Named after Jules Audemars, one of Audemars Piguet's founders, the Jules Audemars family is a stunning dress watch collection that typically features complications. First produced in the 1980s during the tail-end of the Quartz Crisis, the Jules Audemars collection was released as means for Audemars Piguet to celebrate the re-emergence of mechanical watchmaking and showcase their prowess as one of the finest watchmakers in the world. Often used as vehicle for AP to demonstrate their complex watchmaking but within a classically-designed package, it stands as no surprise that the Jules Audemars Chronometer 26153OR that we have here is, indeed, quite classical in its construction and avant-garde in the execution of its display. Boasting a 46mm diameter 18kt rose gold case with a beautiful skeletonized dial, its manual-wind cal. 2908 movement drives two black enamel subdials that give its casual construction a level of utility beyond a traditional time-only watch. Complete with a power reserve indicator at 7 o’clock, this example’s display is an avant-garde expression of horology. Indeed, the ref. 26153OR builds upon that idea with a detailed construction that uses a swooping brushed-finish curved midcase to jump out from the case’s flat polished bezel to give the watch a rather unique presence on the wrist. Combining all of that with the Jules Audemars’ dress watch design, this 46mm 18kt rose gold stunner is the perfect marriage between modern stylistic sensibilities and contemporary demands with regards to practical functions for a watch. A beautifully crafted timepiece, this example demonstrates the best of AP and all that they offer in the pantheon of watchmaking.

A technically impressive watch that combines an aesthetically understated case with a tremendously unique movement and dial to create something avant-garde, the Jules Audemars Chronometer does a wonderful job of highlighting AP's ability to create some special timepieces.