Four years after the introduction of the [Re]master series, Audemars Piguet surprises everyone by introducing a new model in the collection. Let’s discover together the new Audemars Piguet [Re]master02.
Some context
One can’t help but be astonished at the sight of this new Audemars Piguet timepiece, the [RE]master02, which, thanks to its anomalous shape, runs along the trend of modern retro-style watchmaking. Nothing is left to chance, however; in fact, this new timepiece was created to pay homage to one of its predecessors, the yellow gold reference 5159BA launched in 1960.
In the 1960s, the Le Brassus brand had produced, in quantities of less and less than ten, a series of models that were very particular because of the shape of their cases, and some of these were made with a design that stemmed from the thinking of the Brutalist current, a type of architecture typical of the 1950s-60s, which made them very geometric and devoid of ornamentation, leaving the material essentially bare, as we can see in reference 5159BA.
The [Re]master collection
This watch is the second model in the [Re]master collection launched by Audemars Piguet in 2020. This collection was born inspired by the past but redesigned for the present, symbolizing both tradition and the brand’s signature pioneering spirit.This watch is the second model in the [Re]master collection launched by Audemars Piguet in 2020. This collection was born inspired by the past but redesigned for the present, symbolizing both tradition and the brand’s typical pioneering spirit.
The first model limited to 500 pieces, was the [Re]master01, a modern reinterpretation of one of Audemars Piguet’s rarest chronographs introduced in the 1940s. The watch features steel lugs and case with a rose gold bezel, pushers, and winding crown.
On the dial, which features a yellow gold coloring, we can see the tachymeter scale and chronograph hands in blue, while the stopwatch hands are in rose gold. The watch is embellished with a hand-sewn cowhide leather strap with a steel pin buckle.
The watch
This day more than sixty years later, the [RE]master02 is born, in which modernity embraces the past. This beautiful timepiece, which breaks the canons of modern watchmaking tending to prefer linear forms, is made entirely of a new material, first presented earlier this year on a Royal Oak Flying Tourbillon Skeleton, sandblasted gold or Sand Gold.
This new alloy, named after the sand dunes, is born from the union of three metals: gold, copper and palladium, which together give the case a very unusual appearance. In fact, depending on how the light hits the watch, the latter appears in shades ranging from rose gold to white gold. The top sapphire crystal has also been squared off to follow the shape of the case to give more visual balance.
Again light is the protagonist of another key component inside the ‘watch, the dial. In this case it is not a traditional dial, it in fact omitting its shape, it is made of 12 individually machined triangular brass ‘segments’ of “Bleu Nuit, Nuage 50” coloring, the same as that used on the Royal Oak Jumbo. The segments are first satin-finished linearly, then placed on a brass plate equipped with tiny feet.
The alternating triangles are highlighted by sandblasted gold partitions that serve a very specific purpose, the same as the hour markers on a traditional dial, which is to provide greater legibility of the time.
Inside the [RE]master2 beats the extra flat self-winding caliber 7129, which features a time-only indication so no date display, based on the caliber 7121 launched in 2022 in the “Royal Oak Jumbo extra Thin” collation. The movement in fact has a thickness of only 2.8 mm, thus leaving room for the massive case that takes up most of the stated total thickness of 9.7 mm.
In terms of dimensions, the watch has a diameter of 41 mm. The stated power reserve is 52 hours. Supporting the watch is a contrasting blue alligator leather strap with a sandblasted gold pin buckle.
Price and availability
Do you want to know the price? 47,800 EUR for this watch limited to half the number of pieces of the [RE]master01, i.e. 250. Definitely an interesting watch but not for everyone, and I’m not just talking about the shape, but also about the amount of money asked.
Final thoughts
With this new watch, Audemars Piguet resumes work on a most interesting collection and does so in a big way. The work on the case of the new [Re]master02 is truly stunning, and the use of the new sandblasted gold accentuates the marriage of modernity and tradition.
Finally, the reduction in the number of pieces available helps to increase the desirability of the watch. Honestly, we look forward to seeing how the [Re]master02 collection will continue.
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