In this animated film, three spacemen, each of them standing on a purple disc, surf into star-studded space in search of watch elements, working together to capture the components to finally assemble the new luxury Audemars Piguet “Starwheel” watch piece by piece.

We discover that this fun and poetic universe eventually echoes the ultra-contemporary design and the amazing synchronicity of the wandering hours movement of the watch. First the agile astro-surfers soaring through space with choreographed moves represent fully the synchronicity of the 3 disks of the Starwheel that tell the time in an unbelievable dance. Then the material the face of the watch is made of, Aventurine (or Goldstone, a luxury material fine with particles of sparkling material like copper shavings or gold flakes), shines exactly like the stars in the sky.

We had to create a story around the enigmatic harmony of the Starwheel by Audemars Piguet, while showcasing its beautiful aesthetic and design.

Invented in the 17th century, wandering hours (a relatively unknown classic in Haute Horlogerie complications) are a type of horological complication that display the hours using a system of satellites that gravitate along a minute scale arranged in the form of an arc. This aesthetic presentation of the hours and minutes brings a certain mystique to the reading of time.

To emphasize the mystery and fascination around the watch, we decided to create an animated universe, using space as the ideal setting for our story, allowing us to play with gravity and to create a whole aesthetic around the harmony of this watch.

We decided to work with the French illustrator Ugo Gattoni whose work expresses a sense of creative freedom that is in the core values of Audemars Piguet.

To create a universe far from the high examples of modern 3D, we went for a traditional 2D technique based on hand held drawings and character design, which took a very long time to achieve. The almost naïve look and feel we chose balances the extreme complexity of the watch high complication.

Swiss high watchmaking is a constant race to show the most amazing techniques and craftmanship. The totally unexpected treatment of the film came as a shock and a pure enjoyable moment that renewed the technical demonstration standards and prove once again that Audemars Piguet, a pure independent house, always seeks beyond what’s expected in the industry.