AP was founded in a small town called Le Brassus, in 1875. It is in the heart of Vallée de Joux, Switzerland. Back then Vallée de Joux was mostly known for its mountain ranges and its farming. During winter, the lands stayed dormant while the villagers turned to watchmaking. Many families in Vallée de Joux was well-known as watchmaking families. Audemars Piguet is still independently owned by the families of the original founders.

2. Audemars Piguet is still independently owned by the families of the original founders

While AP is a very popular and renowned watch brand that brings in close to one billion dollars in revenue, Audemars Piguet is the oldest fine watch-making manufacturer that is still managed by its founding families. This allows AP to pave it own and unique path in the future of watchmaking.

3. Audemars Piguet is the watchmaker behind many of today’s complications

Through their 140 year history, AP has kept the pace high with new innovations and high tech mechanics that change and inspire the watchmaking world. Audemars Piguet were the first in the world in 1858 to create a pocket watch incorporated with jumping-seconds hand. AP inspire to create new mechanisms and improve the watch world.

4.Audemars is the master of Complications

AP has kept the founders’ legacy of creating the greatest complications out there. There are only a handful of watchmakers in Audemars that have reached that point of creating such amazing complications. It takes up to 4 to 6 months for a watchmaker to build a grande complication.

In the video you will see the first watch is one that you could tell time without looking at the watch. It is designed for touch when you cant easily use sight. For those who are blind this is a perfect watch. The watch brand is called Eone and goes for a price of $285 USD.

The second watch you will see is a watch from Weiss Watch Company. It is a simple mechanical watch that fits nice. It is completely mechanical made by hand in the US. The colors vary by dial and band color/material. The minimum price of one is up for $950 USD.

Last but not least is the wondrous Girard-Perregaux Jackpot Tourbillion. This timepiece is up for a whopping $700,000 USD. The coolest feature besides the mechanics and the tourbillion is the fact that you can play a miniature size slot machine. You can pull down the mini lever and the slot machine will randomize your 3 symbols to either win or lose.

Enjoy!

Cartier have created a jaw dropping timepiece that makes jaws drop to the floor. They names it Rotonde de Cartier Astrocalendaire. Designed like a stadium in rows and with the center stage being the (Ask Watchmaker). This piece is truly admirable. The “Cartier Stadium” is set up as follows:
Upper Level: Date display
Mid Level: Month Display
Ground Level: Day Display

Now I’ve seen a good amount of perpetual calendars but none like this. Cartier has redesigned the perpetual calendar into something new. Something that you look at and become lost in because you scan the watch in and out, out and in. But even with this marvelous designed they’ve made it easy to read. The display windows is what I like to call a “Cartier Blue”  that is easy to spot.

But it goes much further than that, Cartier have redesigned the manual adjustments of this timepiece.
Changing the Date/Day/Month on a perpetual calendar can be hard as well as risky since you can over-wound the watch. But Cartier has changed that, just like how you would change your hour/minute on your normal watch using the crown you can do so with the Date/Day/Month features on this timepiece.
Cartier has essentially taken the perpetual calendar to the next level.

On the back of this timepiece you can see a leap year indicator.
With a a sapphire crystal back case you can see the amazing movement working.

Cartier states the following “The Rotonde de Cartier Astrocalendar watch revolutionizes the perpetual calendar in terms of function and appearance. Its innovative design has produced a three-dimensional concentric display of the day, date and month. A flying tourbillon, rotating once every minute, occupies center-stage. Fine watchmaking connoisseurs will be sure to appreciate the ease of correcting the settings with the crown and admire the fine finishing of this “Poinçon de Genève” certified watch which is fitted with a 9459 MC mechanical self-winding movement.”

The case is Platinum and measures 45 mm 15.1 mm thick and the watch is Automatic of course. The crown is Platinum and has a Sapphire Cabochon to decorate it.A silver galvanized guilloche dial with a silvered grid and black Roman numeral and of course the sword shape in a “Cartier Blue”. It comes standard with a black alligator strap double folding buckle that is made of 18k white gold. The “stadium” (Perpetual Calendar) with of course the tourbillon complicatio. The watch is also certified “Poincon de Geneve”. The movement consist of 382 parts inclduing 51 jewels, the movement itself it 32 mm and 8.1 mm thick. There is 21,600 vibrations occuring every hour and has a power reserve of about 50 hours, water resistant up to 30 m.

This is truly a magnificent timepiece and my respect goes out to Cartier for being innovative, yet maintaining the essence of watchmaking.

Remember Swiss Watchmakers offers Cartier Watch Repair

Enjoy this video that we found very entertaining and interesting. This is a really amazing design and very intricate. A beautiful work of art.

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