Jules Louis Audemars and Edward Auguste Piguet founded Adudemars Piguet in 1874 in Vallée de Joux, the birthplace of Swiss horology. Considered one of the “Big Three”, along with Vacheron Constantin and Patek Philippe, the Swiss brand has conceived, constructed and produced great complications that have revolutionized the watch industry over the years, testament to their illustrious past and promising future.

The science of astronomy enabled us to measure time, and Audemars Piguet further developed this knowledge through complications (mechanisms) that recorded sunrise and sunset times (taking into account longitude and latitude), dual times of other time zones, and the waning and waxing phases of the moon.

Audemars Piguet’s Millenary 4101 model features the Caliber 4101, an exclusive movement, consisting of 253 parts, designed specially for this collection, which can be observed from the front and back of the striking oval case. The 22K gold rotor on a sapphire case, and polished bridges and plates, hint to such quality that is two or three times above the price of the Millenary. Prices start at $21,900 for the steel model. The stainless steel case is 47 mm wide by 42 mm long, and offers ample space to appreciate the design of the complication.

Some of Audemars Piguet’s acolytes include Novak Djokovic, Leonel Messi, Michael Schumacher, LeBron James, Shaquile O’Neal, Quincy Jones, Jay-Z, Arnold Schwarzenegger, among many others. ■