On the occasion of GMT Magazine’s 20th anniversary (and WorldTempus’s upcoming 20th anniversary in 2021), we have embarked on the ambitious project of summarising the last 20 years in watchmaking in The Millennium Watch Book, a big, beautifully laid out coffee table book. The Millennium Watch Book is available exclusively now for pre-order at a discounted rate on www.the-watch-book.com, in French and English, with delivery aimed just in time for the holiday season.
In the coming weeks, WorldTempus will be exclusively sharing excerpts from the book, to give you a taste. Use the code WT2020 at checkout get 10% off your first order!
Here’s is an exclusive excerpt from our section “Who’s who”, where we name the 80 industry players, from CEOs to Creative Directors to retailers and independent watchmakers, who have indelibly shaped the last two decades of watches, written by those in the industry who perhaps know them best. For more information, visit www.the-watch-book.com
Who’s who - Giulio Papi, Co-founder and director Audemars Piguet Renaud et Papi
Endowed with a spirit of curiosity, technical supremacy and progressive thinking, Giulio Papi is a leader in the mechanical watch industry by example as well as output. Exploring the unknown while ensuring that stability, accuracy, and beauty remain the prime elements of his creations, he and his company, APRP (Audemars Piguet Renaud et Papi), have released some of watchmaking’s most difficult and interesting watches to date.
In 1989, Papi, along with Dominique Renaud and Christophe Claret, laid the foundation for a company that was much more than “just” a supplier of complications and complicated movements. Responsible for a whole generation of mechanical creativity (as well as the advent of wearable repeaters since that same year), by 1996 Papi was growing his supplier business alone, eventually accepting Audemars Piguet (which in time acquired 78 percent of shares)as a major investor.
APRP is one of two major suppliers of minute repeaters, considered the most difficult horological complication. Above and beyond this status, Papi’s open, honest manner and business sense have attracted both superb talents as employees and innovation-minded brands as clients. APRP was the technical powerhouse behind Richard Mille’s explosive entrance in 2001 and the magic Mr. Fixit behind such complex projects as the Harry Winston Opus 3 presented in 2003. Moreover, APRP is also the driving force behind all Audemars Piguet’s complicated timepieces, including the GPHG-winning Supersonnerie and RD#2, Chanel’s J12 Rétrograde Mystérieuse, HYT’s mechanisms, as well as various and sundry exceptional timepieces for a variety of high-end brands.
This company is also more or less a training ground for some of the most creative watchmakers of our time, who have generally have gone on to become big names and important role models in their own right, such as Cartier’s Carole Forestier-Kasapi as well as Robert Greubel and Stephen Forsey. “I am fortunate to be able to make a living from my hobby. It isn’t a job, but a passion,” Papi humbly explains. “I am proud of all the watches I have made because they are all perfect, but each one is different and has a story to tell.”
