a golden pavilion welcomes audemars piguet’s 18-karat watch series and exhibition in milan

audemars piguet goes gold for its exhibition in milan

Audemars Piguet introduces two recent 18-karat gold watch models through its latest exhibition in the heart of Milan, Seek Beyond: Shaping Materials. The pop-up public exhibition runs between June 3rd and 16th in the courtyard of Portrait Milano at Corso Venezia, 11, following the opening of the brand’s new AP House Milano in the former Garage Traversi building on Via Bagutta. Before the visitors roam around the five rooms of the exhibition, they are greeted by a reflective golden pavilion and golden set pieces in the courtyard. Here, they are already informed on what to expect in the show, the materials used for the new series of watches, and the history of the Swiss Haute Horlogerie Manufacture’s watchmaking process.

images courtesy of Audemars Piguet

18-karat quartz watch with frosted gold finish

Two new models of 18-karat gold watches are introduced inside Audemars Piguet’s exhibition in Milan. The first is the Royal Oak, presented as a quartz model made in 18-karat yellow gold, white gold, or rose gold. It glistens because of the frosted gold finish, and this trio of small watches harks back to the 20mm Mini Royal Oak that the Swiss brand launched in 1997. A singular color scheme defines this watch model, with occasional palette changes appearing on the timepiece’s hours and hands. The Royal Oak series is the brand’s attempt to open up its alleys towards slimmer wrists, with watches that have a quartz movement and can offer over seven years of autonomy.

Audemars Piguet’s AP House Milano in the former Garage Traversi building on Via Bagutta

Audemars Piguet presents sandblasted gold alloy case

In another room, visitors see the [RE]Master02 Automatic, the second recent series from Audemars Piguet. The exhibition in Milan showcases this limited-edition watch with its 41 mm asymmetric rectangular case made in 18-karat sandblasted gold alloy. When the wearer tilts the timepiece, the shade transitions between white gold and rose gold. Looking at the dial, the ‘Bleu Nuit, Nuage 50’ shade emerges, as well as these twelve different triangles that are decorated with a linear satin finish. The 18-karat watch comes with Caliber 7129, a movement with hours and minutes indication, and its design pays tribute to an asymmetric watch created by Audemars Piguet in 1960.

gold set pieces grace Portrait Milano’s courtyard for Audemars Piguet’s exhibition in Milan

Throughout the Milan exhibition Seek Beyond: Shaping Materials, Audemars Piguet dives into its own watchmaking and manufacturing history. The setup begins with the materials and how they are transformed into watch components before ending with the series of 18-karat gold watches. Platinum, steel, titanium, carbon, and ceramic grace the exhibition, and visitors are afforded a glimpse of the brand’s craftspeople slowly turning them into timepieces. They can also see how the Swiss watch brand chooses its colors and setting techniques for its models, as well as their design inspiration. As of publishing the story, the pop-up exhibition in Milan runs until June 16th, 2024.

exterior view of the reflective golden pavilion