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Lot Essay
Audemars Piguet’s mastery of striking watches reached a remarkable level with three manually wound grande sonnerie calibres conceived by specialist movement maker Renaud et Papi: calibre 2868, calibre 2890 and, as the ultimate expression of the series, calibre 2891 with carillon and dynamograph. Between 1996 and 2000, Audemars Piguet produced only 188 examples across these three calibres. Of these, just 41 were fitted with calibre 2891, comprising 12 watches in white gold, such as the present timepiece, and the remainder in platinum as reference 25945PT.
In watchmaking, a carillon employs three or more hammers to produce a richer and more melodious sequence of notes. In calibre 2891, three black-polished hammers strike three peripheral gongs to indicate the hours, quarters and minutes. The mechanism can be activated on demand through the pusher at 10 o’clock, while a three-position selector at 2 o’clock allows the wearer to choose between silence, grande sonnerie and petite sonnerie modes.
Developed by Renaud et Papi and first incorporated into a wristwatch calibre in 2000, the dynamograph indicates the real-time torque delivered by the mainspring through a direct barrel-force sensor. Particularly useful for an energy-intensive grande sonnerie, it allows the wearer to identify the optimal operating range of the mainspring and when additional winding is required.
Comprising an impressive 496 components, the manually wound calibre 2891 incorporates two superimposed barrels and a monometallic balance with lever escapement. The sonnerie provides approximately 60 hours of operation in petite sonnerie mode or 20 hours in grande sonnerie mode, while the going train offers approximately 48 hours of autonomy. Beautifully finished with Côtes de Genève, bevelled and polished edges and black-polished hammers, calibre 2891 combines one of watchmaking’s most prestigious traditional complications with remarkable mechanical innovation.
In watchmaking, a carillon employs three or more hammers to produce a richer and more melodious sequence of notes. In calibre 2891, three black-polished hammers strike three peripheral gongs to indicate the hours, quarters and minutes. The mechanism can be activated on demand through the pusher at 10 o’clock, while a three-position selector at 2 o’clock allows the wearer to choose between silence, grande sonnerie and petite sonnerie modes.
Developed by Renaud et Papi and first incorporated into a wristwatch calibre in 2000, the dynamograph indicates the real-time torque delivered by the mainspring through a direct barrel-force sensor. Particularly useful for an energy-intensive grande sonnerie, it allows the wearer to identify the optimal operating range of the mainspring and when additional winding is required.
Comprising an impressive 496 components, the manually wound calibre 2891 incorporates two superimposed barrels and a monometallic balance with lever escapement. The sonnerie provides approximately 60 hours of operation in petite sonnerie mode or 20 hours in grande sonnerie mode, while the going train offers approximately 48 hours of autonomy. Beautifully finished with Côtes de Genève, bevelled and polished edges and black-polished hammers, calibre 2891 combines one of watchmaking’s most prestigious traditional complications with remarkable mechanical innovation.