Audemars Piguet [Re]master01 Selfwinding Chronograph

Audemars Piguet looks to their past for the [Re]master01 Selfwinding Chronograph

Reinterpretation

Audemars Piguet’s Head of Complications Michael Friedman is very clear “This is not a historic reissue but a contemporary remastering of one our past creations.” The [Re]master01 Selfwinding Chronograph is a stunning reinterpretation of one of their rare chronograph wristwatches from 1943 modernized with the Manufacture’s latest technology and dial design. Audemars Piguet’s vintage chronograph wristwatches are among the most unique in the world, with only 307 made between the 1930s and 1950s.

The Inspiration The Audemars Piguet ref 1533

When choosing which watch to remaster the entire Audemars Piguet team voted unanimously for the Ref 1533 out of all the watches in their extensive Heritage collection. The Ref. 1533 was produced during World War II when only one-tenth of Audemars Piguet’s were chronographs. The watch was surprising for its time with a stainless steel and pink gold 36 mm case, small today but quite large in the 1940s when most watches measured between 31mm and 34 mm. Audemars Piguet produced only nine Ref. 1533 and only three in stainless steel and gold. In 2015 a Ref. 1533 sold at auction for CHF 305’000.

The [Re]master01 limited edition

The new chronograph has a limited run of only 500 pieces. The [Re]master01 features a round, 40mm stainless steel case and lugs, with a pink gold bezel, crown, and pushers. The dial is gold-colored with black markers and gold hands with blue chronograph hands and blue tachymeter scale.

The chronograph counters have been rearranged slightly to improve readability but retain the red 4/5 in the 30-minutes counter at 9 o’clock.  This indication was requested on the original by Audemar Piguet’s third-generation family-founder Jacques-Louis Audemars who was a huge soccer fan and wanted his favorite sport’s half-time indicated. The logo remains period correct with “Audemars Piguet & Co Genève” on the dial –  a nice vintage touch. Audemars Piguet stopped using Genève on its dials in the mid-1970s.

Revealed through the sapphire caseback is the Audemars Piguet in-house 4409 automatic chronograph movement first seen in the Code 11.59 by Audemars Piguet collection launched in 2019.