Audemars Piguet Promesse
When you think of a women’s watch, what comes to mind? Perhaps a watch made with precious metals like gold? How about a watch that is set with gems, like diamonds or sapphires? The design of the watch should be luxurious and stylish, while retaining its most important characteristic — being a precise timekeeper. Luckily, the Audemars Piguet Promesse meets all of these requirements and more. These beautiful watches from the famous Swiss manufacture are timeless and look great dressed up or down. Promesse is the French word for “promise,” which is an apt name for this extremely reliable watch.
Promesse Is Solid Gold on Your Wrist
The Audemars Piguet Promesse (67405BA.Z.1181BA.03) is a stunning solid gold wristwatch, set with diamonds. Like the majority of the Promesse collection, this example uses a highly accurate quartz movement and is 18mm in width. The case and bracelet are integrated and made from solid 18-karat yellow gold. The crystal of this watch is made from sapphire, which is second only to diamond in terms of hardness. The hardness of this crystal prevents almost all scratches and will stay looking amazing for years to come. The dial of this Audemars Piguet Promesse is particularly attractive, with its oversize 12 and 6 numerals composed entirely of diamonds.
Promesse Has Mother-of-Pearl Dials
The dial of luxury wristwatches is a prominent design element that is often the first attribute noticed. The Audemars Piguet Promesse (6736BA.ZZ.1180BA.03) does not disappoint, with its shimmering mother-of-pearl dial. The scientific term for mother-of-pearl is “nacre,” and it has an interesting origin. Nacre is a composite material, which is produced by molluscs. It is interesting to note that nacre is the same material pearls are made of. Of course, pearls are not large enough to fashion a watch dial from, so the nacre material produced by the mollusc is used. Nacre is widely used for decorative purposes, from architecture, to fashion, to musical instruments.
Promesse’s Decorated Crowns
The crowns used on the watches in the Audemars Piguet Promesse collection are decorated with beautiful clear sapphires. Today, we may not think much about the crown of a watch. They make it easy to set the time of the watch and, in the case of mechanical watches, provide a way to wind the mainspring barrel. In a sense, they are the interface between the exterior and interior of the watch. But when considering the history of the watch, the crown is somewhat of a recent invention. Before the crown, watches were wound and set using a key. This key was inserted into the dial or movement of the watch and turned to set the time or wind the watch up. The keys were often kept at the end of a decorative chain attached to the watch and matched the style of the watch itself. When the crown became commonplace in the watch, an element of the keys stuck around. The mechanism inside the watch that manages the interface with the crown is still referred to as the “keyless works.”
Audemars Piguet Promesse’s Stainless Steel Luxury Watches
The Audemars Piguet Promesse (67259ST.Z.1156ST.02) uses mirror polished stainless steel for its case and bracelet. In the past, the use of stainless steel for a watch was almost never seen. Watches were considered luxury items (similar to jewelry) and almost always used a precious metal for their case. This changed in 1972, when the noted watch designer Gérald Genta designed the Royal Oak luxury sports watch for Audemars Piguet. What set the Royal Oak apart from its competition was its use of stainless steel. At the time, the use of stainless steel was a foreign concept to the watch-buying public but now is very popular. The innovation that Audemars Piguet pushed forward with its Royal Oak is perhaps the reason why we see stainless steel used in the Audemars Piguet Promesse today. Stainless steel is a very durable metal that is difficult to scratch and highly resistant to oxidation. This makes stainless steel watches keep their great looks no matter how much usage they have seen through the years.
Audemars Piguet Promesse Pricing and Availability
The Audemars Piguet Promesse collection is a highly desirable women’s watch with many different styles available on the preowned market. Examples of the Promesse (67405BA.Z.1181BA.03) in yellow gold sell for about $10,000. Some examples of the Promesse that feature large numbers of diamonds (67405BC.ZZ.1181BC.04) sell for slightly higher prices, about $12,000. Many watches in the Audemars Piguet Promesse collection feature integrated bracelets, but some feature straps as an alternative. Versions of the Audemars Piguet Promesse that come with straps sell for attractive prices, about $7,000. Some versions of the Audemars Promesse feature extensive amounts of diamonds, even on the bracelet. These beautiful examples sell for about $12,000-$18,000.