Category: Audemars Piguet

Posted on by

Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Selfwinding Chronograph

While it’s safe to say that Audemars Piguet’s SIHH was somewhat tumultuous, it wasn’t without its more crowd-pleasing fare. Among a handful of new Royal Oak expressions, we find what might be the most well balanced and sweet-on-wrist of the lot, the new 38mm Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Selfwinding Chronograph. While perhaps not a surprise offering from the house of the Royal Oak, this all-new model retains the charm of the standard Royal Oak while adding an automatic chronograph in a trio of colorways that sing on wrist.
I think that, provided you’re into the general vibe of a Royal Oak, these new 38mm chronographs are really really good. Offered in pink gold with a silver-white dial or steel in either a silver-on-grey dial or a blue-on-white/white panda dial, the three combinations offer something a bit sporty, a bit more reserved, or a bit more boss (ok, a lot more boss).

At 38mm across with screw-down pushers, 50m water resistance, and an automatic movement, the case is only 11mm thick and the whole package feels solid, thoughtful, and undeniably fun. Also available in a 41mm version that has been around for some time, while 41mm isn’t exactly large in the modern watch game, these new models err closer to the Royal Oak’s spiritual home of 39mm and, for my wrist and eyes, feel better proportioned than the larger version.
Despite dropping those three millimeters, the new 38mm Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Selfwinding Chronograph still employs the same movement that is used in the larger RO chronograph (and also many past models), the Selfwinding Caliber 2385. Based on the Frédéric Piguet 1185, this column-wheel chronograph movement features an integrated design, a rate of 3 Hz, and 40 hours of power reserve.
For those reading this and finding it hard to see the appeal, there is something so special, so right, about a Royal Oak on wrist. If you can, swing by an Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Selfwinding Chronograph boutique and try on a few examples. I honestly didn’t fully understand the draw until I tried on a solid gold 5402 (now it’s a grail). And while I’m not at all a chronograph guy, the chrono display nestles so nicely into the “Grande Tapisserie” dial on these 38mm chronographs that I almost don’t mind the date at 4:30. Almost.
The grey/silver is low key, the blue on white/silver is sporty and really good, but you know your boy is all about the solid pink gold version with the white/silver dial. Priced at $23,800 in steel and $52,700 in gold, the new Royal Oak Selfwinding Chronograph is little more than a re-working of the Royal Oak proportions but it’s a strong example of less being more (even in solid gold).

Posted on by

Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Selfwinding Flying Tourbillon

The Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Selfwinding Flying Tourbillon Extra-Thin RD#3, reference 26670ST.OO.1240ST.01 (if you can keep 20-character alphanumeric reference numbers in short- and long-term memory, bless you, because I can’t) landed with maybe a little less impact than it deserved when it launched last April. There are probably several reasons why. First of all, I think a lot of us were still suffering from a bit of Royal Oak overload from the announcement of the ref. 16202 Jumbo when it launched in January, along with several other models (including a non-Jumbo flying tourbillon). Secondly, the Jumbo Tourbillon RD#3 appeared in the context of a larger world in which Bulgari more or less owns the community mindshare of ultra-thin self-winding tourbillons.
As astonishing as that might have been a couple of decades ago, there is little doubt that in 2022, it’s tough to make a splash with an ultra-thin tourbillon unless you have managed to unseat Bulgari. And not only is no brand challenging them, nobody even seems inclined to try. It’s telling, though, that to set their record, Bulgari had to unseat Audemars Piguet, and moreover, an AP watch that dropped back in 1986: The AP caliber 2870 self-winding tourbillon, which reigned as the undisputed champion of ultra-thin automatic tourbillons for over three decades until Bulgari came out with the Octo Finissimo Tourbillon Automatic, in 2018. While there’s no gainsaying Bulgari’s technical achievements, AP’s new Royal Oak Tourbillon does represent what is probably the single longest lineage in horology of automatic tourbillon wristwatches.
For many years, Audemars Piguet has been using basically the same tourbillon – that is, the same cage, balance, and escapement, as well as the same upper tourbillon bridge – in all of its tourbillon watches. The bridge has a distinctive, inverted “V” shape, and the cage has three arms, with a free sprung balance fitted with poising and timing screws on its outer edge. Minus the upper bridge, this is the same tourbillon used as recently as the Royal Oak Flying Tourbillon 26730, launched in January of this year. It’s also the tourbillon used in the Code 11.59 collection’s automatic flying tourbillon chronograph.
The new Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Selfwinding Flying Tourbillon Extra-Thin RD#3, on the other hand, uses a new configuration for its tourbillon, and moreover places a flying tourbillon, for the first time, in a Jumbo case. The RD#3 has exactly the same dimensions as the Jumbo – 39mm x 8.1mm.
To get a flying tourbillon into the Jumbo case, AP had to develop a new tourbillon movement. The Royal Oak Flying Tourbillons introduced earlier this year use the AP caliber 2950, which is 31.5mm x 6.24mm, and it has a larger case than RD#3, at 41mm x 10.6mm. The RD#3, on the other hand, uses the caliber 2968 – a smaller movement, at 29.6mm x 3.4mm, which is considerably flatter than the 2950. For comparison, Bulgari’s caliber BVL 288, used in the Octo Finissimo Tourbillon Automatic, is 1.95mm thick, but it’s also larger in diameter than AP’s caliber 2968, at 36.60mm which is getting into smaller pocket watch caliber territory. It’s sort of like squishing a jelly donut – you can flatten it but it’s going to spread out at the same time. This means that Bulgari’s Octo Finissimo Tourbillon Automatic has to be a little larger in diameter, at 41mm.
The AP caliber 2968 isn’t the flattest automatic tourbillon in the world, but you do have to bear in mind that unlike the BVL 288, it’s not a peripheral rotor caliber. Instead, it’s a full rotor movement, and it’s almost exactly the same size as the caliber 7121 used in the new 16202 Royal Oak, which is 29.6mm x 3.2mm. In fact, the caliber 2968 looks quite a lot like a re-engineered 7121, including the arrangement of the automatic winding train and the position and configuration of the mainspring barrel.
In order to fit the tourbillon cage into a Jumbo case, AP had to change several elements of the tourbillon cage from the classic version used in the caliber 2950 in the standard Royal Oak Selfwinding tourbillons. The caliber 2950 has an overcoil balance spring, while the newer caliber 2968 has a flat balance spring (most ultra-thin watches don’t have overcoil balance springs as the overcoil adds height). The balance in the 2968 has timing weights on the inside of the balance rim (in the 2950 they’re traditional weights on the outside of the rim) set flush with the rim. The balance arms have steps milled into them, which form a sort of recess that lets the balance spring sit closer to the balance – another height-saving measure.
One other notable difference is that while the 2950 uses conventional screws to fix the upper part of the tourbillon cage in place, the 2968 uses spline bolts, which usually take up less room than screws (although I’m not sure if this is the purpose here as I don’t have the dimensions for the bolts vs. the screws available). There are also cut-outs in the pillars of the tourbillon cage, which provide extra clearance for the balance rim, allowing AP to use a larger balance (this is also one of the benefits of the internal flat-rim weights). Finally, the tourbillon cage is driven via gear teeth on its outer edge. This is a so-called peripherally driven tourbillon. A traditional tourbillon carriage is driven via a pinion on the underside of the cage. Driving the cage directly from its edge produces a savings in height as well. As we’ve said, the caliber 2968 is not the world’s flattest automatic tourbillon, but at 3.4mm thick, it’s pretty damned flat for a full rotor automatic tourbillon – to get any thinner than that you have to start using either a micro-rotor or a peripheral rotor. Before Bulgari’s Octo Finissimo automatic tourbillon came along, the thinnest automatic tourbillon (after the AP 2870) was the Breguet Classique Tourbillon Extra-Thin Automatic 5377, whose movement has a peripheral rotor and is 3mm thick (and again, it’s very wide at 36.10mm). Looked at in context, AP’s ability to make a full rotor automatic flying tourbillon which is only 0.4mm thicker than a much wider recent record-holder with a peripheral rotor starts to look a lot more interesting.
And aesthetically? What can I tell you, it’s a Jumbo, 39mm x 8.1mm, with that lovely Bleu Nuit, Nuage 50 dial. The only classic Jumbo element missing from the RD#3 Jumbo Tourbillon is the AP logo at six o’clock, but it seems a reasonable thing to lose if you’re going to have an open dial flying tourbillon. If you like the Jumbo, you’re probably going to like the Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Selfwinding Flying Tourbillon Extra-Thin RD#3, unless the idea of an open dial flying tourbillon is just not your brand of vodka. Comparing ultra-thin automatic tourbillons can be a little tricky – it helps to know the history of the complication and it also helps to understand that a full rotor movement compared to a peripheral rotor movement is fair on one hand, but on the other hand it’s also a little bit of an apples-to-oranges comparison. Seen from that perspective, RD#3 is a beautiful, very well-thought-out piece of contemporary watchmaking.

Posted on by

Audemars Piguet Royal Oak “Jumbo” Extra-Thin Openworked

There are few watches more classic than the original 1972 Audemars Piguet Royal Oak. That slim, stainless steel sport watch’s most direct modern descendent is the so-called “Jumbo” Royal Oak, which has a 39mm case coming in at just 8.1mm thick. The watch you see here shares those dimensions – and looks almost exactly the same at first glance – but is actually crafted from a mix of titanium and platinum. The watch’s case and the large bracelet sections are brushed titanium, while the bezel and smaller bracelet links are polished platinum. The result is a subtle contrast between the tones and finishes of the white metals, creating a watch that offers much more than it first appears to.
This isn’t the first time Audemars Piguet Royal Oak has used these two metals together. In fact, last year the brand offered up two different watches in the combination, the Royal Oak Tourbillon Extra-Thin and the Royal Oak Chronograph. I wrote fondly of those back then, and I stand by my assessment. The “two-tone” combo works really well, especially with the blue dial chosen for this latest watch, which appears to have a slightly different effect than that of the standard Jumbo. Creating meaningful variations on a classic without disrupting the qualities that make it special in the first place is difficult, but Audemars Piguet Royal Oak clearly knows what they’re doing.
I’m into this watch. Like, really into this watch. From a distance, it would be possible for it to be mistaken for a completely ordinary Royal Oak, or, at best, a standard steel Jumbo. Strangers would have no idea that you’re actually sporting a rather unusual watch in a rarely seen combination of utilitarian and precious metals. It’s an everyday watch, but a very special everyday watch.

Posted on by

Audemars Piguet Royal Oak “Jumbo” Extra-Thin

As part of a recently launched collection of green-themed versions of some of the brand’s most beloved watches, Audemars Piguet Royal Oak “Jumbo” Extra-Thin has announced the first-ever platinum Royal Oak “Jumbo” with a green sunburst dial. That’s right: Those who were simply green with envy towards anyone who managed to snag 2019’s “salmon adjacent” 152020BC can now commemorate the feeling with a truly striking smoked green dial. As the modern expression of the original Audemars Piguet Royal Oak “Jumbo” Extra-Thin format, the 15202 is a hugely popular reference, and this will undoubtedly be a hot-ticket item for anyone with their eyes on the current scene surrounding Audemars Piguet.
With 39mm of platinum case matched by a full platinum bracelet and a display caseback, this is a core Royal Oak offering with a twist. While AP has never shied away from colorful dials, especially when it comes to the Royal Oak, the green feels a bit more middle of the road than some of the more bold offerings we’ve seen in the past, and I think that makes a lot of sense for the 15202. In many ways, this format – without chronograph, tourbillon, or otherwise – is a shorthand for Audemars Piguet success, and it forms the roots of how many people come to know about the brand.
Judging by the images (though we hope to go hands-on soon enough), this 15202PT sports a bright but not overly shiny sunburst finish that is enhanced by a smoked gradient execution that fades to a much darker tone at the dial’s edge. Combined with bright and luminous white-gold markers and hands (along with no seconds hand), the 5202PT.OO.1240PT.01 is gorgeous, and the dial fade does a good job of matching with the visual weight of the date display, which appears to fade along with the shimmering green coloring.
The Audemars Piguet Royal Oak “Jumbo” Extra-Thin movement inside should surprise almost no one – AP’s lovely calibre 2121. Fitted with a solid gold winding mass and tracking hours, minutes, and the date, this movement has long been linked with the Royal Oak, and it’s always a treat to get a chance to peer through that display caseback to catch a glimpse of Audemars Piguet’s super thin (only 3.05mm!) automatic movement.

Still dubbed the “Extra-Thin” at a very svelte 8.1mm thick, I doubt that the relative slim-ness will mean you don’t notice this chunk of platinum on your wrist, even without the razzle-dazzle of that emerald green dial. Currently, Audemars Piguet is listing the price as “available upon request,” but regardless of that number, we all know they will be hard to get (update: price below). As new watch season looms on the horizon, AP has the jump start, and the grass is certainly looking green in Le Brassus today.

Posted on by

Replica Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Selfwinding Watch

While it’s safe to say that Audemars Piguet’s SIHH was somewhat tumultuous, it wasn’t without its more crowd-pleasing fare. Among a handful of new Royal Oak expressions, we find what might be the most well balanced and sweet-on-wrist of the lot, the new 38mm Replica Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Selfwinding Chronograph. While perhaps not a surprise offering from the house of the Royal Oak, this all-new model retains the charm of the standard Royal Oak while adding an automatic chronograph in a trio of colorways that sing on wrist.
I think that, provided you’re into the general vibe of a Royal Oak, these new 38mm chronographs are really really good. Offered in pink gold with a silver-white dial or steel in either a silver-on-grey dial or a blue-on-white/white panda dial, the three combinations offer something a bit sporty, a bit more reserved, or a bit more boss (ok, a lot more boss).
At Replica Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Selfwinding 38mm across with screw-down pushers, 50m water resistance, and an automatic movement, the case is only 11mm thick and the whole package feels solid, thoughtful, and undeniably fun. Also available in a 41mm version that has been around for some time, while 41mm isn’t exactly large in the modern watch game, these new models err closer to the Royal Oak’s spiritual home of 39mm and, for my wrist and eyes, feel better proportioned than the larger version.
Despite dropping those three millimeters, the new 38mm Royal Oak Chrono still employs the same movement that is used in the larger RO chronograph (and also many past models), the Selfwinding Caliber 2385. Based on the Frédéric Piguet 1185, this column-wheel chronograph movement features an integrated design, a rate of 3 Hz, and 40 hours of power reserve.
For those reading this and finding it hard to see the appeal, there is something so special, so right, about a Royal Oak on wrist. If you can, swing by an AP boutique and try on a few examples. I honestly didn’t fully understand the draw until I tried on a solid gold 5402 (now it’s a grail). And while I’m not at all a Replica Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Selfwinding guy, the chrono display nestles so nicely into the “Grande Tapisserie” dial on these 38mm chronographs that I almost don’t mind the date at 4:30. Almost.

Posted on by

Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Selfwinding 37mm

With 2022 being the 50th anniversary of the Royal Oak, Audemars Piguet has already launched a slew of new models barely a month into the year. While the headline watches are no doubt the Royal Oak “Jumbo” ref. 16202 and its skeletonised sibling, the Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Selfwinding 37 mm ref. 15550 is a more accessible watch, both in terms of price and availability. It too gets an upgrade for the 50th anniversary in the form of a new movement, the cal. 5900, along with a revamped case, dial, and bracelet.
As familiar as it might seem, the ref. 15550 received as complete a makeover as possible while still retaining the trademark design. Individually the changes are minor but together they create a watch that looks and feels better than the previous version of the mid-size Royal Oak.
The tweaks can be spotted even at arm’s length, Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Selfwinding 37 mm including the streamlined dial that has been cleaned up to reduce the text, giving it a look similar to that found on the latest-generation Royal Oak 41 mm ref. 15500.

The newly minimalist dial works especially well with the mid-size case, with the empty space looking just right. In contrast, the dial style seems almost bland on its larger counterpart.
The case and bracelet also get their own nips and tucks, though the alterations are far more subtle. Amongst the changes are slightly wider bevels along the edge of the case, making it seem to taper more towards the lugs, emphasising the dial and bezel. This gives the watch tighter lines and leaves it looking slightly larger.

These changes are accompanied by new colours for the dial, including the currently fashionable dark green and light blue. While the “ice” blue has been found on other models in the past, the dark green dial is novel.

The Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Selfwinding 37 mm new colours create a variety of choice that was absent in the past for the mid-sized Royal Oak (and also the larger models), which is a good thing.
At US$24,100 in steel, the ref. 15550 costs exactly the same as the outgoing ref. 15450 (though the price of the latter was increased by approximately 20% just recently). While that’s substantial, the price remains competitive in relative terms (compared to its rival from Geneva for instance).

And by today’s standards, that is pretty much a bargain not just any high-end sports watch, but the Royal Oak, with all the prestige, history, and quality that entails
Having gotten rid of most of the text on the dial, the focal point now turns to what remains, which is the applied logo under 12 o’clock. That has been upgraded from a mere printed logo to a solid-gold appliqué produced in a high-tech manner: thin layers of 24k gold are chemically deposited repeatedly to build up a three-dimensional structure in a process known as galvanic growth.
Like the dial, the case has been reduced to the essentials. While it retains the same 37 mm diameter as the earlier generation, it has been slimmed down from 9.8 mm to 9 mm.

The improvements to the design don’t stop at the case, but continue on to the bracelet. The pronounced taper of the lugs in turn result in a more tapered bracelet, making it slightly more elegant and definitely lighter in weight. The weight reduction will improve wearability, especially for the solid-gold model.
The thinner case is largely thanks to the cal. 5900, a movement that includes a full balance bridge that supports the free-sprung balance, just like in its predecessor. Like the cal. 5800 found in the Royal Oak 34 mm, the cal. 5900 is most probably produced by specialist, as opposed to being an in-house calibre.

Like Audemars Piguet’s own movements, the cal. 5900 bears features typical of a modern, high-quality movement designed to be produced in large numbers. As a result, it exhibits a neat, thorough decoration that is largely mechanically applied, instead of the artisanal finish found in the brand’s top-end watches (that have six figure price tags).

Posted on by

Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Selfwinding Chronograph 38mm

While most of the attention surrounding Audemars Piguet is being paid to the brand new CODE 11.59 collection, that’s not all that AP is releasing at SIHH 2019. In fact, there are some downright killer new variations on the Royal Oak that you’ll definitely want to know about. Chief among these? The Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Selfwinding Chronograph in a new 38mm size! Yes, you read that right: the simple F. Piguet-powered Royal Oak Chrono is available in a smaller size, sitting comfortably between the “Jumbo” and the 37mm Royal Oak models. Recently, this watch was only available in the 41mm size, which replaced the old 39mm models back in 2012. There are four versions of the new watch, two in steel and two in rose gold, with variations on white/grey/silver dials throughout. These are going to be a new mainstay in the AP collection and I would expect that these four references are just the beginning of a very popular new sub-collection.
I’m going to go ahead and call it now: These watches are one of the sleeper hits of SIHH 2019. Sure, they’re not revolutionary and they don’t introduce any new movements or materials to the mix, but they take a classic model with an iconic movement and offer a meaningful update that makes the watch more contemporary and wearable (in my not-so-humble opinion). Plus, chronographs! Who doesn’t love a good chrono these days? Of the bunch, I think it’s the steel model with the silver and blue dial that I’m most excited to see in the metal, but honestly all four look damn good from the early images. You can bet we’ll have tons of hands-on coverage of these coming to you soon, so stay tuned!
While it’s safe to say that Audemars Piguet’s SIHH was somewhat tumultuous, it wasn’t without its more crowd-pleasing fare. Among a handful of new Royal Oak expressions, we find what might be the most well balanced and sweet-on-wrist of the lot, the new 38mm Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Selfwinding Chronograph. While perhaps not a surprise offering from the house of the Royal Oak, this all-new model retains the charm of the standard Royal Oak while adding an automatic chronograph in a trio of colorways that sing on wrist.
I think that, provided you’re into the general vibe of a Royal Oak, these new 38mm chronographs are really really good. Offered in pink gold with a silver-white dial or steel in either a silver-on-grey dial or a blue-on-white/white panda dial, the three combinations offer something a bit sporty, a bit more reserved, or a bit more boss (ok, a lot more boss).

At 38mm across with screw-down pushers, 50m water resistance, and an automatic movement, the case is only 11mm thick and the whole package feels solid, thoughtful, and undeniably fun. Also available in a 41mm version that has been around for some time, while 41mm isn’t exactly large in the modern watch game, these new models err closer to the Royal Oak’s spiritual home of 39mm and, for my wrist and eyes, feel better proportioned than the larger version.
Despite dropping those three millimeters, the new 38mm Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Chrono still employs the same movement that is used in the larger RO chronograph (and also many past models), the Selfwinding Caliber 2385. Based on the Frédéric Piguet 1185, this column-wheel chronograph movement features an integrated design, a rate of 3 Hz, and 40 hours of power reserve. For those reading this and finding it hard to see the appeal, there is something so special, so right, about a Royal Oak on wrist. If you can, swing by an AP boutique and try on a few examples. I honestly didn’t fully understand the draw until I tried on a solid gold 5402 (now it’s a grail). And while I’m not at all a chronograph guy, the chrono display nestles so nicely into the “Grande Tapisserie” dial on these 38mm chronographs that I almost don’t mind the date at 4:30. Almost.

Posted on by

Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Selfwinding Chronograph 41mm

Audemars Piguet unveils a new evolution of the Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Self-winding Chronograph, upholding the Manufacture’s forward-thinking spirit while keeping with traditions.

Housed within a 41mm 18-carat pink gold case, this model is equipped for the first time with the latest generation chronograph movement, the Self-winding Manufacture Calibre 4401, visible through the watch’s sapphire caseback. Two dial options are available, executed in blue or brown hues.
For the first time, the self-winding Manufacture integrated chronograph, Calibre 4401, launched in 2019 within the Code 11.59 by Audemars Piguet, appears in the Royal Oak collection. This movement features a column wheel and the flyback function that enables to restart the chronograph without stopping or resetting it first.
The column wheel works in collaboration with a vertical clutch system. When the chronograph is started or stopped, the hands respond accordingly without any hint of jumping. Furthermore, the push-pieces feel smoother when pressed. A patented zero resetting mechanism ensures that each one of the counter hands instantaneously resets to zero.
For the first time, the Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Self-winding Chronograph has been fitted with a sapphire caseback, affording sight of the integrated chronograph’s column wheel mechanism in action. Moreover, the wearer can admire the views of the 22-carat pink gold oscillating weight and refined finishing, including “Côtes de Genève,” circular graining, circular satin and polished chamfers throughout. The case, which has been modified to accommodate the new movement, now has a slightly thicker height of 12.4mm.
The dial features a “Grande Tapisserie” pattern and pairs blue or brown hues with pink gold-toned counters, pink gold applied hour-markers and Royal Oak hands with luminescent coating. The Manufacture has subtly updated the dial design. The positions of the minute counter and hour counter have been reversed, augmenting readability, while the date disc is located closer to the inner bezel. The Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Self-winding Chronograph model is available with a matching 18-carat pink gold bracelet or a colour-coordinated alligator strap.

Posted on by

Audemars Piguet Code 11.59 by Audemars Piguet Selfwinding

To say that CODE 11.59 debuted to mixed reviews is to say nothing at all. While many enthusiasts were impressed by the technical firepower on display – the collection featured a host of new movements, including AP’s first in-house self-winding chronograph movement – as well as the elaborate case construction and obviously high level of craftsmanship throughout, the dials, especially in the simpler models, were very divisive. However, the Audemars Piguet Code 11.59 Selfwinding collection isn’t going anywhere. Audemars Piguet has committed itself to the collection for the long haul, and both as a token of that commitment and as an indication that the collection will continue to evolve, AP has just released the latest versions of the CODE 11.59 Selfwinding and Selfwinding Chronograph models. These feature five new sunburst lacquer dials, as well as a quite striking new version of the case, in white gold, with a pink gold case middle.
The manufacture of two-tone cases using two gold alloys is a relative rarity at Audemars Piguet in terms of the historical production (although, of course, we have seen a more frequent use of two-tone construction in the Royal Oak and Royal Oak Offshore, including the reference 5402SA and the reference 15400). According to AP’s archives, of the 550 complicated watches the firm produced between 1882 and 1969 (a number whose relative minuteness bears considering; the company’s total number of employees did not exceed 30 until the year 1950, and did not exceed 100 until the 1970s), there are only eight which combined two types of gold. There were, of course, two-tone watches which combined gold and steel, including the ref. 1533 which was the basis for this year’s [Re]Master chronograph, but using two different kinds of gold was much more unusual. In AP’s entire production prior to 1970, there is only a single watch which combines white and pink gold.
When Audemars Piguet launched the Audemars Piguet Code 11.59 Selfwinding collection in 2019, there were a total of 13 models in six families – time and date; selfwinding chronograph; perpetual calendar; flying tourbillon; openworked flying tourbillon; and a minute repeater (the latter built on the Supersonnerie principles, which were first introduced publicly in the Royal Oak Concept RD#1 in 2015, and a year later, as the Royal Oak Concept Supersonnerie). The two flying tourbillons are part of a very long history of wristwatch tourbillon development at AP, which goes all the way back to the first series-produced automatic tourbillon wristwatch, the caliber 2870. That watch debuted in 1986 and featured a number of technical innovations, including the use of the caseback itself as the movement plate, and an exceedingly minute titanium tourbillon cage. Notably, the first Audemars Piguet Code 11.59 Selfwinding tourbillons are hand-wound; however, Audemars Piguet today has announced an automatic version of the hand-wound caliber 2950, which is the caliber 2952 – and the 2952 includes a flyback chronograph as well.
The whole idea of a tourbillon chronograph is not, of course, a new one for Audemars Piguet Code 11.59 Selfwinding; as a matter of fact, the first tourbillon chronograph from the company was introduced back in 2003. That watch was the Royal Oak Chronograph Tourbillon Ref. 25977, with the caliber 2889, running at 21,600 vph in 28 jewels. Interestingly, the ref. 25977, while obviously not an ultra-thin watch like the 2870, did share with its predecessor a somewhat unusual v-shaped upper tourbillon bridge (it was, however, a much larger watch, at 44mm x 12.9mm).

Posted on by

Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Extra Thin Selfwinding Flying Tourbillon

In order to fit the tourbillon cage into a Jumbo case, AP had to change several elements of the tourbillon cage from the classic version used in the caliber 2950 in the standard Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Selfwinding tourbillons. The caliber 2950 has an overcoil balance spring, while the newer caliber 2968 has a flat balance spring (most ultra-thin watches don’t have overcoil balance springs as the overcoil adds height). The balance in the 2968 has timing weights on the inside of the balance rim (in the 2950 they’re traditional weights on the outside of the rim) set flush with the rim. The balance arms have steps milled into them, which form a sort of recess that lets the balance spring sit closer to the balance – another height-saving measure.
One other notable difference is that while the 2950 uses conventional screws to fix the upper part of the tourbillon cage in place, the 2968 uses spline bolts, which usually take up less room than screws (although I’m not sure if this is the purpose here as I don’t have the dimensions for the bolts vs. the screws available). There are also cut-outs in the pillars of the tourbillon cage, which provide extra clearance for the balance rim, allowing AP to use a larger balance (this is also one of the benefits of the internal flat-rim weights). Finally, the tourbillon cage is driven via gear teeth on its outer edge. This is a so-called peripherally driven tourbillon. A traditional tourbillon carriage is driven via a pinion on the underside of the cage. Driving the cage directly from its edge produces a savings in height as well.
As we’ve said, the caliber 2968 is not the world’s flattest automatic tourbillon, but at 3.4mm thick, it’s pretty damned flat for a full rotor automatic tourbillon – to get any thinner than that you have to start using either a micro-rotor or a peripheral rotor. Before Bulgari’s Octo Finissimo automatic tourbillon came along, the thinnest automatic tourbillon (after the AP 2870) was the Breguet Classique Tourbillon Extra-Thin Automatic 5377, whose movement has a peripheral rotor and is 3mm thick (and again, it’s very wide at 36.10mm). Looked at in context, AP’s ability to make a full rotor automatic flying tourbillon which is only 0.4mm thicker than a much wider recent record-holder with a peripheral rotor starts to look a lot more interesting.
And aesthetically? What can I tell you, it’s a Jumbo, 39mm x 8.1mm, with that lovely Bleu Nuit, Nuage 50 dial. The only classic Jumbo element missing from the RD#3 Jumbo Tourbillon is the AP logo at six o’clock, but it seems a reasonable thing to lose if you’re going to have an open dial flying tourbillon. If you like the Jumbo, you’re probably going to like the Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Selfwinding Flying Tourbillon Extra-Thin RD#3, unless the idea of an open dial flying tourbillon is just not your brand of vodka. Comparing Audemars Piguet ultra-thin automatic tourbillons can be a little tricky – it helps to know the history of the complication and it also helps to understand that a full rotor movement compared to a peripheral rotor movement is fair on one hand, but on the other hand it’s also a little bit of an apples-to-oranges comparison. Seen from that perspective, RD#3 is a beautiful, very well-thought-out piece of contemporary watchmaking.