Audemars Piguet Honors Its Founder with a New Tourbillon Timepiece

Exuding an elegant air of antiquity, the Audemars Piguet Jules Audemars Tourbillon Chronograph pays haute homage to its namesake, who cofounded the Swiss manufacture in 1875. Framed in an ethereally thin, 18-karat pink-gold case, the watch’s daedal design showcases the 141-year-old horologic house’s mastery of minute engineering.

Despite a slim profile, the complex countenance is given depth by the openworked dial. Levitated above the visible manual movement (with a 72-hour power reserve) are pink-gold hands set against the brown, satin-brushed bezel, counters, and subdials. Marked off in 60 one-minute increments and roman numerals, the perimeter of the dial is traced by a sliver-like chronograph hand. The fulcrum for the hour and minute hands is balanced by the small seconds counter and the chronograph’s minute counter on the left and right, respectively.

Viewed at the 6 o’clock position, the timepiece’s tourbillon helps negate gravity’s influence on the movement by encapsulating the escapement in a frame that rotates on its axis every minute. An alternate perspective on the watch’s inner workings is available through the sapphire-crystal caseback. The Jules Audemars Tourbillon Chronograph is priced at $287,200. (www.audemarspiguet.com)

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