Audemars Piguet - Recalling a favorite AP Millenary - the SS Maserati Dual Time

Over the years some pieces have come and gone. One I no longer enjoy owning is the SS Maserati Dual Time Limited Edition.
I find the Millenary’s oval case shape quite appealing. Certainly a little odd to wear if you are accustomed to octagons and circles, but that strangeness turns to intrigue and interest for me.
On the Maserati dial layout, AP takes advantage of the extra real estate to incorporate a power reserve indicator on the left side. And it is executed rather uniquely, with the long hand cantilevering over the outer edge of the hour markers.

I am typically not a fan of any other brand logos on the dial side of a watch, but in this case, the white gold Maserati trident set into the power reserve’s circular guilloche looks quite good.

While the left to right oval orientation does not draw everyone’s eye, there is no denying that it is quite comfortable on the wrist. And it allows smaller wrists to be comfortable with a larger watch. This particular case is listed as 47mm x 42mm, yet it wears nothing like a typical watch of those dimensions.

The Maserati’s dial is stunning up close. It features several different guilloches, 7 different hands of various sizes and shapes, luminous hour and hand markings, and most significant, separate dial areas which cant towards the center of the watch. As I have mentioned before, I was told by AP it remains one of the most complicated dials they have ever made.

Consistent with the diversity shown around the dial, the case itself employs alternating brushed and polished areas. I happen to really enjoy a brushed caseband, and the Millenary’s design really caters to this detail. The center section of the case bumps out a few mm from the bezel, and the brushstrokes appear on the side and top surfaces.

Polarizing, for sure, but all great designs are. I believe it says a lot about the Millenary collection that it typically is used for some of AP’s most complicated movements.