A grand story of small watches

In watchmaking, just as in the Olympic Games, there are certain key disciplines. Artisans have been competing for centuries to offer the most accurate (chronometry), most complicated and smallest timepieces. Obviously, being  simultaneously small, complicated and accurate is even more difficult. It’s a bit like an athlete winning the 100 metres, the world chess championship and the curling final.

A master of complications since 1875, Audemars Piguet took an early interest in miniature watches. In 1891, for example, its watchmakers created a movement with a diameter of just 18 mm that chimed the time on demand. In 1921, they beat their own record by reaching 15.8 mm, although the watchmaker in charge of the project made the following comment in his little notebook: "I won't make one like it again, at any price".

If there were no added horological complications, sizes could be reduced still further. In 1927, Audemars Piguet created Calibre 5/7SB, the smallest mechanical movement of its time. Competition was fierce in the Vallée de Joux and two years later, its neighbour LeCoultre & Cie created Calibre 101, which rose to fame and is still produced today. Nevertheless, watches equipped with these tiny mechanisms are so small that one can barely tell the time.

Audemars Piguet then focused on ultra-thin calibres, building on the 1921 record-breaking Calibre 17SVF#5, which was no more than 1.32 mm thick. In the aftermath of World War II, the brand became a benchmark for thinness. In 1958, almost three-quarters of its production housed ultra-thin Calibre 2003, barely 1.64 mm thick, based on an ebauche by LeCoultre & Cie.

Ultra-thin watchmaking is synonymous with comfort, lightness and ergonomics. Audemars Piguet has continued to develop this speciality right up to the present day.

During the 1990s, Audemars Piguet explored a wide range of aesthetic and technical territories. Jacqueline Dimier, abetted by the young designer Emmanuel Gueit, was in charge of the creative department. Under her creative lead, the brand shocked the world with the testosterone-infused Royal Oak Offshore, reassured observers with the reintroduction of classic complications and surprised by reinventing the wandering hours and introducing unconventional materials. It also took countless liberties in the field of jewellery.

Creativity was thus in full flow during the mid-1990s, when the minuscule Jaeger-LeCoultre Calibre 2601 was adopted. For a designer, having such a tiny, accurate mechanism with an over one-year power reserve was a dream. It afforded extraordinary creative freedom, as various constraints in terms of form, function and correction simply melted away.

Why not indulge in a return to the world of childhood, of innocent freshness, of bright pop art colours? Audemars Piguet archives from the 1990s reveal unexpected treasures: watches shaped like teddy bears, lion cubs, ducks, mermaids, model cars, lips, eyes, feather clocks, little hearts, sweet words, symbols of first love.

A total of 1,965 Mini Royal Oak watches were produced between 1997 and 1999. Two models accounted for the lion's share with a total of 1,803 watches, meaning over 90% of overall production.

The most famous version was Model 67075. It is the only one to have been interpreted in steel, because its case is not gemset. There are 1,254 of these timepieces, of which 465 in steel, 328 in yellow gold, 272 in two-tone (steel and yellow gold) versions, 101 in white gold, and 88 in pink gold.

While very few of the dial variations shown here were documented in the archives, the practices of the period suggest greater diversity.

The second version is Model 67076. It differs from the previous model in that its bezel is set with 32 brilliant-cut diamonds. All 549 models are in precious materials: 296 in white gold, 174 in pink gold and 79 in yellow gold. All the documented dials are gemset: in some instances, only the hour-markers and in others, the entire model is paved with diamonds and dotted with rubies or emeralds.

Since 1999, the size of the Royal Oak has continued to grow. The last models under 30 mm vanished after 2004. Only the 33 mm models survived, followed by the 34 mm models as of 2020. Yet every time a Mini Royal Oak comes up for auction at Christie's, Sotheby's or Antiquorum, it triggers an outburst of emotion. Moreover, since Model 67075 went on display within the Musée Atelier Audemars Piguet in Le Brassus, it has become a firm favourite with visitors.

Little by little, the idea of reintroducing Mini Royal Oak watches was gaining traction. Was that feasible, however, given the absence of any calibre as small as the former 2601? Moreover, repairing the latter had become a challenge for Customer Services. Audemars Piguet thus opted for a small quartz mechanism with great autonomy.

To improve the watch’s battery life, Calibre 2730 is almost constantly in sleep mode. It is activated every 20 seconds or so, moving the hands forward slightly before going back to sleep. During its multiple naps, the only constant motion is the non-stop vibration of the small quartz piece placed at the heart of the movement – a bit like the heart of a lazy person in a deep sleep, waking up every 20 seconds to shuffle a few centimetres forward. It does not move fast, but it lasts a long time. This method saves energy and ensures a full seven years of autonomy, corresponding to the battery life. It is worth noting that the watch can be temporarily stopped by pulling out the crown, thereby further extending its power reserve.