Audemars Piguet Huitième Chronograph 18K

About the Watch

Audemars Piguet’s Huitième Chronograph line heralded the arrival of the modern watchmaking era by combining the classic dressy chronograph aesthetic with oversized cases. The Huitième Chronograph is a quirky combination of classic mid-century design from the 1950s and 1960s and the modernism of the 80s and 90s. The large 40 mm case is made of elegant rose gold, presenting the engraved watchmakers name over the 12 o'clock position. The engraved rose-gold bezel, rose gold crown, and small rose gold chronograph pushers, in turn, infuse the watch with visual warmth.

While the oversized case and choice of materials is decidedly modern, the dial design invokes classic mid-century watchmaking cues. The light gray, or better expressed crème dial features three recessed chronograph subdials with gold surrounds and elegant black printed serif lettering. The serif lettering is also found on the traditional tachymetric scale on the edge of the dial. The elegant look of the dial is complemented by the implementation of thin 18k rose gold hands and small applied rose gold hour markers. Even the date complication at the 3 o’clock position is tastefully integrated with the use of an inner magnifying cyclops.

The watch dates back to the late 1980s and is in excellent condition. It runs on a convenient self-winding chronograph movement and is paired with a comfortable handmade black leather straps.

About the Brand

The Manufacture was established in 1875 in Le Brassus, a village at the heart of La Vallée-de-Joux in the Swiss Jura, by Jules-Louis Audemars and Edward-Auguste Piguet, two enterprising young men who combined their talent to develop and produce watches featuring rare complications. Already in these early days, an Audemars-Piguet watch was prized by admirers of fine mechanical timepieces. Through determination, imagination and discipline, they inscribed their name on the wider history of watchmaking. The company they established has never left the hands of the founding families.