Audemars Piguet Hooded Calibre 101

Our fascination with small watches has reached single digits. This petite Audemars Piguet measures approximately 9 mm across its hooded ends, narrowing to around 8 mm through the middle. You could lose it between the cushions, though I suspect you’d notice its absence fairly quickly.

The case is what got me. Above and below the dial, gold hoods flare over the strap attachments, their folds fanning out when viewed from the side. There’s something of a vintage convertible roof about the profile, caught halfway through folding down. Those same details recall the decorative corners of an old Chicago or New York Art Deco building, reduced to a scale you can wrap around your wrist.

A simple white dial with applied indices leaves room to appreciate those proportions. The leather strap closely follows the case’s width, creating one slender line around the wrist, while the gold has developed the warm patina we love finding on vintage pieces.

Making something this small work mechanically is a fascination of its own. Inside is an AP-signed movement based on Jaeger-LeCoultre’s celebrated Calibre 101, sharing that foundation with Vacheron Constantin’s Calibre 1005. It’s a lovely example of how different houses gave this miniature movement a character of their own. You wind it through the crown at the centre of the AP-signed back, leaving those narrow case sides uninterrupted. There’s a lot going on beneath that little white dial.

I’ve more often encountered AP’s miniature pieces on integrated gold bracelets, which makes this leather-strap version especially appealing. You can wear it with a shirt and jeans without feeling you’ve brought out the evening jewellery. Its original AP-signed 18k yellow gold buckle is a particularly welcome survivor, and a lovely finishing touch to our little convertible.