Created in collaboration with Florentine jewellery designer, Carolina Bucci, the Frosted Gold technique was last seen on the 41mm men’s Royal Oak and before that women’s 37mm Royal Oak Frosted Gold edition. Today, Swiss Manufacture Audemars Piguet was proud to present its new line of Millenary timepieces including a new Frosted Gold edition of the Millenary.
Unveiled during Dubai Watch Week, the trio of new Audemars Piguet Millenary watches including the new Millenary Frosted Gold, was an ultra-lavish but still exceedingly feminine luxury women’s watch based on the concept of imagining a watch from the inside out, exposing the beating heart (read: balance wheel) held aloft the signature “Batman” bridge in a distinctive oval form hand-wound manufacture calibre built back to front.
New Watch: Audemars Piguet Millenary Collection now available including one Frosted Gold Edition
First created in 1995, the latest women’s Audemars Piguet Millenary collection was launched in 2015 but for 2018, the Le Brassus manufacture adds new ‘second-skin type’ metal bracelets to the white and rose gold cases from the 2015 collection. Thus, the trio of new Millenary watches which join the collection may look aesthetically different but join the existing collection rather than replace them.
Essentially, the case (both white gold and rose gold) and dial remain of The Millenary remain unchanged; the manufacture added a touch of elegance through Polish bracelets, bequeathing vintage appeal – thanks to the nostalgic links (no pun intended) to the 50s and 60s when Milanese bracelets were all the rage, that said, they have the appearance of Milanese or shark-mesh bracelets but the brand considers them to be different due to construction techniques used (see the section below). The Polish finished precious metal bracelets are not only comfortable but supple akin to a second skin with adjustable links every 5mm, allowing her wearer to find a perfect fit. Stylistically, the polished Milanese bracelets complement the oval shape of the case and the roman numerals on the dial.
In addition to the polished Milanese or as some have come to know them as “shark-mesh” bracelets, the Millenary line is also enriched by a new version featuring an opal dial, introducing this fine stone for the first time on a Millenary timepiece. The Millenary Frosted Gold edition is also the first outside of the Royal Oak collection to use the finishing technique.
The defining feature of the Frosted Gold resides in its shimmering sparkle, which in turn comes from a surface treatment process rooted in an ancient gold “hammering” technique, also called the Florentine technique. By beating the gold with a diamond tipped pneumatic tool vibrating at 200Hz (12,000 beats/minute), it creates tiny indentations on the surface that give a sparkle effect similar to that of precious stones, like diamond dust. For this new Millenary, the bezel, the inner bezel, the top of the lugs and the case’s sides at 9 and 3 o’clock have been frosted.
About Audemars Piguet’s new Millenary Polish bracelet…
The Audemars Piguet’s new Millenary Polish bracelet is the result of rolling-up a thread around an axis. This thread is then directed to the right, then to the left, to create a regular alternation, whereas on the Milanese bracelet, the wires are all threaded in the same direction. The Polish finishing offers new challenges to the production process, as each bracelet is individually handmade.
Audemars Piguet’s new Millenary Price and Specs
Case 18-carat pink gold case with 20m water-resistant
Movement Hand-wound Manufacture calibre 5201 with 49 hour power reserve
Strap 18-carat pink gold bracelet with folding clasp
Price TBC
77247BC.ZZ.1272BC.01
Case 18-carat white gold case with 20m water resistance
Movement Hand-wound Manufacture calibre 5201 with 49 hours power reserve
Strap 18-carat white gold bracelet with folding clasp.
Price TBC
77244OR.GG.A034CA.01
Case Hammered and satin-finished 18-carat pink gold case with 20m water resistance
Movement Hand-wound Manufacture calibre 5201 with 49 hour power reserve
Strap Hammered blue rubber strap with 18-carat pink gold pin buckle. Additional alligator straps in light blue and black. rubber straps
Price TBC
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