Thomas Brechtel, Watchesandwords, 2026

The White Rabbits is Everywhere, Inside and Out

I am the one among us two authors who came to the museum mainly for the historical pocket watches, or to be more precise, for one watch in particular: the ‘Universelle’, Universal Clock, Universaluhr. But more on that heavy gold masterpiece later.

What I found unexpected and quite strange at first was that among the small group of visitors who were with me in the museum, there were some who were not in the least bit interested in any of the watches. ‘We are here exclusively because of the building and its architecture. To be perfectly honest, we don’t know anything about watches and we didn’t want to look at them at all.’ This was met with astonished incomprehension on my part and of the other watch enthusiasts, but it was nevertheless understandable.

Not only is there a large sculpture of the White Rabbit outside on the lawn in front of the museum building, but you also encounter the rabbit again inside the museum. It is The White Rabbit by Sir John Tenniel (illustrator), 1863, from Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland (Lewis Carroll). The White Rabbit at Audemars Piguet is obsessed with his gold pocket watch and with time (so a bit similar to me). The sculpture is made by Catherine Mauron.

 

The Watches that Made a Special Impression on Me

The Super Fine Hands on the Seconde Morte Louis Audemars

It is as was to be expected with me. I start with a pocket watch – the elegance and beauty of a fine pocket watch is always a joy to behold. I am overwhelmed by the gold pocket watch Seconde morte Louis Audemars (1851) awarded with the Médaillée à l’Exposition Universelle de Londres en 1851. It has, due to its age, a key-wind movement, a yellow gold case, a white enamel dial with Roman numerals and extra elegant and ultra-thin hands. The movement shows the hours, minutes, and the watch has a jumping second.

The Famous John Shaeffer Repeater

A watch that is still instantly recognisable today due to its design and function is also highly prized by collectors. It is the Audemars Piguet John Shaeffer Répétition Minutes wristwatch (Heures Sautantes) with the Caliber 2865 in a rose gold case (Modèle 25839). This complicated wristwatch is a limited edition of 6 pieces only. The manual wind movement features (jumping) hours, minutes and small seconds with a white enamel dial and hand-painted Arabic numerals.

Philippe Dufour – Grande Sonnerie Pocket Watch

The watchmaker Philippe Dufour is a true legend of our time, and he creates beautiful timepieces and movements – for over 40 years now. You don’t have to look far in the museum to find the watches he has created. An amazing and important piece of watchmaking history of our time is this gold pocket watch Grande Sonnerie (1987), developed and built by Philippe Dufour for Audemars Piguet (Caliber 19GSMV, Modèle 25711). It has an open face dial with a small outer ring for the hours and minutes and it shows the small seconds. Later this movement was miniaturised by Philippe Dufour and used for a masterpiece of a wristwatch.

A Beautiful Pointer Calendar Wristwatch from Audemars Piguet

Audemars Piguet stands for exceptional and important calendar watches. An important and beautiful timepiece is the Audemars Piguet full calendar wristwatch in a gold case with pointer date, day, month, moon phase, hours, minutes, small seconds, applied Arabic numerals, (Caliber 9/10RSQ, Modèle 5504). Only a few pieces of this beautiful wristwatch were ever made.

 

No One Can Build Truly Ultra-Complicated Watches More Beautiful Than Audemars Piguet

Audemars Piguet Universelle RD#4

Audemars Piguet’s long tradition in the field of ultra-complicated watches has resulted in unique movement designs. So is the Audemars Piguet Code 11.59 Ultra-Complication Universelle RD#4. The Universelle wristwatch is build with the outstanding automatic Caliber 1000. The Universelle wristwatch indicates the hours, minutes, date, day, month, year, moon phases and is equipped with the following complications: flyback chronograph, split seconds chronograph, perpetual calendar, minute repeater, striking mechanism, petite sonnerie, grande sonnerie supersonnerie, and it has a flying Tourbillon. This small wristwatch with a black dial has 40 functions and 23 complications and consists of over 1.100 components. It runs with a 60 hours power reserve, 21.600 A/h. The Audemars Piguet Code 11.59 Ultra-Complication Universelle RD#4 was awarded with the GPHG Aiguille D’Or / Grand Prix 2023.

The amazing ‘Universelle’, Universaluhr, (1899)

That’s exactly the watch I wanted to spend a whole day in this museum for. I feel the whole museum is build around this outstanding timepiece. And it is one of the most wonderful timepieces ever made as far as you ask me. This complex pocket watch, a masterpiece back in the days and today, was and is the amazing ‘Universelle’, Universaluhr, (1899), from Union Glashütte with a movement from Piguet, Audemars Piguet.

The Universaluhr was produced as a Grand Complication gold pocket watch shown at the World’s Fair back in the days. Three super-complicated movements are known under the names ‘La Fabuleuse’, ‘La Grandiose’, and ‘Universelle’ (one of it is here in the Musee, another piece in the German city of Dresden, museum of the „Zwinger“, and the third is in the hands of a private collector).

The 22-line (49.5 mm) Caliber consists of 1,168 components with complications such as: Grande and Petite Sonnerie Carillon, Grande Sonnerie and Petite Sonnerie, Perpetual Calendar with day, date, month, and leap year indicator, Alarm with Minutes Indicator, Split-Seconds Rattrapante Chronograph, Foudroyante (Flashing Seconds), and Deadbeat Seconds (Jumping Seconds). It is on display at the Musée Atelier Audemars Piguet, Le Brassus, Switzerland. The dial is signed ‘Union’ and the movement inside is signed ‘Audemars Piguet’.

The company Audemars Piguet recently showed the new Code 11.59 Ultra-Complication Universelle wristwatch as a tribute to the Universelle pocket watch. This new watch has 40 functions and 23 complications and consists of over 1.100 components. The Audemars Piguet Code 11.59 Ultra-Complication Universelle RD#4 was awarded with the GPHG Aiguille D’Or / Grand Prix 2023.

Leap Year Indicator Wrist Watch

A small wristwatch of utmost importance is undoubtedly the Audemars Piguet ultra rare yellow gold perpetual calendar wristwatch (1957), Caliber 13VZSSQP, Reference 5516 with hours, minutes, small seconds, day, (pointer) date, months, leap year indicator, moonphase, with 18 jewels in a 36,5 mm snap back yellow gold case. This watch was the first wristwatch with a leap year indicator on the dial. Only a handful of these amazing wristwatches were produced. The REVOLUTION magazine shows a photo of this reference with a Tiffany & Co. signature on the dial. Three of the six watches made are now part of the Heritage Department of Audemars Piguet.

 

Perpetual Calendars and Repeaters

A Modern Grande Complication From 1984

Pocket watches with perpetual calendars or watches with wonderfully sounding gongs and repeater cases are part of the brand’s history. I find their design and sound unsurpassed to this day. A rather modern execution is the Audemars Piguet Grande Complication from 1984, perpetual calendar, date, day, month, leap year, moon phases, répétition minutes, chronograph rattrapante, Caliber 2860, yellow gold case, Modèle 25570.

Répétition Minutes Carillon, Three Hammers

A more classic and very fine looking timepiece is the Audemars Piguet Répétition minutes carillon with three hammers and a chronograph from 1890, Caliber 19 lignes in a yellow gold case indicating the hours, minutes, small seconds, chronograph seconds and minutes.

Perpetual Calendar ‘Surdimensioné’ Gübelin Lucerne

The museum is full of co-signed or co-branded watches from Audemars Piguet and partners, such as retailers. The Audemars Piguet gold pocketwatch with perpetual calendar and the name ‘surdimensioné’ is made for ‘E. Gübelin, Lucerne’. It is powered by the Caliber 18SCCRV, and it sits in a 57 mm yellow gold case. The large dial of this watch is combined with a very thin lunette, it has an excellent readability with ist white dial with large Roman numerals, hours, minutes, seconds, day, date, month, moonphase.

Chronograph Répétition Quarts

For this overview here I have selected another gold pocket watch with chronograph plus a Répétition quarts, perpetual calendar, dead beat seconds (seconde morte) in a yellow gold case made 1875 (and modified several times between 1882 – 1903). The white enamel dial with Roman numerals for reading the time is signed Audemars Piguet Brassus, and the watch is in an exceptional condition.

 

Not to be Forgotten Among the Large Number of Superlatives. Watches Associated With Special Names And People

Chronomètre Jules Audemars From 2009

This watch from Audemars Piguet is a rather modern watch that most of us will recognise immediately. The heavy and large watch is an Audemars Piguet wristwatch chronometer, Chronomètre Jules Audemars (2009), escapement Audemars Piguet, direct drive, 43.200 A/h, double barrel, Caliber 2908. The wristwatch has a platinum case, small white enamel dial with Roman numerals for the hours and minutes, small seconds dial and Guilloché bridges.

Nicole and Capt Gold Pocket Watch

Some of the most wonderful pocket watches in this museum do not necessarily carry the name Audemars Piguet on the dial. So does the fantastic chronograph here, which is the beautiful Nicole & Capt. [Adolphe Nicole & Jules Capt] pocket watch, signed 14 Soho Sqr, London, in its solid gold case with an immaculate white enamel dial and an overall Regulator design with (Roman) hours, (Arabic) minutes, and (Arabic) center seconds.

The Napoleon Pocket Watch

Of course there is an Audemars Piguet pocket watch in the museum (it is from 1885) with an enamel dial showing ‘Napoléon’. The pocket watch with this amazing miniature painting has a yellow gold and the movement has a minute repeater (Caliber 19”). The beautiful artwork shows miniatures on enamel reproducing paintings from 1806.

Karl Lagerfelds Black Royal Oak

What a watch, watch a legend of a Designer – and the wristwatch is made by Audemars Piguet. It is the famous Royal Oak from 1973, Reference 5402 with the automatic Caliber 2121 but in a black 39 mm stainless steel case. This very special execution was personalized for Karl Lagerfeld. The watch now belongs to Audemars Piguet, it is part of the Musée Atelier Audemars Piguet and shown to the public in its original cool used condition.

Ultra Thin Automatic Tourbillon

Another huge milestone and not to forget is the Audemars Piguet ultra-thin self-winding Tourbillon wristwatch by Audemars Piguet from 1986, Reference 25643. The watch has a yellow gold case and the Caliber 2870 powers the ultra thin Tourbillon. It was the first Tourbillon in an ultra-thin (5,3 mm) wristwatch with a self-winding ‘Hammer/Bumper’ movement shown at the Basel Watch Fair. The Tourbillon faces to the front, to the dial side of the watch. The crown is positioned on the back of the watch. This milestone of watchmaking was designed by the outstanding and brilliant Jacqueline Dimier. The caseback of this watch serves as the top plate of the movement.

 

PS:
there are two articles about the Audemars Piguet Museum from two different angles on this site: if you want to know more about the museum as such click here