The watch journal

Time, in fine detail

Florentine is probably my least favourite of gold finishes. Not because the technique itself is unattractive, but because I've seen far too many watches ruined by its application after the fact. Yet every so often, a piece comes along that reminds me just how beautiful it can be when it was part of the original design.

The finely intersecting lines of the Florentine finish on this 1950s Audemars Piguet, conceived as part of the original design rather than added later.

There was a time when Florentine seemed to be everywhere. Think 1970s oilmen, Rolexes with textured gold cases and bracelets, open shirts, hairy chests, and big, bold gold chains. Independent jewellers were happy to add Florentine or bark finishes to watches that had never been designed for them, often at the expense of the original surfaces and proportions.

The result could be rather heavy-handed. What was intended to add character sometimes did little more than erase the character already there. 70s gaudiness at its best.

Detail

Design

What makes this 1950s Audemars Piguet different is not simply the Florentine texture, but where it begins and ends. The finishing is deliberately contained within the case's design, leaving the edges and adjoining surfaces clearly defined. It's a small distinction, but an important one. I've seen too many watches where a jeweller has taken the engraving across the original surfaces, losing the very lines that gave the case its character. Here, the texture complements the architecture rather than competing with it.

Simplicity in minimal design

Seen as a whole, this disco-style Audemars Piguet is an unusual combination of textures and proportions. The strap interrupts the circular case, the crown sits neatly tucked into its side, and the dial is kept relatively simple, with applied gold markers, slender hands and a subsidiary seconds register. There is quite a lot going on for such a minimal design, yet nothing feels excessive.

It's interesting to see Florentine finishing return to Audemars Piguet's contemporary collections, particularly in the form of its Frosted Gold Royal Oak. What was once associated with the extravagance of the 1970s has found its way back into modern watchmaking, although this little 1950s example makes a convincing case that it never needed reinventing.

Explore this Audemars Piguet

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