As far as haute horlogerie manufactures go, Audemars Piguet is truly full of surprises. Following some major releases earlier this year including the new John Mayer Royal Oak Perpetual Calendar plus the introduction of Sand Gold in the skeletonized Royal Oak Flying Tourbillon, the manufacture goes back to the past to revisit its highly exclusive [Re]Master series. And what came out of this is probably the most un-AP AP watch you’ve ever seen: the 250-piece limited edition Audemars Piguet [Re]Master02 Selfwinding

Unless you’ve had the chance to visit the Audemars Piguet Museum — yes, that breath-taking spiral shaped extension right next to the manufacture in the Vallée de Joux — you would never know that Audemars Piguet had ever made asymmetrical watches. However, the truth is that even though today most of us equate Audemars Piguet with the octagonal shape, over the decades the manufacture has always explored a wide variety of materials, colors, shapes and styles. The new Audemars Piguet [Re]Master02 Selfwinding thus revisits a very specific chapter in the manufacture’s history which saw the creation of one Model 5159BA.

Produced in 1960, this timepiece was cased in yellow gold, measured 27.5mm in diameter, and only seven examples were made. Indeed, in the years leading up to and during the early 1960s, Audemars Piguet was deeply inspired by the Brutalist architecture movement, distinguished by angular geometric shapes and completely devoid of ornamentation. Model 5159BA was one of more than 30 different watches created between 1959 and 1963 which expressed Audemars Piguet’s fascination with this artistic direction.

“Between 1959 and 1963, Audemars Piguet created more than 30 asymmetrical models, most of which were produced in less than 10 pieces. [RE]Master02 Selfwinding is a fantastic opportunity to revive this forgotten golden age.” — Sébastian Vivas, Heritage and Museum Director of Audemars Piguet,

Brutalist Aesthetic meets Sand Gold

In conceptualizing the [Re]Master02 Selfwinding, Audemars Piguet took a similar approach in how they had conceptualized the first [Re]Master watch. That timepiece, the [Re]Master01 Selfwinding Flyback Chronograph unveiled in 2020, was a tribute to a 1943 chronograph wristwatch with gorgeous teardrop lugs, a stunning rose champagne-toned dial, complete with rose gold bezel, crown and pushers. Likewise, [Re]Master02 Selfwinding is a tribute to Model 5159BA and the manufacture stayed faithful to the spirit of the historical reference.

What has changed, and dramatically so, are the materials of the watch. Rather than classic yellow gold, [Re]Master02 Selfwinding is made in Sand Gold — Audemars Piguet’s latest 18K gold alloy based on gold, copper and palladium which exudes a sophisticated hue that’s midway between white and pink gold depending on how it interacts with the light. And the [Re]Master02’s Brutalist case design, with its flat surfaces and hard lines, provide the perfect platform to admire the alloy’s unique color tone.

The entire case has been brushed with a satin finish for a completely matte, raw industrial style aesthetic, which is no small feat given how the geometric edges and corners have all retained their razor-sharp angles.

Obviously the most outstanding aspect of the [Re]Master02 Selfwinding is the shape of its case which extends outwards on the crown side, tapering elegantly as it does, and pushing the Brutalist aesthetic to its limits. Emphasizing this one-of-a-kind architecture is the sapphire crystal which has a 15.8-degree bevel that is all kinds of cool. We love how the angle of the crystal lines up perfectly with the edges of the lugs on top and bottom.

According to Audemars Piguet, the manufacture put two years of R&D on this beveled crystal to ensure the case meets modern water resistant standards, as well as Audemars Piguet’s stringent quality requirements.

Dial in Bleu Nuit, Nuage 50

One difference between [Re]Master02 and the Model 5159BA is that the dial color in the reedition watch is a radiant dark blue as opposed to white in the historical piece. This specific color tone, known as Bleu Nuit, Nuage 50 is exclusive to Audemars Piguet, obtained by PVD processes. It’s not a simple, flat rectangular dial either. Rather, it is made up of 12 triangles of different sizes and shapes, separated by galvanized sand-gold-toned partitions that meet at the center.

Crafted in brass, each triangular applique is individually machined and finished with a linear satin brushing, before they are reunited on a brass plate. Its hour and minute hands, and the Audemars Piguet emblem at 3 o’clock, are crafted in 18K Sand Gold. The emblem is in particular was obtained by galvanic growth making it extremely detailed and refined, just like those in the Code 11.59 by Audemars Piguet collection.

For this reason, the [Re]Master02 is going to be one of those watches that look completely different in the metal as they do on the computer screen. And indeed you could say that this is one of the rare instances where the modern remake actually offers more beautiful details than the historical reference.

Powered by Caliber 7129

At just 9.7mm in height, the [Re]Master02 is amazingly slim despite the Brutalist style chunky aesthetic. This is made possible thanks to its movement, the extra-thin Caliber 7129 proffering hours and minutes. Doing away with the date indication would be a decision that proves popular among the collectors, and it enables Audemars Piguet to keep the height of the movement to a scant 2.8mm.

Not only extra-thin, Caliber 7129 is also extra-powerful, proffering a 52-hour power reserve as a result of a new construction and larger mainspring barrel. In addition, inertia blocks have been inserted into the thickness of the balance wheel to prevent aerodynamic friction from slowing it down. Add to that a 28,800vph frequency which affords a reasonably optimized chronometric precision, and an oscillating weight, mounted on ball bearings, equipped with two reversers to ensure bidirectional winding, and we can say with certainty that Caliber 7129 (based on Caliber 7121) is a highly qualitative movement indeed.

Turn the watch over and you can see how everything was crafted in keeping with haute horlogerie traditions. All the trappings of fine watchmaking are present and accounted for: refined decorations such as Côtes de Genève, circular satin, snailing, sunray brushing, circular graining and polished angles, not forgetting the 22K gold oscillating weight, whose sand gold tone subtly echoes the colour of the case.

Says Audemars Piguet CEO, Ilaria Resta, ““Audemars Piguet has always been attached to its past, while looking to the future. The [RE]Master collection perfectly embodies this spirit and pays tribute to our long watchmaking tradition, marked by timepieces that are emblematic of their era, reinterpreted today using the most advanced technologies and a resolutely contemporary approach.”