On – Audemars Piguet Royal Oak 34mm Black Ceramic 77350CE

The smooth, elegant and versatile vibe of the 34mm black ceramic Royal Oak Selfwinding might be seen because the equal of a bit black costume or, for that matter, a wise black shirt for gents preferring smaller watches. The Royal Oak Selfwinding 34mm made its debut in 2021 and marked the primary time a simple time-and-date RO acquired the full-ceramic look, a deal with previously reserved for sophisticated Audemars Piguet fashions. In mild of the 50^th-anniversary Royal Oak celebrations, the most recent 34m Royal Oak Selfwinding 77350CE reveals a number of the refined design updates which have been utilized and can be utilized to the everlasting assortment all through 2022.

Smaller dimensions and ceramic Case

The primary 34mm Royal Oak Selfwinding appeared in 2020 and was a breath of contemporary air for girls or males with small wrists who didn’t wish to accept the 33m quartz-powered Royal Oak. Fitted with an automated calibre made by Vaucher, the information that the 34mm time-and-date was going to be the primary uncomplicated Royal Oak to get the full-ceramic remedy in 2021 was effectively acquired.

AP’s first ceramic case appeared on the large 48mm restricted version ROO Arnold Schwarzenegger Legacy Chronograph of 2011, adopted in 2017 by the black full-ceramic (case and bracelet) RO Perpetual Calendar 41mm, ref. 26579CE. Given the intrinsic hardness of ceramic, it’s notoriously tough to machine and takes lots longer to supply than a mannequin in metal. However the challenges of working with ceramic, AP was decided to respect the Royal Oak’s daring geometry, sharp aspects, and finishings, together with its vertically brushed flat surfaces and polished bevels. As Xavier defined in his protection of the RO Perpetual Calendar, AP aimed to “end the ceramic case and bracelet to the identical commonplace as that of a metal Royal Oak. Not a straightforward feat by any means and one which was solely made doable after 600 hours of R&D. The ending of the bracelet alone requires 30 hours, which is 5 instances longer than the metal model”.

refined tweaks

If you happen to’ve been studying our opinions of the evolutions of the Selfwinding Royal Oaks in mild of this icon’s Fiftieth anniversary, you know that there was nothing – fortunately – earth-shattering concerning the design updates. Meddling an excessive amount of with Gérald Genta’s octagonal 1972 design wouldn’t be appreciated by the legions of Royal Oak followers around the globe. The 34mm RO Selfwinding black ceramic has not undergone as many adjustments as a number of the different members (37, 38 and 41mm) of the Royal Oak household; the primary tweaks could be appreciated on the dial.

Just like the 2021 mannequin, the dial has a black guilloché Grande Tapisserie background with utilized pink gold utilized indices and palms to match the eight pink gold screws on the bezel (most RO fashions use white gold screws), and the pink gold insert within the crown. What adjustments, nevertheless, is that the utilized AP monogram at midday with the model title under of the 2021 mannequin has been changed with a 24k pink gold utilized signature. Initially developed for AP’s Code 11.59, the signature is created utilizing galvanic development, a chemical course of much like 3D printing. Every letter is related with virtually invisible hyperlinks and positioned by hand on the dial.

One other refined modification regards the scale and size of the hour markers and palms. The 2022 replace of the Royal Oak Selfwinding and Selfwinding Chronograph fashions is all about coherence, and the indices and palms have been standardised throughout the gathering and calibrated to the diameter of the watch. Set in opposition to an identical black background, the discreet date window at 3 o’clock picks up on the pink gold particulars with pink gold-coloured numerals.

Though the ceramic case doesn’t show the broader chamfers of the 2022 facelift, all of the surfaces of the case and bracelet have been completed with alternating satin-brushed and polished chamfers. The case, with a 34mm diameter and a slim top of 8.8mm, has a glareproofed sapphire crystal defending the dial and a sapphire caseback. It’s waterproof to 50m.

In distinction to the 2021 mannequin, the brand new 2022 mannequin reference 77350CE hides the pins connecting the hyperlinks to the studs on the bracelet for a sleeker, extra elegant look.

Calibre 5800

The motion, which could be seen from the sapphire opening on the titanium caseback, just isn’t an in-house motion. Produced by high-end motion maker Vaucher, calibre 5800 is an ultra-slim automated motion with a 4Hz/28,800vph frequency and an influence reserve of fifty hours. The spotlight of this 2022 mannequin is the devoted anniversary rotor in 22k pink gold with the hand-engraved ’50 Years’ brand adorned with satin-finished, microbead-blasted and polished chamfers.

Availability & Value

The Royal Oak Selfwinding 34mm in black ceramic (77350CE.OO.1266CE.01) is a part of the common assortment and retails for EUR 47,400. For extra info, please go to Audemars Piguet.com.