Audemars Piguet is known for its integrated-bracelet stainless steel sport watches, especially for the Royal Oak collection, which has been produced since the 1970s. There are however some hidden gems in the back catalogue of Audermars. The Ref. 1953 is one of them. This Ref. 1953 chronograph was produced during the 1940s. It was a three-register chronograph in a 36mm diameter case. The wach was powered by a manual-winding Valjoux 13VZAH caliber, using a column-wheel and horizontal clutch architecture. A rare piece, which every watch collector would love to own. Watch enthusiasts could thus not hide their excitement and their surprise, when Audemars Piguet announced the release of the [Re]master01 Chronograph; a modern interpretation of the vintage and almost forgotten Ref. 1953.

The vintage Ref. 1533 has a 36 mm diameter. That is considered quite small nowdays, especially for a chronograph. The new Audemars Piguet [Re]master01 has a modern 40 mm diameter and 14.6 mm high stainless steel case. The lug-to-lug separation is XX mm. These are modern dimensions for a chronograph, but fortunately on the low side. The [Re]master01 is not an over-size watch and wears very well on a 16 cm wrist.

The watch case is made of stainless steel but the smooth bezel, the crown and the two pushers are made of 18ct rose gold. The pushers are not round but adopt an ellipse shape. The case lugs have a very specific and unusual tear-drop shape; the lug dimensions next the case are smaller than those next to the strap. This design as well as the color contrast between the stainless steel lugs and the rose gold bezel enhance the round shape of the case.

The [Re]master01 Chronograph adopts a tri-register design, but the layout of the different sub-dials is quite original. The counter 30-minute sub-dial is located at 9 o'clock, instead of the traditional 3 o'clock position. The counter 12-hour sub-dial is located at 3 o'clock, whereas the running second sub-dial is located at 9 o'clock

The golden-colored main dial has a vertical brushed finish. Despite its golden color, this is not a shinny and ostentatious dial. The dial color is more subbtle, it goes from dark yellow to amber colors depending of the extenal light. This color fits very well a retro-inspired watch. The watch has to look elegant but not showy, and this is the case here.

No applied marker on this watch, the hour indices are printed in black color, as well as the minute track and the sub-dial scales. Only the "4|5" index in printed in red color on the 30min-sub-dial, just above the 15 index. To contrast with these scales, the tachymeter scale on the dial periphery is printed in blue color.

The polished time hands, i.e. hour, minute and running second subdial hands, are made of gold. In contrast the counter hands, i.e. second, counter hour and minute subdial hands, are made of blued steel. I really appreciate this hand color contrast. It is obvious the Audemars Piguet engineer objective was to improve the legibility of the counter. With its contrasting blued hands the counter is very easy to read fast. The current time is in comparison less easy to assess, because the hands and the dial have a golden tone. This is in fact not really a problem because the eyes have time to adjust to read the time. , whereas a fast information take is usually require for the counter. I am very pleased with this design, the [Re]master01 is one of easiest chronograph to read I have had in my hand.

There is no date window on this watch. I guess it is to stay faithful to the original model. In fact I am quite glad that there is no date window to destroy the symmetry of the dial.

No modern applied "AP" logo on the dial. "AUDEMARS PIGUET & C°" and "GENEVE" are instead printed in black color just below the 12 hour index.

The watch is powered by the in-house calibre 4409. This self-winding caliber adopts a modern and state-of-the-art column-wheel and vertical clutch architecture. It beats at 28'800 v/h and has an impressive 70 h power reserve for a chronograph. The caliber 4409 also proposes the flyback feature, which is very appreciated by the chronograph lovers.

The caliber 4409 can be seen through the transparent case back. The 22ct rose gold rotor is radially brushed and its periphery is decorated with a pyramid-network pattern. "AUDEMARS PIGUET" is engraved on the brushed area of the rotor. The bridges are decorated with Côtes de Genève". "AUDEMARS PIGUET" is engraved in one bridge, and filled with gold. The caliber column-wheel is clearly visible, another detail that the chronograph lovers will appreciate.

The watch comes on a light-brown leather strap. It gives to the watch a very casual look. There also is an additional brown alligator strap, for dressier occasions. The strap is closed by a stainless steel pin buckle.

I really have to praise Audemars Piguet for having taken the risk to release the [Re]master01 Chronograph; especially for developing a watch, which is so different from its Royal Oak flag collection. The [Re]master01 Chronograph is a gorgeous watch. It is not a one-to-one copy of the original 40s model but a modern version of it. The watch has a modern 40mm diameter and is powered by an up-to-date column-wheel with vertical clutch caliber. I would only have liked that the watch was a bit thinner. I am a very big fan of the flyback feature, very useful for those using the counter function. It is a feature, which is usualy implemented in pilot watches, so I am happily surprised to find it here, in a dress watch. I am glad the watch caliber is visible through the transparent case back, it is always enjoyable to look at the column-wheel in action. The 20M water resistance is quite low. This is a watch, which must be taken care of, it is not even really splash resistant. On the wrist I enjoyed looking at the watch vertically brushed yellow dial. Despite being yellow color, it is not "in your face". This color goes very well with the blue hands and the rose-gold and stainless-steel case, and it contrasts well with the subdial color in some external light eangles. The overall design is very harmonious. I also have to mention that the blue hands really enhance the legibility of the counter data. It is in fact easier to read the counter data than the current time, but the current time usually does not need to be assessed immediately, which is not the case of the counter measurements. The Audemars Piguet [Re]master01 Chronograph is not a cheap watch at 57'200 euro. It is nearly the same price as the Vacheron Constantin Historiques Cornes de Vache 1955 in gold. These watches have different philosophy. The Historiques Cornes de Vache is a re-edition of a vintage chronograph, whereas the [Re]master01 is a modern development of a vintage watch. To my opinion Audemars Piguet really succeeded in it attempt. The [Re]master01 Chronograph looks like a modern watch with a retro vibe. With only 500 pieces produced, I am sure this watches will become a future collector piece. It also makes me more curious about the Audemars Piguet back catalogue, and it makes me wish other forgotten hidden gems will be brought back to life in the future.