Audemars Piguet adds branches to Royal Oak
Audemars Piguet Royal Oak
One of the oldest players in the field of Haute Horlogerie, Audemars Piguet has consistently managed to surprise its aficionados with its manifold creations. The brand’s new offerings for men this year are all additions to its iconic Royal Oak collection, which first took root in April 1972
This historic line was conceived by Audemars Piguet’s designer Gérald Genta literally overnight when the maison’s managing director, Georges Golay, asked Genta for an “unprecedented steel watch” on the eve of the Basel fair.
Featuring a then-revolutionary design in the form of a rounded octagon, the high price quoted for a Royal Oak watch in stainless steel and its unusual design was quite disconcerting for watch lovers.
But it soon became a firm favourite and, over time, has earned its position as the flagship product of the brand.
Royal Oak Perpetual Calendar in black ceramic
This year, the marque has enriched its line of Royal Oak Perpetual Calendars with a full black version, made of hand-finished “unscratchable” black ceramic, in a 41 MM case that has a glare-proofed sapphire crystal case back. Day, date, month, astronomical moon, and week of the year are displayed on the dial’s outer chapter ring, while the essential leap year indication holds pride of place on the dial. The dial, with a “Grande Tapisserie” pattern, is slate grey with black counters and displays a photo-realistic astronomical moon that contrasts with the black components of the piece.
Royal Oak Tourbillon Extra-Thin Open-worked
Audemars Piguet has been a master of open-worked – also known as skeletonisation, which involves cutting away material to reveal the mechanical artistry contained within – since the 1930s. Introduced in 2012, the original Royal Oak Tourbillon Extra-Thin Open-worked marked the Royal Oak’s 40th anniversary and was originally available only in platinum, followed by the launch of a yellow gold version in 2016. This year, two new limited-edition versions – one in brushed 18-carat pink gold withmatching bracelet and the other in stainless steel – join the family. Each model features the brand’s in-house caliber 2924 hand-wound skeleton movement, comprising 216 components. The pink gold model (available in 50 examples) features a pink gold mainplate and bridges, while the movement of the steel version (available in 100 examples) is rhodium plated. The marque has announced that these will be the last Royal Oak Extra-Thin Open-worked watches featuring this skeleton design.
Royal Oak Chronographs
This year’s range of chronographs harks back to the 2008 looks. All seven models feature a fresh, two-tone dial design with several subtle details: chronograph counters of increased size at 9 o-clock and 3 o’clock, shorter but wider hour-markers, additional luminescent coating for a better readability of the hour, and new typeset and transfers. The date window has been re-located between the four and five o’clock positions. The steel versions of the watch come with a choice of “Grande Tapisserie” dials in black, silver, or blue, and are fitted with stainless steel bracelets. The pink gold version is available on a matching, pink gold bracelet or an alligator strap, with a choice of brown or blue “Grande Tapisserie” dials.
Royal Oak Extra-Thin in yellow gold
Audemars Piguet has created a new series of Extra-Thin versions of their iconic timepiece in yellow gold to mark the 40th anniversary of the first precious metal Royal Oaks. The 18-carat yellow gold “Jumbo” is available with two distinct “Petite Tapisserie” dials – classic blue or vintage-inspired champagne. The blue dial features a lighter shade that beautifully contrasts with the case and bracelet, while the champagne dial blends with the other yellow gold timepiece, creating a monochromatic beauty aesthetic. As with all examples of reference 15202, the new yellow gold model is equipped with the renowned ultra-thin self-winding Manufacture caliber 2121, first introduced half a century ago.
Royal Oak Offshore Diver
Following the 2016 launch of the Royal Oak Offshore Diver Chronograph in a range of fizzing bright and vibrant dial colours, Audemars Piguet is bringing out the non-chronograph model in similar hues. Proposed in white, dark blue, acid yellow, lime green and bright orange, the Royal Oak Offshore Diver models have rubber straps in matching colours, with an additional blue rubber strap for each version. The watch features a 42mm stainless steel case with glare-proof sapphire crystal and case back, blue screw-locked crowns, is water resistant to 300 M, and features a rotating inner bezel with diving scale and zone from 60 to 15 minutes. The “Mega Tapisserie” dials feature white gold applied hour-markers and Royal Oak hands with luminescent coating for great visibility in or out of the water.
