Audemars Piguet has soared to astronomical ranges of fame over the previous decade by the proliferation of the Royal Oak, its presence in fashionable popular culture, and the next hype that adopted. Regardless of the meteoric rise in reputation that has made Audemars Piguet a recognizable title in households across the planet, the Le Brassus-based haute horlogerie manufacture has saved its sights set on the metaphorical horizon with incremental enhancements all through its lineup, in addition to monumental advances in issues and supplies. The brand new Royal Oak Self-Winding Perpetual Calendar Extremely-Skinny — casually and affectionately often called the RD #2 — falls within the former class of strategic incremental enhancements that edge nearer to perfection.
A few of the most spectacular and sophisticated watches to come back out of the Le Brassus manufacture obtain the particular designation of “RD,” which means they arrive from the analysis and growth phase of Audemars Piguet with a singular objective in thoughts. Within the case of the RD#2, it claimed the title of “World’s Thinnest Computerized Perpetual Calendar” upon its launch in 2018. Whereas it may possibly’t declare this anymore, there isn’t a disregarding {that a} 6.2mm thickness remains to be completely wild for a mechanical wristwatch, not to mention a self-winding perpetual calendar of this caliber (pun meant).
That 6.2mm-thick measurement is the totally encased and ready-to-wear watch. Crafted in titanium, the 41mm-wide RD#2 exemplifies the excessive customary of ending that Audemars Piguet has for its watches, and the dazzling outcomes it produces in comparison with another latest titanium releases. Housed inside is the Calibre 5133 — the identical motion because the earlier RD#2 variants — which clocks in at solely 2.89mm-thick. David Bredan broke down the ingenious motion and its clever show in his hands-on overview, and I extremely suggest studying it for a radical understanding of the caliber 5133’s mechanical prowess.
This ultra-thin perpetual calendar motion shows the day, date, month, and moonphases, tracks the intercalary year, supplies a day/night time indicator, and, after all, hours and minutes. You possibly can observe the motion comprised of 256 components beating away at 2.75Hz (19,800 VPH) by the sapphire caseback. This unusual frequency yields a 40-hour energy reserve, which, by regular requirements is disappointing however is comprehensible for a perpetual calendar. I might have appreciated to see enchancment right here by the third iteration.
You might be asking your self, “If this is similar watch, with the identical motion and case because the earlier variations, then what is definitely new about it?” The previous watches had a mixture of finishes, supplies, and dial choices that, when mixed, provide the close-to-perfect ultra-thin QP, which now we have right here. The obvious replace is the dial. Beneath the flat sapphire crystal is a smoky blue-to-black gradient with a sunburst end. It lacks the tapisserie dial the Royal Oak is thought for, which might be discovered on the first-generation RD#2, however makes up for the considerably flat look of the vertically brushed second-generation dial. The addition of snailed (concentric circle) black subdials supplies fast distinction, enhancing legibility whereas additionally giving the ultra-thin watch a sporty look. A full titanium case and bracelet development with brushed surfaces and polished bevels, as an alternative of the combined metallic and polished scratch-magnet bezel of the earlier generations, rounds out the shift to a extra athletic-designed sports activities watch. Regardless of this shift, the RD2 retains its 20m water-resistance score.
The earlier generations of the RD#2 paved the best way for the penultimate “blue panda” Royal Oak calendar sports activities watch. Audemars Piguet labored the kinks out by making an attempt valuable metals and completely different dial designs, however one thing by no means felt fairly proper — till now. With a superbly balanced dial, excellent case materials, useful ending, and an effortlessly elegant motion, the latest Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Self-Winding Perpetual Calendar Extremely-Skinny checks all of the packing containers of the horological endgame, even the value upon request field. Study extra in regards to the Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Selfwinding Perpetual Calendar Extremely-Skinny on the model’s web site.
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