Audemars Piguet

A historic sign hanging outside the Musée Atelier Audemars Piguet in Le Brassus, Switzerland, reads “manufacture d'horlogerie compliquée” or, in English, “manufacture of complicated watches.” From the very beginnings of the brand, Audemars Piguet has been a master of complications, delivering the best from the Vallée du Joux. The present watch was manufactured in the late 1990s as a love letter to the brand’s rich heritage. The reference 25750BA is a quarter repeater Grande & Petite Sonnerie wristwatch with a caliber comprised of more than 500 parts.

Considered by many to be the “king of complications,” the Grande & Petite Sonnerie is the ultimate display of complications mastery and one that very few manufacturers have managed to offer in a wristwatch. A three-position selector near 2 o’clock in the caseband enables the wearer to change the chiming mode from silent, to Petite Sonnerie (chiming only the quarter hours), to Grande Sonnerie (chiming the hours and quarters at each quarter of an hour). A button near 11 o’clock allows for the activation of an on-demand quarter repeating function.

The present watch is number 16 in a limited edition of 50 watches produced in yellow gold. The design is relatively simple when compared to the complication of the movement with retrained satin finished lugs and caseband, and a contrasting polished bezel. Among the most refined and elegant wristwatches produced by Audemars Piguet in this era, the Jules Audemars Grande Sonnerie offers an opportunity to own one of the very few Grande & Petite Sonnerie wristwatches ever made.