Audemars Piguet unveil an appropriately stylish new AP House in Milan
Jamie WeissBrick-and-mortar retail has seen a revolution over the last 10 years, with a rise in e-commerce forcing brands and retailers to innovate in order to get people through the door. Leading the pack in this field is undoubtedly Audemars Piguet and this can be seen most clearly at its latest AP House concept that has just opened in Milan.
Described by Forbes as “part library, part museum [and] part social meeting area”, the Holy Trinity brand’s AP Houses are some of the most elevated watch shopping experiences on the planet, with AP Houses found in many of the world’s top global cities including Amsterdam, Hong Kong, London, New York (more on that AP House here), Shanghai, Tel Aviv, Tokyo and Zurich. I’ve personally visited the AP House in Madrid, and I can attest that it’s probably the nicest watch boutique I’ve ever visited.
Now, in 2024, Audemars Piguet has opened their latest AP House in Milan – the first city where the brand opened an AP House seven years ago. This new AP House Milano is located in the former Garage Traversi in Via Bagutta, in one of Milan’s most prestigious neighbourhoods: a former garage opened in 1938 that was the first multi-storey garage in Milan and a distinct example of rationalist design. This former garage has been transformed into a luxurious and sophisticated space, with the AP House spanning five floors.
In addition to the traditional AP House lounge space, the AP House Milano features a dedicated exhibition floor filled with vintage Milanese furniture and design pieces, as well as a floor dedicated to servicing where visitors can admire the watchmakers at work. Throughout, modernist wall patterns evoking the brand’s iconic Petite Tapisserie guilloché motif can be found, with the entire AP House a perfect blend of Italian modernist design and Swiss touches.
Our fearless founder Andrew was one of the first journalists in the world to see this new AP House. Stay tuned for a more in-depth look into this luxurious space (and the watches AP launched at the same time they opened it – more on those below) in the coming weeks.
Hope you all have a wonderful weekend!
Jamie
Watch meme of the week: we all say things we don’t mean
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It’s a conversation every watch enthusiast has had with their significant others, friends and family members. “It’s the last one, I swear!”
Wrist shot of the week: two takes on integrated luxury
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I love this shot that our Melbourne Studio manager Mitch snapped of his mate Sid wearing two very different integrated luxury sports watches: an Atelier Wen Perception and an Audemars Piguet Royal Oak “Jumbo”. It’s a meeting of worlds on the wrist: the ever-popular Swiss integrated stalwart, and the enthusiast darling upstart that’s redefining Chinese luxury watchmaking.
Time+Tide Shop pick of the week: Baltic Aquascaphe Classic White – Beads of Rice
The Baltic Aquascaphe is, simply put, one of the nicest vintage-styled affordable dive watches on the market. This tuxedo-like white dial variant is particularly dapper, with the addition of a beads of rice bracelet dialling the retro charm up to 11. Its bezel, made from sapphire crystal, has an almost Bakelite-like appearance, enhancing its vintage style. Measuring up at 39mm and powered by the Miyota 9039 movement – a premium offering from the Japanese brand which is one of the best budget options around – this French diver is extremely versatile.
Order now from the Time+Tide Shop or purchase at our Melbourne Discovery Studio. Price: AU$1,200.
Our favourite Time+Tide coverage of the week
Audemars Piguet Social Club 2024 kicks off with the debut of a new ‘Sand Gold’ alloy & a John Mayer collab
We’re starting to head into the watch industry’s silly season. Watches & Wonders is only a few weeks away, Omega has already made a splash with a white lacquer dial Speedy, and now we’ve got 2024’s edition of the Audemars Piguet Social Club, which has seen a bevy of APs been released alongside the opening of the new AP House Milano. The debut of a new alloy, “Sand Gold”, in the form of a Royal Oak Flying Tourbillon Openworked is particularly notable, as well as a limited edition Royal Oak Perpetual Calendar produced in collaboration with John Mayer. There’s literally dozens of new APs to wrap your head around – read my full round-up here.
Morgan Stanley says these watch brands have the highest average prices
If you’re into watches as much as I am, you’ve no doubt seen the recent Morgan Stanley and LuxeConsult report into the Swiss watch industry’s top 50 companies for 2023. But here’s the thing: everyone was obsessed this week with each brand’s position in the top 20 as well as their production figures, but I’d argue that the most interesting stat is the average price per watch for some of these brands. So, we decided to put together a list of the most expensive watch brands Switzerland has to offer: a factor of how much money a brand makes divided by the number of watches they’ve sold to come up with an average Swiss franc figure per watch. You’ll find it’s a very different top 10…
Life on the left side with the Rolex GMT-Master II “Sprite”
Tom talks about life with one of Rolex’s most polarising releases in recent times, the left-handed GMT-Master II “Sprite”. Tom’s decision to acquire this watch is more unusual (and I daresay more meaningful) than most – which he shares in this article that explores the past, present and uncertain future of this unusual Rolex. Read it here.