Likes Likes:  100
Page 1 of 5 123 ... LastLast
Results 1 to 10 of 44

Thread: What a night! (Long review of new arrival with lots of pictures)

  1. #1

    What a night! (Long review of new arrival with lots of pictures)

    So, a while ago on the “drooling” thread, I posted a picture of a watch that I had instantly fallen in love with when I saw a picture of one for sale at my favorite local dealer. By the time I called to ask about it, it had been sold, but it continued to prey on my mind and I did my usual stalking and research.

    My final collecting goal is to own one each of the big three—Vacheron Constantin, Patek Philippe and Audemars Piguet. I have the VC, as you all know. For a while, I thought I would get a silver dialed Royal Oak; however, a month or so ago, I tried one on, and for several reasons, decided it wasn’t for me. (As Geoff breathes a sigh of relief. )

    But the watch I had fallen in love with was an Audemars Piguet, too, and would tick the "AP" box. So I called my contact at the dealer, and he was able to source one, brand new, for me to look at—no pressure, if I didn’t like it in real life, no problem. Huge advantage to having a relationship, especially since this model is no longer in production. Well, we got together last night, and that was that. It’s absolutely beautiful, the price was as good as the best gray market (a large discount off list). A dressy chrono had been on the want list, and this should take care of that permanently. So, without further adieu, here is the Audemars Piguet Jules Audemars Chronograph:

    Name:  AP Jules Side Small 1.jpg
Views: 360
Size:  38.3 KB

    Name:  AP Jules Side Small 2.jpg
Views: 169
Size:  60.4 KB

    As you can see, it is a stylistic tribute to the 1920’s-30’s, but a modern interpretation, introduced in 2009. It’s a perfect size for me, 41mm, but wears a bit smaller IMO due to the style. It is reasonably thin for a chrono at 12.6mm, and part of that height is the slightly domed crystal, so it slips comfortably under a shirt cuff (a must for me). A 30 minute dial is on the left, running seconds on the right. The hands are all black, except for the seconds, which is gold. There is a tachymeter scale, plus a minute track, and red numbers every five seconds that add a bit of color to the dial, which I love. I also love the vintage style Arabic numbers, which are slightly raised on the beautiful white lacquer dial. The only writing on the dial is the company name, the word Automatic, and the Swiss Made stamp (not counting the tachymeter scale). There’s a fair amount going on, but I don’t find it too busy, especially since there’s no date.

    Name:  AP Jules Face Sun Small.jpg
Views: 154
Size:  80.4 KB

    Both subdials have guilloché work so fine, I can barely capture it with crops from my iPhone.

    Name:  AP Jules seconds closeup 2.JPG
Views: 169
Size:  60.4 KB

    Name:  AP Jules chrono closeup 1.JPG
Views: 178
Size:  54.9 KB

    To be continued in the next post...

  2. #2
    MWC is that my watch's Avatar
    Join Date
    Nov 2014
    Location
    came for a look stayed for the biskwits
    Posts
    36,373
    very nice indeed
    sharky
    one of the most original good guys their was never anything but a true friend "the daito to my shoto"
    rest easy good buddy
    https://gofund.me/eb610af1

  3. Likes mlcor liked this post
  4. #3
    Oh, yeah! I've seen that piece in person. Gorgeous watch!

  5. Likes mlcor liked this post
  6. #4
    The case is another thing I absolutely love. The bezel and tops of the lugs are polished, as are the case back and the bottoms of the lugs (rose gold, obviously), but the sides are not, as you can see. I really like the contrast this creates in color and texture, and it makes the watch a lot less blingy than it would be if the whole thing were polished—I think it’s very classy.

    Name:  AP Jules Crown Small.jpg
Views: 174
Size:  42.8 KB

    The movement is the AP 3124/3841. This is the in house base movement 3120, used in the Royal Oak series, but without the date. The 3841 refers to the Dubois Dépraz chronograph module used in all Royal Oak chronos. It’s a modern, 21,600 vph movement with a bi-directional rotor, 59 jewels (!), and a 60 hour power reserve. There is an excellent technical analysis of the movement here http://www.p178host.com/apgallery/3120/ if folks are interested in the details. The rotor is 22 carat gold, and the finishing of the rotor and the movement generally has to be seen to be believed. My poor iPhone can’t do it justice at all.

    Name:  AP Jules Back Small 1.jpg
Views: 166
Size:  61.0 KB

    Name:  AP Jules rotor closeup 1.jpg
Views: 430
Size:  70.0 KB

    The watch abounds with little details—the lug shapes are beautifully graceful, the chrono buttons have gorgeous fluted surrounds that echo the knurling of the crown (they are not screw in, although they kind of look like it). The deployant is very cool—note how the entire thing on each piece is the AP logo! Also note how the main chrono hand and the 30 minute chrono hand are the same style.

    Name:  AP Jules Deployant Small.jpg
Views: 162
Size:  35.9 KB

    One more post to come...

  7. #5
    In this price range, the fit and finish are ridiculously good, as they should be. But until you actually hold a piece like this, it’s hard to truly understand and appreciate the amount of labor and love that must go into its creation.

    Obviously, I am over the moon. I had thought a silver colored dress watch was going to be next in line, but once I saw this one in person, given the great price and the fact that it’s no longer in production, I had to move on it. The dress watches I’m thinking about are all still in production, and will be for some time, so this took priority. But that’s definitely it for this year (other than the Lew & Huey Phantom on pre-order). Hope you liked the pictures.

    Name:  AP Jules Wrist Counter Small.jpg
Views: 161
Size:  50.8 KB

    Name:  AP Jules Wrist Outside Sun Small.jpg
Views: 176
Size:  68.7 KB

  8. #6
    Wow! Well done. That is a beauty.

  9. Likes mlcor liked this post
  10. #7
    MultiModerator Martin's Avatar
    Join Date
    Nov 2014
    Location
    The Netherlands
    Posts
    2,545
    Wow, breathtaking!

  11. Likes mlcor liked this post
  12. #8
    Member germy's Avatar
    Join Date
    Nov 2014
    Location
    KUL, TPE, BNE
    Posts
    517
    Beautiful, awesome! Very informative review, wear it in good health!

    Sexy photos too

  13. Likes mlcor liked this post
  14. #9
    Grr! Argh! meijlinder's Avatar
    Join Date
    Apr 2015
    Location
    Gothenburg, Sweden
    Posts
    7,489
    That is a stunning watch. As you say a lot going on but still not cluttered. Love the clasp. Nice detail. Looking forward to pics with proper camera.

  15. Likes mlcor liked this post
  16. #10
    Quote Originally Posted by meijlinder View Post
    That is a stunning watch. As you say a lot going on but still not cluttered. Love the clasp. Nice detail. Looking forward to pics with proper camera.
    Sadly, I do not have a proper camera.

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •  
About Us
We are an independent and wide-ranging forum for watch enthusiasts. From mainspring to microchip, from Europe to Asia, from micro-brand to boutique - we cover it all. Novice or expert, we want you to feel at home. Whether it's asking a simple question or contributing to the fund of horological knowledge, it's all the same hobby. Or, if you like, you can just show us a picture of your new watch. We'll provide the welcoming and courteous environment, the rest is up to you!
Join us