Five minutes. Zero stress. Audemars Piguet’s perpetual calendar now sets itself!
Audemars Piguet’s Partnership with Dubai Future Foundation has produced the first product, an intelligent setting device that is designed specifically for the Swiss watchmaker’s 41mm Royal Oak Perpetual Calendar. The combined mechanical precision with robotics, computer vision, and artificial intelligence has resulted in this latest innovation in watchmaking. The first of its kind, this intelligent watch box is able to automatically set and wind Audemars Piguet’s 41mm Royal Oak Perpetual Calendar exclusively.
Audemars Piguet first partnered with Dubai Future Foundation (DFF) in 2023, with the vision of this partnership being to drive innovation through foresight, to push the boundaries of horological tradition, and take the watchmaking industry to new heights. Audemars Piguet provided the horological expertise and vision, while DFF’s applied research and robotics initiative, Dubai Future Labs (DFL), led the development of the intelligent watch box prototype, designing and integrating the full technological architecture. With the prototype and design in place, Audemars Piguet entrusted the manufacturing process to Max Terio (Eight Inc.), who was selected for his extensive creativity and alignment with the brand’s vision.
“Our collaboration with Audemars Piguet offered us a unique opportunity to experience Swiss watchmaking first-hand and to merge our engineering expertise with one of the world’s oldest and most refined industries. For our team, it was both an exciting challenge and a chance to pioneer something never done before, while showcasing our R&D strengths in robotics and autonomous systems. Watchmaking is defined by precision and heritage – values that equally guide our work at Dubai Future Labs.”
Khalifa Al Qama, Executive Director of Dubai Future Labs, DFF
Dubai Future Foundation is a government entity that was founded in 2016. The foundation was created to shape the future of Dubai through strategic foresight. It is able to do this by building an innovative ecosystem through accelerator programs, incubators, labs, sandbox environments, and knowledge platforms. The grand vision of DFF is to make Dubai one of the world’s foremost future-ready cities. The key initiatives of DFF include the iconic Museum of the Future, Dubai Future Accelerators, Dubai Centre for Artificial Intelligence, and Dubai Future Labs.
The purpose behind this creation is quite clear: to place the user at the centre of the experience by simplifying the way highly complex movements, like the perpetual calendar, are adjusted. Watches with the perpetual calendar complication have long been admired for their poetic beauty and their complexity; however, they have often been difficult to set, requiring most of the time specialist tools or knowledge. Audemars Piguet set out to rethink this process entirely. Their latest Royal Oak Perpetual Calendar, released this year for the brand’s 150th anniversary, replaces the previous movement with Calibres 7138 and 7136.
“The idea of creating a setting device for the Perpetual Calendar has been a part of Audemars Piguet’s vision for years. The innovative ‘all-in-one’ crown of Caliber 7138 has made that dream possible, which was able to bring to life via our collaboration with the Dubai Future Foundation.“
Lucas Raggi – Chief Industrial Officer, Audemars Piguet
These two calibres introduce an all-new, all-in-one crown, which allows all calendar corrections to be made through a single interface. It’s this innovative interface that the intelligent watch box is able to adjust the perpetual calendar. The intelligent watch box offers a fully automated solution that both winds and sets the perpetual calendar with precision and care.
Once the watch is placed inside and the lid closed, the intelligent system within the watchbox automatically analyses the dial using a discreet camera housed within the lid. Within approximately five minutes, it identifies which calendar indications require correction and performs the necessary adjustments without any user intervention.
This process of correction is carried out by several interconnected systems, all working together in harmony. There is a mechanical module within the intelligent watch box that replicates the precise movement of the human hand that operates the crown safely. There is also an electronic module that manages communication between hardware and software within the compact architecture. Audemars Piguet states that “Visual data captured by the camera is analysed in real time by a machine-learning algorithm trained on multiple dial configurations, allowing the system to adapt to each individual watch. Dedicated software then orchestrates the entire process, managing movement coordination, error detection, feedback, and Bluetooth connectivity”.
This latest venture from Audemars Piguet, alongside Dubai Future Foundation, is about enhancing the ownership and user experience of one of the most complex timepieces in the world of horology. By removing the friction from the setting process, Audemars Piguet gives owners more freedom and peace of mind when wearing the timepiece. No more “did I set it correctly” or needing to take it to a professional every time you want to wear the watch. This is a thoughtful innovation that embraces modern technology and artificial intelligence, reinforcing the brand’s long-standing belief that innovation should always serve the wearer!
FUNCTION
Automated setting and winding of perpetual calendar movements.
CASE MATERIAL
Soft-touch flanks with polished metallic details and buttons.
DEVICE SPECIFICATIONS
Total length 20 cm
Total width 12 cm
Total height 15 cm
Total weight ~ 2 kg
Operation time ~ 5 minutes