Simply Abu Dhabi XXXV

bracelet, and a hefty price tag – it was groundbreaking. AP took a risk by pricing it at 10 times the cost of many steel Rolex watches and higher than watches in precious metals, such as gold timepieces from Patek Philippe. It took a few years for AP to sell the first 1,000 pieces, but after that the legacy took root. AP has also manufactured some of the thinnest watches in the world, such as the 1986 ultra- thin automatic tourbillon wristwatch with the Calibre 2870. The brand relentlessly pushes the boundaries of the industry and as chance would have it, just days before we arrive at the headquarters, the Royal Oak Self-winding Perpetual Calendar Ultra-Thin became the world’s thinnest automatic perpetual calendar wristwatch. With a movement of 2.89mm in thickness and a case of 6.3mm in height, it is one more incredible milestone for AP. Emerging from one of the biggest forests in Europe, we arrive at the long, sleek HQ building, which looks arrestingly modern and stylish against the natural backdrop. We are in the heart of it now – the stronghold of luxury watchmaking. There are 7,000 inhabitants in the valley and 7,000 thousand jobs. Of that total, 99 per cent is in the watchmaking industry. We are welcomed by Vanessa Cellier, a watchmaker with 15 years at AP, who will be our guide. With anti-static lab coats on and cameras switched off, we enter the inner sanctum. The whole environment is largely white, meticulously clean and dust-free. In the technical R&D department Vanessa demonstrates the Return of Force machine – a computerised set-up linked to a real watch, which is used for testing functionality. For example, if the crown feels too small, or the torque is too high, or the turning of the crown feels too flimsy, it can be minutely adjusted to optimal levels. Next, we are privileged to see to some manufacturing stages of the new Code 11.59 watch. Released at the Salon International de la Haute Horlogerie (SIHH) 2019, the Code 11.59 collection is the latest family line at Audemars Piguet. The distinctive name refers to the last minute before midnight and the anticipation of a new day. The Code 11.59 features several unique characteristics; Code watches feature a chapter ring with numerals depicting seconds for time-only models, a tachymeter for the chronograph model, and a week indicator for the perpetual calendar model. The crystals on all the watches in this collection feature a curvature which alters the way the dial appears at certain angles. Lastly, all the watches feature a three-piece case design with an octagonal section in the middle. The construction of the case, which was four years in development, is incredibly complex, with lugs that attach to the bezel. There is also just 0.1mm adjustment space between the bezel and the case. The signature octagon shape is slid inside the round case and it takes 40 per cent more time to finish the case than the Royal Oak. The dial, formed of eight layers of lacquer, also requires a painstaking process to create. The logo alone took two years to develop. An unprecedented ‘galvanic growth’ method is used to make the Audemars Piguet name for the dial. Constructed atom by atom in gold, the letters are independent but joined by a hair thin link. Vanessa explains that in the manufacturing process they were accidentally breaking 8 out of 10 dials when applying the logo. “We don’t make it easy,” she says with a wry smile. As we continue the tour, rows of watchmakers, an equal spread of men and women, work diligently in a silent yet relaxed atmosphere, many wearing headphones, perhaps listening to music or a podcast to help maintain calm and steady hands. We see the Code being cased up, the watchmakers working underneath machines that push the air and dust away from the assembly area. The lacquered dial will reveal even the tiniest speck of dust – and it needs to be flawless to pass quality control. From observing the cutting-edge work on the Code 11.59, we pass through a doorway and travel back in time to see the predecessors of today’s models, the source of expertise embodied in the patrimony of the company. We meet Francisco Pasandin, the head of the restoration workshop with 40 years at the company, Angelo Manzoni, the senior heritage watchmaker with 20 years at AP, and Malika Schupbach, who with two years in the job is part of the future of the restoration department. Manzoni is engaging and expressive and he takes us through a journey back through the years to when Jules Audemars and Edward Piguet joined the likes of Vincent van Gogh, Nikola Tesla, Edgar Degas and more at the 1899 in Universal Exhibition in Paris, which had some 40 million visitors. We get to see a stunning range of antique and special AP timepieces being either restored or preserved, including a 1.31mmmechanism, which was the smallest in the world in 1929. A large ledger displayed with open pages catches my eye. The faded sepia pages have lines of entries written in beautiful script detailing every numbered watch since the 1950s. Before then, each piece was unique. This was fascinating, but my eyes really widen when Manzoni opens the doors of a large cabinet to reveal shelves laden with colourful boxes from the 19th century, all inscribed with handwritten notes and codes about the contents, be it balance springs or barrels. Along with this kaleidoscopic array of boxes, more leather-bound ledgers record information about every watch that has left the workshop since 1882, each model bearing a serial number, so that should it ever return for restoration, the team can identify it. Manzoni shows us the departments current projects: a 1929 pocket watch and a self-winding wristwatch from 1953. He explains, “We restore watches to protect the region and its watchmaking history. We don’t want to forget the old ways of watchmaking. If the components are broken, we remake them here in the workshop.” 1 0 0 S I M P LY A B U DH A B I