| WATCH YOUR TIME
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ILARIA RESTA | CEO AUDEMARS PIGUET
Audemars Piguet,” she notes. “But even so, I had to learn
and observe. My arrival at the company was followed by
a long and beneficial onboarding process. It helped me
understand the brand’s roots and define its future pri-
orities. What we’re presenting for this 150th milestone
fully aligns with that vision. Innovation must always
remain coherent with the brand’s history.”
For the centrepieces of its anniversary collections,
Audemars Piguet has chosen to revisit one the compli-
cations it’s most closely associated with, the perpetual
calendar (‘QP’ from quantième perpétuel). A long-stand-
ing specialty of the maison, dating back to the found-
ers’ “school watches”, a QP was first presented in wrist-
watch form with a leap-year indicator in 1955. “Since
1875, astronomical timepieces have shaped Audemars
Piguet’s world,” says Ilaria Resta. “To celebrate 150 years
of innovation and craftsmanship, our watchmakers and
engineers have created a new, intuitive perpetual cal-
endar, designed with the user at the heart of the con-
cept. They developed a unique mechanism that allows
all adjustments to be made via the crown – a remarka-
ble technological advance that took five years to achieve
and required a complete rethink of the movement’s con-
struction.” This new Calibre 7138, protected by five pat-
ents, debuts in a Code 11.59 by Audemars Piguet model
in white gold and in two Royal Oak models, in steel and
Sand Gold respectively. All three are limited editions
of 150 pieces, joined by a final piece – a skeletonised
Royal Oak Perpetual Calendar “150th Anniversary” in
titanium, which will be the last to feature the legend-
ary Calibre 5135.
Kind of Blue
In the realm of complications, Audemars Piguet is
also marking the occasion with five celebratory Code
11.59 by Audemars Piguet Grande Sonnerie Carillon
Supersonnerie models, offering exceptional acoustic
performance in black ceramic, platinum, white gold, pink
gold and Sand Gold. Two feature iridescent opal dials,
while the other three reveal the full complexity of the
Calibre 2956 through a sapphire crystal dial. Other “retro
new releases” for this anniversary year include a Royal
Oak Double Balance Wheel Skeleton and two Royal Oak
Offshore Chronographs crafted in a new ceramic hue
inspired by the iconic “Bleu Nuit, Nuage 50”. This deep
blue shade, originally imagined in 1972 by the legendary
designer Gérald Genta for the very first Royal Oak dial,
took its inspiration from the night skies over the Vallée
de Joux. Today, it makes a comeback in these new mod-
els, the ceramic being the result of years of development
to ensure reproducible uniformity of tone across all the
case components.
There is no doubt – 2025 is Audemars Piguet’s
moment to showcase the full extent of its expertise and
its singular vision of time. “From metals to masterpieces,
from farmers to watchmakers, from the valley to the
world, from tradition to innovation… what an extraor-
dinary journey these 150 years in Le Brassus have been.”
With these words, the brand invites all enthusiasts to
explore every facet of its remarkable story, not just on
the dedicated “House of Wonders” website but also via
a VR immersion at the Dreamscape centre in Geneva.
“To break the rules, you must first master them,” the
Manufacture says. Its forward momentum has always
adhered to that principle – a belief that if fine watch-
making is nothing without craftsmanship, equally, it is
nothing without imagination. That 150-year legacy is
proof indeed. ■
1. AUDEMARS PIGUET Royal Oak Perpetual Calendar
Skeleton “150th Anniversary”. To mark Audemars Piguet’s
150th anniversary, the automatic movement that has powered
its perpetual calendars for over a decade makes its final appear-
ance. And the spotlight is on the skeletonised version, the Cali-
bre 5135, which lays bare its intricacies beneath a vintage-style
sapphire dial that’s inspired by a pocket watch on display at the
Musée Atelier in Le Brassus. Housed in a 41 mm case made of tita-
nium and BMG (bulk metallic glass), a highly resistant alloy, this
edition features a new formulation co-developed by Audemars
Piguet that contains over 50% palladium. The model, fitted with
a titanium bracelet, is limited to 150 pieces.
2. AUDEMARS PIGUET Code 11.59 by Audemars Piguet
Perpetual Calendar Automatic. The new automatic perpetual
calendar movement, Calibre 7138, is notable for its crown-only
adjustment system, eliminating the need for multiple correctors
set into the case. In 2025, it powers three 41 mm references; two
Royal Oaks and the Code 11.59 shown here. The latter comes in
a white gold case with a smoky blue dial embossed with the col-
lection’s signature motif, developed in collaboration with Swiss
guilloché artisan Yann von Kaenel. It is fitted with a blue rubber
strap lined with calfskin.
3. AUDEMARS PIGUET Royal Oak Offshore Automatic
Chronograph. To celebrate this anniversary year, ceramic takes
on the colour “Bleu Nuit, Nuage 50”, the shade of the original Royal
Oak dial from 1972, in three new references, including a 42 mm
Royal Oak Offshore Automatic Chronograph. A monochrome aes-
thetic dominates, with the Méga Tapisserie dial, chronograph
counters and rehaut all finished in “Bleu Nuit, Nuage 50” and
matched by a ceramic case and bracelet (a new design with invis-
ible pin links). The chronograph is powered by Calibre 4404 with
flyback function, visible through a sapphire case back.