wt_2004_03: test: audemars piguet jules audemars 3120 classic

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TEST: AUDEMARS PIGUET JULES AUDEMARS 3120 CLASSIC ists from 15 nations work there under optimal conditions, and we can expect them to give the world additional masterpieces of the watchmaker's craft in the coming years. Most manufacturers have one or more base calibers, but seldom does a brand have much experience in the construction of complicated mechanisms. This wasn't the situation at Audemars Piguet; the company had plenty of complications, but the firm lacked a base caliber of its own that could be created in large numbers. For many years, AP had relied on Jaeger-LeCoultre's (JLC) Caliber JLC 889/2 for many of its models. But with the takeover by Richemont and the sale of its shares in JLC, AP's access to that coveted caliber gradually came to an end. AP seized the initiative, and introduced the hand-wound Caliber 3090 in 1999. Caliber 3120 followed four years later. It combines automatic winding, a sweep seconds-hand, and a numerical window-type The caseback is securely held in place with five screws. The 22-karat gold rotor is engraved with the coats-of-arms of the Audemars and Piguet families. date display. Both of these calibers now serve as the new motors in simple watches from the house of Audemars Piguet. The new Caliber 3120 unmistakably reveals the manufacture's signatures: a harmoniously arranged series of bridges, with assembly bespeaking the utmost in skilled craftsmanship and elaborate decorations on the individual components. The rotor is truly a wonderful sight: Crafted from 22-karat gold, it's beautifully engraved with the coats-of-arms of the Audemars and Piguet families. A connoisseur's discriminating gaze feasts on a picture of elegantly well-balanced proportions, further enhanced by the crosswise orientation of the balance-bridge. The legendary Calibers 2120 and 2121 form the technical basis. The automatic Caliber 2120 was first built in 1968. Slightly modified and renamed Caliber 2121, it attracted considerable attention in 1972 when it was encased within the Royal Oak, to which it offered a date display and a sweep secondshand. Ever since, it has remained a reliable power source for several models in the AP collection. The best features of these ticking timekeepers were integrated into the new Caliber 3120. Some of its characteristics are mentioned in the following list. (Information in parentheses refers to the corresponding details in the older Caliber 2120.) Here are the specs: The ballborne rotor winds the mainspring in both its DATA PAGE Jules Audemars 3120 Classic Manufacturer: SA de la Manufacture d'Horlogerie Audemars Piguet & Cie, CH-1248 Le Brassus Model: Jules Audemars 3120 Classic Reference number: 15120BC.0.A002CR.01 Case number: F 0217 Movement number: 589981 Functions: Hours, minutes, sweep seconds-hand, and date. Movement: Audemars Piguet Caliber 3120; diameter = 26.6 mm (12.5 lignes); interior diameter of the movement-holder ring = 26 mm; height = 4.25 mm; 40 jewels; 21,600 beats per hour A/h (3 hertz); Swiss lever escapement; Nivarox-I flat balance-spring; Gyromax balance; ball-borne, 22-karat gold rotor winds the Nivaflex 1 mainspring in both its directions of rotation; one barrel; 60-hour (± 5%) power reserve; Kif-Elastor shock absorption for the balance; stop-seconds function; 278 individual components Case: Massive, tripartite gold case; sapphire crystal in back; five screws hold back in place; crown is not screw-down; sapphire crystal above dial; water-resistant to 20 meters Wristband and claps: Leather strap with pronged buckle made of 18 karat gold Rate test and amplitude (when tully wound; deviations in seconds per 24 hours Dial up: +6 261° Dial down: +9 302° Crown left: +1 255° Crown up: -1 254° Crown down: +8 261° Greatest difference of rate: 10 50° Average deviation: +5 275° Dimensions: diameter = 38.7 mm, height = 9.5 mm Price: $14,800 in white gold with leather strap and pronged buckle. 66 WatchTime June 2004
TEST: AUDEMARS PIGUET JULES AUDEMARS 3120 CLASSIC directions of rotation. The rotor has a centrally arranged alternator that needs no springs and thus loses no energy. The date display jumps ahead precisely at midnight. The balance is made of Gyromax. A new feature of the Caliber 3120 is the double balance-bridge. This component not only looks pretty, it also significantly improves the stability of the watch's rate. The balance oscillates at a pace of 21,600 beats per hour (19,800). Fine adjustment is accomplished by means of eight tiny screws. The new caliber preserves the single-plane architecture for the gear trains that support both the time display and the winding mechanism. This single-stratum solution makes it possible to construct a relatively slim caliber. The overall height measures 4.25 millimeters (2.45 mm); the total diameter is 12.5 lignes or 26.6 millimeters (28 mm). When the movement plates are manufactured, the milled holes, which will later accept the screws that hold the dial in place, are beveled. The plate receives circular graining on both its sides. All of the holes in the plate are counter-pierced. The date display has an instantaneous trigger and can be rapidly adjusted. The large dimensions of the transmission The Roman numerals give it a formal elegance, but some would argue that the minute hand is a tad too short. and winding wheel, combined with the integrated unclicking system of the automatic winding mechanism, guarantee that manual winding will be problem-free and won't cause a lot of wear and tear. The barrel, the center-pinion, the centerwheel pinion, the third-wheel pinion, the thirdwheel, the fourth-wheel pinion, and the fourth-wheel are all made in the style of the good old days. The pinions are polished; all of the edges are beveled; the pivots and the tips of the pivots are rolled under pressure; the non-functional surface of the wheels is goldplated and decorated with a radial pattern; the gears' teeth are gold-plated first, then milled afterwards to guarantee that the geometry of the surfaces of the teeth is perfectly functional. The bearings for the barrel are first gold-plated, then reworked; the outer throats and the inner surface of the barrel are diamond-polished, which produces the most beautiful surfaces and leaves those surfaces as smooth as possible. The result is a long-lasting 60-hour power reserve, compared to 40 hours for the previous version. Also, the task of fine adjustment becomes significantly easier because even after it has been running for 48 hours, the watch still has plenty of power at its disposal. Our tested watch ran quite well, but it posted somewhat less than optimal results on our electronic timing machine. This shortcoming could be due to the fact that the movement is Satin and polished: The entire impression is one of velvety softness. part of a preliminary manufacturing series made prior to regular serial production, which is scheduled to begin soon. The optimum as defined by Audemars Piguet is an average deviation of -1 to +8 seconds in all positions combined with good amplitude. Values in this ballpark were already achieved in all positions but one: with the dial down, the watch ran nine seconds too fast. The watch ran only about three seconds fast on the wrist, and that's a respectable result. The strength of this newcomer is its robustness, its accuracy and its loving details. The appeal of this newcomer is undoubtedly due to its fine mechanical qualities, its robustness and reliability, the accuracy of its rate, and the love for detail evident throughout. Features that have proved themselves in the past have been preserved and new details have been added to yield a very clever combination indeed. Movements of such superior quality have become rather rare in recent years, which is all the more reason for us to take this opportunity to praise Audemars Piguet's design engineers and watchmakers. The company has manufactured no more than 3,415 examples of the Calibers 2120 and 2121 during the past six years. Demand far exceeds the production 68 WatchTime June 2004
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