The AP Millenary 4101 was one of the nicest horological surprises of the year. Many Audemars Piguet collectors have a weak spot for the Royal Oak, but this Millenary suddenly appeared on AP’s top watches of the year. The oval watch case is definitely something different and the fact that the oval shaped in-house movement caliber 4101 is specially built for this watch makes it even more desirable.

The Millenary 4101 asserts itself as the perfect expression of an idea that took shape and steadily matured in the minds of the Audemars Piguet teams before seeing the light of day. This model with its oval caliber exercises a persistent fascination testifying to the fact that the Manufacture in Le Brassus has once again superseded existing design codes and defied the laws of technology in order to master and even transcend these technical constraints.

Its designer made the deliberately daring choice to give the structural and functional aspects of the movement an essential role in terms of the overall aesthetic. This model features the sleek form of the oval case inherent to the Millenary collection, as well as the signature off-centered dial and imposing Roman numerals. The elaborate design of the watch is distinguished as much by this unusual three-dimensional appearance as by its atypical architecture.

Designed for men who find their way through time while making light of ephemeral trends and show a marked preference for audacity rather than slavishly following the crowd, the Millenary 4101 comes in two original interpretations: one in steel and the other in pink gold.

By offering its owner the privilege of observing the inner life of its oval movement, the Millenary 4101 breaks free of conventional watchmaking codes. Nonetheless, technical sophistication is not achieved at the cost of aesthetics, since this model marries function and design by granting equal importance to the inside and outside of the watch. This accentuates the striking visual presence of the regulating organ and draws all eyes to its balance, lever and escapement. The heart of the movement is the variable-inertia balance with eight white gold inertia blocks that ensure enhanced long-term rating stability. It beats at a 4 Hz oscillating frequency, meaning 28,800 vibrations per hour, thereby improving timing precision and making the regulating organ less sensitive to extreme disturbances. The selfwinding Millenary 4101 watch has a 60-hour power reserve. Its cross-through balance-bridge echoes the aesthetic of the 3120 and 3090 calibres and ensures enhanced shock resistance.

In reading off the hours, minutes and seconds on dials, the gaze is inexorably drawn toward the subtle intricacies of the mechanism. Above and beyond their primordial functional role, each of the watch movement components contributes to the aesthetic beauty of the model, giving it an incomparable appearance radiating controlled strength. Each of the five levels that stand out when the watch is viewed in perspective reveals an exceptional quality of execution and finishing. Entirely assembled and decorated by hand, Calibre 4101 features twelve bridges that are snailed.

Stainless steel case, black and anthracite dial with pink gold applied Roman numerals and hands. Hand-sewn black crocodile leather strap with large square scales, secured by an AP folding clasp in stainless steel.