The Millenary collection was created in 1995, as marvellous contemporary design exhibiting an impressive layered design. The novelty was the inside out construction, back to front with a clear view of the watch’s beating heart.
The Millenary line is also enriched by a new version featuring an aventurine dial, introducing this marvellous material for the first time on a Millenary timepiece. It also presents the Frosted Gold finishing technique, which Audemars Piguet has only used on the Royal Oak collection so far and the latest models of the Millenary Collection.
The Frosted Gold finishing technique has been created in collaboration with Florentine jewellery designer, Carolina Bucci. The defining feature of the Frosted Gold resides in its shimmering sparkle, which in turn comes from a surface treatment process rooted in an ancient gold “hammering” technique, also called the Florentine technique. By beating the gold with a diamond-tipped pneumatic tool vibrating at 200Hz (12,000 beats/minute), it creates tiny indentations on the surface that give a sparkle effect similar to that of precious stones, like diamond dust. For this new Millenary, the bezel, the inner bezel, the top of the lugs and the case’s sides at 9 and 3 o’clock have been frosted.
The case, the Polish bracelet and the dial design remain unchanged from the previous models; however, the bracelet’s Polish finishing completely transforms the watch, giving it a vintage look that matches the oval shape of the case and the roman numerals on the dial. Further to the Milanese bracelet, which was fashionable in the 50s and 60s, the Polish finishing on these metal bracelets offers a comfortable feel on the wrist, just like a second skin, and also provides a new, more supple meshing enriched by several adjustable links (every 5 mm) to perfectly fit every woman.
The Polish bracelet is the result of rolling-up a thread around an axis. This thread is then directed to the right, then to the left, to create a regular alternation, whereas on the Milanese bracelet, the wires are all threaded in the same direction. The Polish finishing offers new challenges to the production process, as each bracelet is individually handmade.
The deep blue aventurine dial evokes a star-lit sky. This hint of outer space is contained by an 18-carat white gold case with Frosted Gold finish on the case sides, bezel, inner bezel and lugs and complemented by an 18-carat white gold “Polish” mesh bracelet.
CASE
Hammered and satin-finished 18-carat white gold case, glare-proofed sapphire crystal and caseback, crown set with a translucent sapphire cabochon.
CASE SIZE
39.5 MM
CASE THICKNESS
9.8 MM
WATER RESISTANCE
20 M
DIAL
Blue aventurine off-centred disc and small seconds counter, pink gold applied hour-markers and hands.
BRACELET
18-carat white gold bracelet with folding clasp. Additional strap in black alligator.
AVENTURINE GLASS
Aventurine glass originated in 17th-century Venice. Today, the glass is obtained by introducing black copper oxide and cobalt during the cooling phase, which colours the glass in blue and produces a constellation of mineral particles.
MECHANISM
Our hand-wound watches are powered by winding the crown manually.
COMPLICATIONS
Small seconds
CALIBRE
Designed specifically for the watch’s oval shape and feminine style, calibre 5201 is tailor made and hand-wound. Operating at a frequency of 3 Hertz, it contains 157 parts and 19 jewels.
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