Audemars Piguet: Where Watchmaking Meets Art

The Audemars Piguet CODE 11.59 Grande Sonnerie Carillon Supersonnerie by Audemars Piguet is a new model that triggers a response, moving those lucky enough to lay eyes on it.

The chances of catching a glimpse of one of only 5 limited edition pieces firsthand are slim.

The first thing your eye is drawn to is the intricately decorated dial. Whose idea was it to create the unique paillonné enamel dial with gold spangles? Of course, it could only have been Switzerland's most widely known enamelist, Anita Porchet. Porchet who has created dials for Piaget, Patek Philippe, Vacheron Constantin, Jaquet Droz and Ulysse Nardin shared the Special Jury Prize with her colleague Suzanne Rohr at the 2017 Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève.

Sometimes it seems like no other enamelist even comes close to her level. That's why the leading manufactures that want to create complex works of enamel art turn to Porchet without a second thought. Porchet who has been working in her own atelier since the mid-1990s humbly brushes off the praise that her work is unparalleled, but maybe her clients know better. Her father was a violinist, but she decided to follow in the footsteps of her  godfather, who was a self-taught enamelist, engraver, and stone setter. His atelier was her sanctuary, and she later began to fill her work with this ethereal sense of tranquility.

The Audemars Piguet CODE 11.59 Grande Sonnerie Carillon Supersonnerie by Audemars Piguet is no exception. Several layers of enamel are patiently applied and fired individually at a temperature of 800ºC before the next layer is applied. The marvellous iridescent enamel is then decorated with antique foil spangles called paillons, which are at least a century old. The dial is made using the Grand Feu technique — the most difficult to work with. It took time for Porchet to master enamel work herself. First, she mastered the "compartment" enameling technique of cloisonné, then "raised field" champlevé and paillonné. Only then did she move on to Grand Feu.

This watch is not only pleasing to the eye, it also has a melody. Encased in this piece is the AP Calibre 2956, made up of 489 parts and equipped with a carillon, a musical instrument typically housed in the bell tower. The quarter strike rings on three gongs and hammers instead of the two in a standard chiming watch.

The result is a uniquely appealing three-gong triple tone sequence. This means that quarters are played on high, middle, and low notes, the hour strike is a low note, and the minute strike is a high note. 

The watch wearer becomes a conductor, who can activate the chiming sequence at any moment. You will naturally want to have a full sensory experience and feel how the 41 mm diameter white-gold case sits on your wrist, worn on a hand-stitched blue alligator leather strap.