Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Selfwinding Flying Tourbillon 26730 Fingers On

Half a century of life deserves an enormous celebration, and Audemars Piguet will likely be pulling out all of the stops to fete its Royal Oak. Not solely has it hit the 50-year milestone, however its reputation has reached unprecedented heights; simply attempt getting your fingers on one. At present, Audemars Piguet releases three new variations of its 41mm Royal Oak Selfwinding Flying Tourbillon with the model’s latest-generation automated motion and the legendary Gerald Genta structure that launched a thousand ships (of copycats). Accessible in chrome steel, titanium and 18k pink gold, the brand new Royal Oak Selfwinding Flying Tourbillon fashions replicate the delicate design evolutions developed for this jubilee 12 months.

The RO will get a Flying Tourbillon

Gerald Genta’s landmark 1972 design for the Royal Oak is taken into account the precursor of the posh sports activities watch class. Though there are numerous contenders lurking within the background, no watch design can match the sticking energy and success of the Royal Oak. When the Royal Oak turned 25 in 1997, it was given a tourbillon regulating organ, and in 2012, when it reached its 40^th anniversary, it appeared in an extra-thin hand-wound model (Calibre 2924). Then, in 2020, following the 2019 launch of AP’s Code 11.59 assortment and its entourage of name new actions, the Royal Oak appeared with one other tourbillon now upgraded with the Calibre 2950 automated flying tourbillon motion.

Whereas many options of the 2022 trilogy are much like the 2020 fashions, a few delicate however very efficient design evolutions mark it as a 50^th-anniversary mannequin. Though the case dimension nonetheless has a 41mm diameter and a thickness of 10.6mm, the width of the bevels on the case and bracelet at the moment are wider. The broader bevels underscore the play of sunshine between the satin-finished and polished surfaces and intensify the dynamic structure of the Royal Oak case even additional. To focus on the watch’s slender profile, the primary hyperlinks of the built-in bracelet have a reducing thickness that lightens the presence of the watch. One other design tweak entails the sapphire caseback that has been barely embedded into the case center, so the watch sits higher on the wrist.

Return of Grande Tapisserie

A particular characteristic of the Royal Oak, each the chrome steel and pink gold fashions flaunt a blue Grande Tapisserie dial with a lovely degradé or gradient impact. In contrast to the Evolutive Tapisserie sample that was launched on the hand-wound tourbillon fashions in 2018, with a focus radiating from the centre of the tourbillon, the 2 smoked blue dials undertake AP’s hallmark Grande Tapisserie sample. The titanium model is the odd one out and has the identical sandblasted dial and snailed chapter ring as the ref. 26530TI we lined final 12 months however in a blue color for 2022.

The proportions of the white or pink gold hour markers (relying on case materials) and fingers have additionally been standardised and are handled with luminescent materials. One other element value noting is the utilized 24k gold Audemars Piguet signature. First developed for the lacquered dials of Code 11.59 fashions, the signature is obtained utilizing a chemical course of akin to 3D printing generally known as galvanic development. Every letter is linked to the following letter with skinny hyperlinks which are virtually invisible to the attention. The signature is then mounted to the dial by hand with tiny legs.

Calibre 2950

The in-house automated calibre 2950 made its debut contained in the 2019 Code 11.59 Selfwinding Flying Tourbillon. One of many first flying tourbillon actions developed by Audemars Piguet (not counting the 2018 Royal Oak Idea mannequin), the calibre 2950 is a strong, up to date motion with a 3Hz frequency and a cushty 65-hour energy reserve. The finishings are Haute Horlogerie with hand-polished chamfers, snailing and straight Côtes de Genève to differentiate it from the Code 11.59. All three Royal Oak Selfwinding Flying Tourbillon 26730 have a 22k pink gold oscillating weight. The gold rotor has a rhodium tone on the metal and titanium fashions to match the case materials. The oscillating weight was designed to mark the Royal Oak’s anniversary and options the AP signature engraved on its floor and the quantity 50. Embellished with polished and satin-finishings, the commemorative oscillating weight with the Fiftieth-anniversary brand will solely be used throughout 2022 and faraway from fashions in 2023.

Availability & Value

The three new Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Selfwinding Flying Tourbillon 26730 are a part of the everlasting assortment and thus not restricted. Costs will likely be EUR 169,000 for the metal mannequin (26730ST), EUR 175,200 for the titanium mannequin (26730TI) and EUR 192,400 for the gold mannequin (26730OR)

Extra info at Audemarspiguet.com.