Audemars Piguet Just Invented Your Brainiest Watch Box

An elegant fusion of craft and technology, Audemars Piguet’s new device brings effortless precision to the perpetual calendar experience.

Audemars Piguet and the Dubai Future Foundation unveil a new chapter in watchmaking innovation: an intelligent watch box
Audemars Piguet and the Dubai Future Foundation unveil a new chapter in watchmaking innovation: an intelligent watch box that further simplifies the setting of the Manufacture’s 41 mm Royal Oak Perpetual Calendar. © Courtesy of Audemars Piguet

Audemars Piguet has unveiled an innovation that feels perfectly attuned to the expectations of today’s collector.

In collaboration with the Dubai Future Foundation, the Manufacture has created an intelligent setting device for its latest forty-one millimetre Royal Oak Perpetual Calendar.

Audemars Piguet and the Dubai Future Foundation unveil a new chapter in watchmaking innovation: an intelligent watch box
Audemars Piguet and the Dubai Future Foundation unveil a new chapter in watchmaking innovation: an intelligent watch box that further simplifies the setting of the Manufacture’s 41 mm Royal Oak Perpetual Calendar. © Courtesy of Audemars Piguet

The result is a remarkable fusion of traditional watchmaking culture with the quiet confidence of advanced robotics and artificial intelligence.

For decades, the perpetual calendar has been one of the most admired complications in Haute Horlogerie. It is elegant in concept yet demanding in practice.

Even experienced owners often rely on a watchmaker to carry out the delicate adjustments required after the watch stops. Audemars Piguet’s new setting device responds to this reality with a gesture of understated luxury, elevating convenience into something almost ceremonial.

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Audemars Piguet and the Dubai Future Foundation unveil a new chapter in watchmaking innovation: an intelligent watch box that further simplifies the setting of the Manufacture’s 41 mm Royal Oak Perpetual Calendar. © Courtesy of Audemars Piguet

The process is intentionally simple. Once the timepiece is placed inside and the lid is closed, the device reads the dial, analyses the indications and performs the necessary corrections with meticulous precision.

The entire operation concludes in a matter of minutes. The owner needs only to enjoy the assurance that the calendar is flawlessly aligned.

One of the most compelling aspects of this creation is the way it bridges two very different worlds. Inside the sculptural form sits a suite of technologies that work in harmony.

Audemars Piguet and the Dubai Future Foundation unveil a new chapter in watchmaking innovation: an intelligent watch box
Audemars Piguet and the Dubai Future Foundation unveil a new chapter in watchmaking innovation: an intelligent watch box that further simplifies the setting of the Manufacture’s 41 mm Royal Oak Perpetual Calendar. © Courtesy of Audemars Piguet

A mechanical module replicates the movement of a trained hand. A compact electronic system coordinates the flow of information.

A discreet camera observes the dial and interprets its configuration. A dedicated software system then conducts the entire process with quiet confidence.

This is not technology for its own sake. It is technology in service of the craft. The device extends the spirit of the Manufacture’s workshop into the home, embodying the same respect for precision and care that defines its timepieces.

Its physical presence is equally considered. The silhouette carries subtle echoes of the brand’s design vocabulary, reimagined in a contemporary three-dimensional form.

Audemars Piguet and the Dubai Future Foundation unveil a new chapter in watchmaking innovation: an intelligent watch box
Audemars Piguet and the Dubai Future Foundation unveil a new chapter in watchmaking innovation: an intelligent watch box that further simplifies the setting of the Manufacture’s 41 mm Royal Oak Perpetual Calendar. © Courtesy of Audemars Piguet

The exterior features soft-touch materials that convey warmth while polished metal details introduce a sense of sculptural clarity. Every proportion feels measured, and every surface refined. It is an object that invites interaction without demanding attention.

This blend of elegance and purpose reflects the philosophy shared by the Manufacture and the designers behind the project.

It is not an accessory but an extension of the collector’s environment, a piece that sits comfortably alongside a cherished timepiece and enhances the ritual of ownership.

Audemars Piguet and the Dubai Future Foundation unveil a new chapter in watchmaking innovation: an intelligent watch box
Audemars Piguet and the Dubai Future Foundation unveil a new chapter in watchmaking innovation: an intelligent watch box that further simplifies the setting of the Manufacture’s 41 mm Royal Oak Perpetual Calendar. © Courtesy of Audemars Piguet

With this device, Audemars Piguet signals a thoughtful evolution in the experience of Haute Horlogerie. It respects the complexity of the perpetual calendar while acknowledging that modern collectors value both tradition and ease.

The device makes a complication known for its sophistication feel natural to live with.

In doing so, it opens a new chapter for the Manufacture. One that preserves the poetry of mechanical time while embracing the possibilities of intelligent design.

The result is simple yet significant. A complication that has always spoken of eternity now fits more seamlessly into the rhythm of contemporary life.