Audemars Piguet Buys “Grosse Pièce” for $7.7 Million at Sotheby’s New York
Audemars Piguet has reacquired its most complex vintage pocket watch, the “Grosse Pièce,” for a total of $7.7 million. This record-breaking purchase occurred at Sotheby’s Important Watches auction in New York, where the Manufacture successfully outbid competitors to return the timepiece to its archives in Le Brassus. The sale price far exceeded the pre-auction estimate of $1 million, establishing a new auction record for an Audemars Piguet timepiece.
A Historic Acquisition
The transaction took place during the sale of the Olmsted Complications Collection. The final price of $7,736,000 includes the buyer's premium, a figure that reflects the watch's immense historical value. This purchase coincides with the brand’s 150th anniversary and underscores a strategic effort to reclaim key artifacts of its heritage. The watch was secured by a representative for the brand after a competitive bidding process, ensuring its return to the place of its creation.
Unrivaled Mechanical Complexity
The “Grosse Pièce” is a technical masterpiece encased in 18-carat yellow gold. Originally commissioned in 1914 and delivered in 1921, it features 19 complications, tying it with the 1899 “Universelle” as the most complicated pocket watch ever made by the Maison. Its mechanical functions include a minute repeater, grande and petite sonnerie, chronograph, perpetual calendar, moon phases, and equation of time. Uniquely, it also houses a tourbillon, the only one found in an Audemars Piguet pocket watch from this era.
Astronomical Features and History
Beyond standard timekeeping, the watch serves as an astronomical instrument. It displays a celestial chart of the night sky over London, mapping 315 stars and constellations alongside sidereal time. This level of astronomical detail was groundbreaking for its time and remains a rare feature in horological history.
The watch was originally created using the établissage system of the Vallée de Joux, where specialized craftsmen produced individual components for assembly. After its 1921 delivery, the piece remained largely hidden in private collections, documented only by archival records until it resurfaced in the 1990s. Its return marks a significant moment for horological scholarship, allowing for direct study of its intricate mechanics.
Public Exhibition Plans
The “Grosse Pièce” will not remain hidden in a vault. Audemars Piguet plans to showcase the watch through a multi-year world tour at select AP Houses and special events. Following this tour, it will be permanently exhibited at the Musée Atelier Audemars Piguet in Le Brassus. There, it will stand alongside the “Universelle” as a central pillar of the brand's Heritage Collection, accessible to the public and scholars alike.
Take a look at the auction listing here: https://www.sothebys.com/en/buy/auction/2025/important-watches-2/grosse-piece-no-16869-an-extraordinary
