Tourbillon Edward Piguet

Producing masterpieces requires something more that great tradition and experience in watch making; the indirect participation of nature is also needed. This is clearly demonstrated with the Edward Piguet Agate Mousse Tourbillon, the first watch in the world to be bestowed with a mossy quartz dial, a natural semi-translucent mineral, inset with fine jaspers that bring vegetable motifs to mind.

In this manner, the experienced of the Audemars Piguet watch making house has brought together all the delicacy of, technique and nature in a masterpiece of the Edward Piguet collection.

Originating from the depths of the Earth, this chalcedony with milky reflections has always fascinated man because of its minerals that evokes branches.  Currently, the manufacture innovates by magnifying another wonder of nature: the mossy quartz. Colors, motifs, transparency, each mossy quartz is unique.

To these unique characteristics of nature, Audemars Piguet has incorporated one of the watch mechanisms that best reflects human talent: the tourbillon.  A prodigy of miniaturization, this construction attenuates the effects of gravity and provides superior chronographic qualities.

A high level of audacity is required from the designers of the manufacture to conceive a mossy quartz dial because this irregularly-shaped stone is extremely difficult to work. Therefore, the specialists at Audemars Piguet have revolutionized the technique to manufacture the stones using ultrasound using half-liquid free abrasives that allows cutting and the achievement of an extremely smooth surface, accurate to a 100th of a millimeter.

 

 

As well as the green or brown jaspers insets in the stone, this piece has forms of vegetable inspiration thanks to the mastery of Audemars Piguet. These tiny sculptures worked in the solid gold adorned with high-relief leaves carved by hand. The bridge displays a baroque-style leaf and loop garlands and the central bridge represents a stylized outline of a tree.

The Edward Piguet Agate Mousse Tourbillon has an 18-carat pink gold case, a manual winding mechanism with tourbillon, 19 rubies, 146 components, a running standby of 48 hours, finishing with manual decoration of all components, a sapphire base, hand-visited indices, 18-carat pink gold hands, polished, a “large square scale” crocodile skin wrist band with a folding 18-carat gold AP clasp.