Audemars Piguet Jules Audemars Chronometer With AP Escapement Luxury Watch Review

http://www.thewatchbox.com/watches/audemars-piguet The Audemars Piguet Jules Audemars Chronometer With AP Escapement stands at the intersection of art and science. As high-horology’s first daily-wearable direct-impulse escapement, the Chronometer is a masterpiece two centuries in the making. Envisioned by watchmakers as a horological Holy Grail since its conception during the French Revolution, the direct-impulse escapement has been realized in the 21st century by Audemars Piguet. Virtually every luxury watch constructed since the inception of the type has employed the time-tested Swiss lever. In observatory chronometer form, the Swiss lever (ironically, an English invention) has proved capable of incredible precision. But the clear drawbacks of the system were evident from its earliest days. By its very nature, a Swiss lever wastes energy. The lever transfers power between the escape wheel and the balance wheel while metering the former and impulsing the later. Combining these two functions means that a great deal of energy is lost between the (mainspring-powered) escape wheel and the hairspring-propelled balance wheel. In 1791, the French watchmaker/clockmaker Robert Robin conceived of a direct-impulse escapement wherein the balance interacts with the escape wheel directly. Critically, the lever is relegated to locking and unlocking the escape wheel exclusively; the lever no longer transmits any power. As a result, less energy is lost, and the potential precision of