The oldest fine watchmaking manufacturer still in the hands of its founding families, Audemars Piguet has unveiled a number of new watches as additions to its Royal Oak family. These include an Extra-Thin, a self-winding chronograph, and three variants of a self-winding flying tourbillon. The new releases also include two new self-winding chronographs to the Code 11.59 by Audemars Piguet line. We bring you a sneak-peek…
Royal Oak “Jumbo” Extra-Thin
The 39mm “Jumbo” has a fully 950 platinum case and bracelet, featuring a smoked green dial adorned with a sunburst pattern. Just 8.1 mm thick, the case has a slender appearance. The white gold applied hour-markers and Royal Oak hands are luminescent-coated. The “Audemars Piguet” signature is positioned below noon, while the AP initials are located at 6 o’clock, as “Jumbo” convention dictates. At the heart of the watch is the self-winding Manufacture Calibre 2121 fitted with a 22-carat gold oscillating weight. The watch – showing the hours, minutes and date – is exclusively reserved for AP Houses.
Royal Oak Selfwinding Chronograph
The Royal Oak Selfwinding Chronograph pairs an 18-carat yellow gold case with a green dial, adorned with a “Grande Tapisserie” pattern complemented with three snailed counters. The “Audemars Piguet” on the dial is of 24-carat gold and realised using galvanic growth. The model is fitted with a solid caseback engraved with “Limited Edition” (125 pieces). Housed in a 41mm case, this timepiece is powered by the self-winding Manufacture Calibre 2385, which includes an 18-carat gold oscillating weight. As well as its chronograph, the movement indicates the hours, minutes, small seconds, and date. In addition to the yellow gold bracelet with AP folding clasp, the model comes with two additional green straps of calfskin and rubber.
Royal Oak Selfwinding Flying Tourbillon
The Royal Oak Selfwinding Flying Tourbillon comes in three new variants with intricate hand-finishing, in a 41mm case featuring a green Tapisserie dial enriched with a sunburst pattern. The first – a limited edition of 10 – has an 18-carat pink gold case with matching hour-markers and hands. The second model, limited to 50 pieces, is crafted in full titanium, while the third, limited to 15 pieces, combines a titanium case with an 18-carat white gold bezel set with 32 baguette-cut emeralds (~2.41 carats), each individually cut, faceted and set by hand. The emeralds’ verdant hues enhance the green colour of the Tapisserie dial, while offering a unique play of light. Both titanium models incorporate white gold applied hour-makers and Royal Oak hands with luminescent coating and are complemented with a titanium bracelet. All models house the self-winding Manufacture Calibre 2950, the latest generation of the Audemars Piguet flying tourbillon.
Code 11.59 by Audemars Piguet Selfwinding Chronograph
The two new Selfwinding Chronograph models present a highly contemporary two-tone case design. While the bezel, lugs and caseback are made in 18-carat white or pink gold, the octagonal middle case is honed from black ceramics. Blending advanced technology and time-honoured tradition, the case required complex programming, dedicated tools and highly specialised human talents for its industrialisation and the hand-finishing of its components.
The ceramic middle case has been crafted in collaboration with Bangerter, a Swiss family-owned company specialising in the manufacture of precision components made of advanced ceramics, tungsten carbide, and other super-hard materials. The ceramic and gold components of the Code 11.59 by Audemars Piguet case have been all hand-finished with the brand’s trademark alternation of satin-brushing and polished chamfers to the slightest detail.
The 18-carat pink and white gold models are both complemented with a smoked dark grey dial adorned with a vertical satin-finished base, matching the refined satin-brushing adorning the case. The black chronograph counters and inner bezel add depth to the dial, while subtly recalling the case’s black ceramic octagonal middle case. Last but not least, the 18-carat pink or white gold hour-markers and hands add a touch of brightness.
These two timepieces are powered by Calibre 4401, the manufacture’s latest in-house integrated chronograph with column wheel and flyback function that enables to restart the chronograph without stopping or resetting it first. Calibre 4401 is equipped with a vertical clutch system that prevents hands from jumping when the chronograph is started or stopped, as well as a patented zero resetting mechanism ensuring that each one of the counter hands is seamlessly reset to zero.
With their self-winding mechanism, 70 hours of power reserve, and water resistance to 30 m, the two Selfwinding Chronographs are suited to an active lifestyle.
The movement is revealed through the sapphire caseback, and shows the column wheel and the so-called “dance” of the chronograph hammers. The collection’s dedicated 22-carat pink gold oscillating weight as well as other elegant decorations such as “Côtes de Genève,” “traits tirés” and circular graining can also be admired through the sapphire caseback. The two Selfwinding Chronograph models are complemented with a black rubber-coated strap.
Royal Oak Offshore Diver
The three new Royal Oak Offshore Diver models are powered by a new automatic movement with second and instant-jump date indication. Calibre 4308 is equipped with a patented setting mechanism that brings stability and precision when adjusting the watch’s function. Its diving scale featured on the dial’s inner rotating ring is activated with a unidirectional click mechanism linked to the 10 o’clock crown. The watch’s sapphire caseback reveals Calibre 4308’s refined finishing techniques, such as “Côtes de Genève,” “traits tirés” and circular graining, as well as a new dedicated oscillating weight in blackened 22-carat pink gold.
The Royal Oak Offshore Diver is fit for underwater exploration up to a depth of 300 metres as well as for any above-ground outdoors adventures. Thanks to its 60 hours of power reserve, the watch can easily adapt to a few days rest between expeditions.
The manufacture has now launched an innovative interchangeable strap system for the latest additions to the Royal Oak Offshore collection. The ease and efficiency of the new system will allow clients to change the straps and buckles of their new timepieces themselves with a quick click and release. Rubber straps in hues of green, blue, grey and black are available for the new Diver models, as well as three calfskin leather straps in beige, brown and black for more adventures on dry land.
The new Royal Oak Offshore Diver in khaki, blue, or grey presents new facetted hour-markers, cut in two distinct sizes for improved legibility. Long hour-markers indicate the quarter hours (to the exception of the 15-minute mark replaced by the date window), while shorter square hour-markers are used to mark out the 5-minute increments. The luminescent coating on the gold hour-markers and Royal Oak hands grant optimum visibility in the dark. The three models also feature a larger applied gold AP logo replacing the traditional long-form signature.
