Bamboo “Black Diamond”

Crafted in solid 18k white gold from tip to tail, this Audemars Piguet Bamboo variant is one that you won’t come across again anytime soon. Many combinations of case metals and dial designs exist for the model, but this specific dial is extremely uncommon. Set with 112 diamonds, each with engraved flourishes above and below, the base of the dial is darkened, presenting as black in most lights and a deep midnight blue in direct sunlight. Full pavé-set and geometric “cross-hatch” gemset dials can be readily found in the Bamboo, but we beg you to find another exactly like this.

Introduced in the 1980s as a Swiss response to the influx and popularity of quartz-powered wristwatches, the Audemars Piguet Bamboo showcases the craftsmanship and design of one of Switzerland’s most storied brands. It’s evocative, elegant, unisex, and vast in its variants, but at the core, the Bamboo is a comfortable and wearable high jewelry watch — something AP is quite good at. Designed during an era when the lines between haute horlogerie and haute joaillerie often intertwined, the Bamboo takes its name from the stylized, segmented bracelet and bezel that mimic the organic form of bamboo stalks. Crafted almost exclusively in precious metals such as yellow or white gold and always on an integrated bracelet, the Bamboo models were for the client who found the Royal Oak a bit too sporty but was bored by traditional dress watches.

With their distinctive, architectural lines and high-polish surfaces, Bamboo watches carry a sculptural quality that catches light with movement. Collectors have only recently come to appreciate design-forward watchmaking like the Bamboo — watches that depart from conventional round forms. The Bamboo is emblematic of a bold, expressive period in Audemars Piguet’s history and represents an important chapter in the evolution of mid-century Swiss design, where form and function achieved a rare harmony. Notice how the distincting middle links of the bracelet marry with the Bamboo’s bezel hour markers — this isn’t just a flashy watch, it’s an extremely well thought out design.