Swiss Haute Horlogerie manufacturer Audemars Piguet has unveiled two new versions of the Royal Oak Selfwinding Chronograph in 41 mm. To coincide with the Royal Oak’s 50th anniversary, each reference benefits from the manufacture’s latest design evolution debuting across the collection in 2022
Executed in a choice of 18-carat white or yellow gold, the case and bracelet elegantly shimmer with Frosted Gold. Each model is enhanced by a Grande Tapisserie dial matched to the case’s colour and contrasted with black counters. Lastly, each timepiece is equipped with the manufacture’s latest generation flyback chronograph movement, the selfwinding Calibre 4401.
To celebrate the Royal Oak’s 50th anniversary, both the white and the yellow gold case, paired with matching integrated bracelets, encompass the model’s new design evolution that makes its debut this year and is simultaneously presented on many Royal Oak models measuring 34, 37, 38 and 41 mm.
The case and bracelet are endowed with larger polished chamfers that engage with light more noticeably, thereby intensifying the sparkling interaction with the adjacent Frosted Gold finish. Audemars Piguet has also made subtle modifications to the sapphire caseback, improving its integration with the case to sit more comfortably on the wrist.
The model’s contrasting textures confer a shimmering sparkle – from the grained yet smooth expanses of Frosted Gold and polished chamfers adorning the case and bracelet to the guilloché Grande Tapisserie dial.
The richly textured appearance of the Frosted Gold employs a technique also known as the Florentine finish, produced in collaboration with Italian jewellery designer Carolina Bucci. The resultant “diamond-dust” effect is achieved by gently tapping the case and bracelet with a diamond-tipped tool. This artisanal process imbues the various surfaces with small indentations that exhibit a brilliant appearance similar to that of precious stones.
The colour of the case and bracelet determines the tone of the Grande Tapisserie dial. The three black counters positioned on the dial provide an elegant contrast with the adjacent grey or yellow-gold-toned hues, while the Royal Oak hands and hour-markers, filled with luminescent coating, echo the respective dial colour.
At the heart of each reference is the manufacture’s latest generation chronograph movement, the selfwinding Calibre 4401. It is fully integrated and features a column wheel and a flyback function. Unlike a regular chronograph, the flyback function allows the wearer to stop, reset and start the chronograph in one simple action.
The column wheel works in collaboration with a vertical clutch system. When starting or stopping the chronograph, the hands respond accordingly without any hint of jumping. Furthermore, the push-pieces feel smooth when pressed. A patented zero resetting mechanism ensures that each one of the counter hands instantaneously resets to zero. The movement is adorned with refined finishing, including Côtes de Genève, circular graining, circular satin and polished chamfers throughout. Visible through the sapphire caseback, these decorations further the two timepieces’ elegant aesthetic.
