Audemars Piguet Millenary

The world of haute horlogerie is littered with round and rectangular watches. However, elliptical cases are an uncommon sight, and those with decentralized dials are even rarer. They stand out from the crowd with their unique appearance. The Millenary collection from Audemars Piguet is composed of such exceptional luxury watches. Current models even feature skeletonized movements that leave viewers mesmerized. If you enjoy striking wristwatches with perfect finishes, the Audemars Piguet Millenary series may just have exactly what you're looking for.

Current top models in this series contain an in-house caliber with a tourbillon and chronograph function. Other highlights include examples with a minute repeater or perpetual calendar. Precious metals, such as gold or platinum, are used for the cases.

You can purchase a pre-owned Millenary watch from the 1990s for around 4,100 USD. An automatic caliber with a date display powers these models. Thanks to their conventional dials without skeletonization, these models attract less attention.

If you'd like to see the movement at work, you should take a closer look at the Millenary 4101 model. This stainless steel watch is 47 mm in diameter and has a decentralized date display, offering the wearer a view of the movement. You can get a pre-owned piece for about 13,400 USD. Those in 18-karat rose gold cost just over 29,000 USD new and 19,400 USD pre-owned.

A chronographs is one of the most popular complications, so it should come as no surprise that it makes an appearance in the Millenary collection. Pre-owned models with the reference number 25822ST sell for a good 6,700 USD. The rose gold versions are listed under the reference number 26145OR and come in at around 21,600 USD pre-owned.

The Audemars Piguet Millenary Perpetual Calendar also features a popular complication: the perpetual calendar. Since this model, like the chronograph, is out of production, the market is made up almost exclusively of pre-owned pieces. Plan to spend about 16,300 USD on one of these timepieces.

Luxury watches with tourbillons, perpetual calendars, or minute repeaters represent the pinnacle of watchmaking. The Audemars Piguet Millenary Carbon One Tourbillon Chronograph is one such masterpiece. Thanks to its tourbillon, this wristwatch is especially accurate. What's more, the carbon case and ceramic bezel make this watch extremely light. Pre-owned examples cost around 101,000 USD, while those in mint condition demand at least 116,000 USD.

The gold Millenary Minute Repeater is yet another of this collection's highlights. This manually-wound watch has a new type of escapement developed by Audemars Piguet. You'll need to have around 464,000 USD on hand for one of these watches. At 232,000 USD, the titanium version is a bit more "affordable."

Audemars Piguet produced a limited watch series for the Italian car manufacturer Maserati. A total of only 900 examples exist of the Millenary Dual Time Maserati Limited Edition , which features a second time zone. You can call a pre-owned piece in stainless steel your own for about 10,200 USD.

The rose gold edition is even less common: It is limited to 450 pieces. Due to its low numbers and higher-quality material, be sure to have over 18,200 USD on hand to purchase a pre-owned model.

Audemars Piguet also released a platinum version of the Millenary Dual Time Maserati Limited Edition. This is the rarest edition, with a run of only 90 watches. Pre-owned pieces cost around 38,300 USD.

Currently, the Millenary is available in three different sizes. The smallest is 39.5 mm and is intended primarily for women and those with thinner wrists. The 45 and 47-mm versions were made with men in mind. You have the choice of a stainless steel, platinum, or 18-karat white or pink gold case. Alligator leather straps are available in black, blue, dark grey, brown, beige, and white. The strap's clasp is made of either stainless steel or 18-karat gold. Diamond-set models come paired with straps featuring diamond-set clasps.

The stainless steel Millenary 4101 has been this collection's entry-level model since 2011. This watch is stripped down to the essentials: It simply displays the time. However, it is still beautifully decorated with Geneva stripes on the movement bridges and perlage on the main plate. Both are visible from the dial side.

A horological highlight from Audemars Piguet is their Millenary Minute Repeater . As its name suggests, the model has a minute repeater complication. It is powered by the in-house caliber 2928, which has an astounding 165-hour power reserve, equal to almost a full week. It also features a double balance spring and an escapement system developed by Audemars Piguet themselves. Together, these mechanisms ensure more efficiency and accuracy.

The Audemars Piguet Millenary is perfect for those looking for a unique wristwatch. Thanks to the elliptical case, skeletonized movement, and off-centered dial, this series distinguishes itself from the masses. With a Millenary on your wrist, you'll be sure to attract attention.

Audemars Piguet presented the Millenary 4101 in 2011. The "4101" in the name is a reference to its power source: the in-house caliber 4101. The Le Brassus-based manufacturer developed this caliber especially for the Millenary's elliptical case. The case and movement fit together perfectly.

As the dial is on the right side of the watch, there is space on the left side to display the balance wheel and bridges, which are decorated with Geneva stripes. The watch has a sapphire glass case back, giving you a good look at the entire movement as well as the winding rotor. The rotor immediately catches the eye; it's engraved and made of solid 22-karat gold. The main plate is hand-engraved and decorated with perlage. The anthracite-colored bridges and plates create a contrast with the golden rotor.

The caliber 4101 consists of 284 pieces, 34 of them jewels. The balance wheel swings with a frequency of 28,800 alternations per hour (A/h). The winding rotor winds the barrel bidirectionally, and the power reserve tops out at 60 hours. This means you can easily switch out your Millenary for your Royal Oak when you go sailing or for a drive over the weekend. Then, on Monday, you can put your Millenary back on and it will still be running perfectly. The Royal Oak also makes a perfect dress watch: At less than 10 mm thick, the sports watch is quite flat and fits under every shirt cuff.

The Millenary 4101 displays the time on the main dial, which takes up less than 50% of the complete dial. Roman numerals serve as hour markers, and the small seconds is located between 7 and 8 o'clock. The 15, 30, 45, and 60 on the subdial are written as Arabic numerals. With a diameter of 47 mm, this model is rather suited for men. A black alligator leather strap with a stainless steel clasp keeps the watch safely on your wrist.

The Millenary Minute Repeater is a horological highlight in the Millenary collection. A minute repeater is one of the most intricate complications available. This luxury watch's case is made of either 18-karat pink gold or titanium. An alligator leather strap keeps the 47-mm watch on your wrist. Due to the complicated construction of the minute repeater, the watch is 15.8 mm thick.

The rose gold edition is truly eye catching. It has attractive tempered hands on the main dial and small seconds subdial. The alarm spring is blued as well, keeping in perfect harmony with the rest of the dial. The main dial is made of enamel and surrounded by a railway minute track. It also features Roman numerals as hour markers. The small seconds dial and the balance wheel cut into the main dial at 7:30 and 9 o'clock.

The in-house caliber 2928 is something special. The manual movement has a 165-hour power reserve , equal to almost seven days. Three barrels provide the movement with energy. Two barrels are responsible for displaying time, while the third powers the minute repeater. The slide on the left side of the case starts the minute repeater. The complication tells you the time acoustically. Small hammers chime the hours, quarter hours, and minutes on the tempered alarm spring. The balance wheel has a frequency of 21,600 A/h, or 3 Hz. The 2928 consists of a total 443 pieces, and it features a double balance spring and an escapement system developed by Audemars Piguet. Both features make the movement more efficient and precise.