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Audemars Piguet Reclaims Historic Pocket Watch at Auction
It purchased the “Grosse Pièce,” an ultra-complicated Audemars Piguet pocket watch from the ‘20s, for a record-breaking price at Sotheby’s.
Crafted in 18-karat yellow gold, the “Grosse Pièce” is the most comprehensive astronomical timepiece ever created by Audemars Piguet, the company said.
Le Brassus, Switzerland—Audemars Piguet announced it has acquired the “Grosse Pièce,” an ultra-complicated pocket watch the company created more than a century ago.
The timepiece, which spent decades out of the public eye, shattered records last week when Audemars Piguet purchased it for $7.7 million at Sotheby’s Important Watches auction, paying seven times the highest pre-sale estimate.
Completed in the early 1920s, it is the only ultra-complicated Audemars Piguet watch made in the 20th century, the company said.
It includes a minute repeater, grande and petite sonnerie, chronograph, and the brand’s only tourbillon in a pocket watch of that era.
With 19 complications, it ties with the watchmaker’s “Universelle” model, created in 1899, as the most complicated Audemars Piguet pocket watch ever made.
Crafted in 18-karat yellow gold, the Grosse Pièce is the most comprehensive astronomical timepiece ever created by Audemars Piguet, the company said.
It’s also among the earliest to feature a sky chart, depicting the night sky over London with 315 stars, alongside sidereal time, a perpetual calendar, moon phases, and the equation of time.
True to its name (“Large Piece”), the pocket watch measures about 80 mm in diameter.
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The timepiece, which spent decades out of the public eye, shattered records last week when Audemars Piguet purchased it for $7.7 million at Sotheby’s Important Watches auction, paying seven times the highest pre-sale estimate.
Completed in the early 1920s, it is the only ultra-complicated Audemars Piguet watch made in the 20th century, the company said.
It includes a minute repeater, grande and petite sonnerie, chronograph, and the brand’s only tourbillon in a pocket watch of that era.
With 19 complications, it ties with the watchmaker’s “Universelle” model, created in 1899, as the most complicated Audemars Piguet pocket watch ever made.
Crafted in 18-karat yellow gold, the Grosse Pièce is the most comprehensive astronomical timepiece ever created by Audemars Piguet, the company said.
It’s also among the earliest to feature a sky chart, depicting the night sky over London with 315 stars, alongside sidereal time, a perpetual calendar, moon phases, and the equation of time.
True to its name (“Large Piece”), the pocket watch measures about 80 mm in diameter.
According to a history of the pocket watch provided by Sotheby’s, the genesis of the Grosse Pièce dates to 1914.
London-based watchmaking firm S. Smith & Son contacted Audemars Piguet’s London agents with a request for a special watch with celestial complications for one of its most important clients.
The pocket watch took several years to make and required the expertise of several well-known watchmakers outside of Audemars Piguet.
After being shown at the Geneva Watch Exhibition in 1920 and then delivered to the firm in 1921, the Grosse Pièce vanished from public view for decades.
In 1990, Gisbert Brunner, a horological historian, was informed of its whereabouts while doing research for an article in The Horological Journal.
He later connected with its owner, American collector Robert Olmsted, who allowed Brunner to photograph the piece for inclusion in the book he co-authored in 1993, “Audemars Piguet.”
A handwritten receipt shows that Olmsted bought the Grosse Pièce from Sydney (Sid) Rosenberg for $23,350 in March 1970.
It was a standout at Sotheby’s Important Watches sale on Dec. 8, which featured “The Olmsted Complications Collection,” an offering of the late collector’s timepieces.
“The reappearance of the Grosse Pièce at Sotheby’s marks a historic moment for collectors and enthusiasts. That this should happen in our 150th anniversary year makes it all the more extraordinary,” said Sebastian Vivas, director of heritage and museum at Audemars Piguet.
“We are delighted to welcome this important timepiece into the AP Heritage where it will be preserved, studied, and shared for generations to come.”
The company’s acquisition of the timepiece at Sotheby’s underscores its commitment to “safeguarding horological heritage and showcasing exceptional savoir-faire,” Audemars Piguet said.
The Grosse Pièce will embark on a multi-year world tour, appearing at select AP Houses—the brand’s exclusive, immersive retail spaces—and special events before being exhibited at the Musée Atelier Audemars Piguet in Le Brassus, Switzerland.
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