market. The 18K rose gold case has been hand hammered to produce a frosted finish almost giving the case a gem set look, but in actuality, it’s merely achieved by hammering the smooth surface to produce a grain-texture finish.
Contained within the oblong case is the Calibre 3135, an extremely robust automatic winding movement found in many of AP’s Royal Oak models. Unique to this piece, however, Audemars Piguet colored the coat of arms on the rotor to match the dial. It’s a beautiful movement, but also affords the durability that a Royal Oak movement provides.
Outfitted with a signed brown alligator leather strap with a signed 18K rose gold pin buckle, this example is accompanied by all of its factory ephemera including its inner and outer boxes and papers, warranty card, and hangtags.
In outstanding, virtually-mint condition, this piece is ready for a male or female wrist to appreciate!