Simply Abu Dhabi XXXV

9 8 S I M P LY A B U DH A B I T he road carves and rises up the mountain and the topography of the land subtly changes. Sweeping vistas of the distant lake and the well-kept chalets soon become obscured by pines trees and the land becomes steadily more rugged and untouched. Despite the rich colours in the crisp morning sunshine, there is a brooding edge about the moorscape and the pine forest that we move steadily deeper into. Monks were the first people to settle in this region in the Middle Ages, and while they prayed and meditated, they didn’t develop an economy. When they eventually asked people to come and help clear the forest for cows to graze, people came, and they became farmers. Due to the long harsh winters, when not tending the cows these farmers spent a great deal of time indoors. Time which they eventually dedicated to making the very objects which measure it – watches. Burrowed into the imposing Jura Mountains along the France–Switzerland border, a handful of villages started what for almost 300 years now, has been a crucible for the watchmaking industry. Simply Abu Dhabi is headed to the Swiss Vallée de Joux, to the village of Le Brassus, home to one of the world’s most respected watch manufacturers, Audemars Piguet. Childhood friends Jules Louis Audemars and Edward Auguste Piguet established the company here in 1875. Jaeger-LeCoultre became a nearby neighbour and they were swiftly followed by the top ranks in the world of haute horology. Companies such as Breguet, Patek Philippe, Vacheron Constantin and Blancpain, all arrived seeking the unrivalled know-how that resides in this special region. In the 19th century, 90 per cent of high complication watches were made here. From the outset, Jules Audemars and Edward Piguet, who were both gifted watchmakers, set the bar high and produced watches with complications – such as astronomical timepieces, chronographs, and chiming minute repeaters. The watches were created in small production runs, everything hand- made and high quality, which ran against the grain of the prevailing era of industrialisation. The duo created complex watch movements for other watch manufacturers and also were soon setting records. One of Audemars Piguet’s early achievements was creating the world’s first minute-repeating movement for wristwatches in 1892. In 1921, the company developed the world’s first jumping-hour wristwatch, and the first skeleton watch came in 1934. During the quartz crisis, in 1972, the brand’s flagship product was launched – the iconic Royal Oak. Conceived by the legendary watch designer, Gérald Genta (1931-2011), the Royal Oak is considered to be the world’s first luxury sports watch. With a unique steel case inspired by traditional diving helmets, circular engine-turned tapisserie dial, exposed screws and integrated Honouring thePast, Embracing theFuture Mastering a fine balance between respecting and preserving ancestral techniques and traditions, and marching into the future with groundbreaking innovation and progressive thinking, Swiss watchmaking company Audemars Piguet is an independent, family-owned luxury powerhouse. Nick Rice visits the iconic watch brand’s HQ in Le Brassus.