John Schaeffer "Tradition"

The "John Schaeffer" is back and I dearly hope it is here to stay. Even if there already was one presented last year, these new three new versions seem to make it a collection again. Unfortunately this is not certain since they are under the "Tradition" banner and they could only be a short term reappearance. Personally it's time to retire the Edward Piguet line or at least put it back on the drawing board (preferably on a treadmill to loose some thickness). Nobody wants a thick dress watch. Apparently this is a message that has been difficult to transmit.

All three are equipped with the finest and more "mystical" movements AP can offer. The finishes are well over what is usually expected or seen at AP. My favorite is the John Schaeffer equipped with the 2120 calibre which is the base for the RoyalOak perpetual and the non-date version of the Jumbo's engine. A rare movement by itself. The last time I saw this it was on a skeletonized version of the Jumbo.

I love the vintage look and Art-Deco hour markers. they are clean, well executed and transmit the "magic" like few watches. This is actually the first time I would choose an AP over a Patek in the vintage segment. Unfortunately I find them to be all too large. The same rules do not apply to cushion cases for some reason. Whille 43 mm is optimal on a round case for me, it is just too big on a cushion. I would have made all the 3 mm smaller. Especially the hour minutes model. On the other two there is the excuse that they are historically pocketwatch movements and are considerably larger than regular movements. so the extra headroom is justified in this case.


Apart from being happy to see these again I am perplexed at the price. 51,000$ or 41,000€ seems to be a bit steep, to put it in a mild way. At this price you should require a bit more than hours and minutes. Maybe a jumping hours regulator, an annual calendar or even a manual 8-day power reserve. At that prize range, even in platinum, I would expect at least that.

Audemars Piguet...