Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Self-winding Flying Tourbillon

Audemars Piguet Quietly Releases Pair of Royal Oak Flying Tourbillons with New 'Dimpled' Dials The new dial pattern gives the Royal Oak a new look.

If someone asked you to close your eyes and imagine an Audemars Piguet Royal Oak, it would have something: an octagonal bezel, those exposed screws, an integrated bracelet, and the signature checkered pattern on the dial. Lately though, Audemars Piguet has quietly slipped a pair of new Royal Oak Flying Tourbillons onto its website, defined as a new "dimpled dial," a departure from the classic checkered pattern. . The first uses 18 karat rose gold with a brown dial, while the second uses 18 karat white gold with a blue dial.

Aside from the frosted bezel of each watch, the two new Royal Oak Flying Tourbillon watches are similar to the upgraded version released by Audemars Piguet a year ago: the same 41 mm, the same self-winding movement caliber 2950 (Code 11.59, which debuted in 2019), is also a flying tourbillon at six o'clock.

Still, whenever Audemars Piguet does anything to blend its tried and tested Royal Oak formula, it's worth a second look. So like a grandmother leaning over to pinch her favorite grandson's cheek, let's look at those dimples.

This latest release shows that while it might not be the 50th anniversary of the Royal Oak anymore, Audemars Piguet isn't giving up on playing hits. Since, at this point, we've somehow gotten used to the Royal Oak Flying Tourbillon as a thing of existence (flying tourbillon just means there's no upper bridge on the tourbillon cage), the new dial pattern is the main thing here news.

The new textured dial, featuring what the AP calls a "dimpled pattern," looks textured, deep, and full of twists, not unlike a glass onion plot. Unlike most Royal Oak models, the "Audemars Piguet" logo is stamped on the dial rather than affixed to it, which seems to allude to the rocky terrain where it is difficult to safely land typical decals. The added effect of having the logo printed on it is to give the watch a bit of a vintage "Jumbo" vibe - I guess just like any flying tourbillon could be described as vintage. Most importantly, the sunken bezel is brushed in a circular pattern, which seems to complement the circular cutout of the flying tourbillon.

The “brushed” bezel is similarly hammered by hand, using microtools to create tiny dimples in the surface, giving it a grainy texture that glistens in the light. The effect is beautiful, and it’s the first time we’ve seen AP combine this brushed technique with a more traditional Royal Oak case finish – the rest of the case and bracelet use a familiar mix of polished and brushed surfaces.

When I was at Audemars Piguet covering the launch of the new Code 11.59 Starwheel last month, surrounded by AP customers wearing more versions of Royal Oak than there must be in Kevin Hart's bank vault, I think I finally understand why AP makes all of them different versions.

First of all, Audemars Piguet specializes in this type of finish – tapisserie, dimpled, frosted – and, quite simply, it’s a way for them to showcase one of their strengths as a manufacturer. it's great. But when you see the golden 50th anniversary Royal Oak with its smoked dial next to Caroline Bucci's black ceramic Royal Oak next to the ludicrous RD#3, it's amazing, on paper, as the same The few watches that the model exists really make a difference. There is no doubt that the specific group of customers targeted by this new edition will enjoy a new combination of finishes, as well as one of the most amazing movements in Audemars Piguet technology. It will be interesting to see as AP continues to mix and match its various dial and case finishes in other variants of the Royal Oak collection.

Base
Brand: Audemars Piguet
Model: Royal Oak Self-winding Flying Tourbillon
Reference numbers: 26730BC.GG.1320BC.01 (white gold) and 26730OR.GG.1320OR.01 (rose gold)

Diameter: 41mm
Thickness: 10.6mm
Case Material: 18K white gold or 18K rose gold with 'brushed' hammered gold bezel
Dial Color: Blue Rippled Dial or Brown Rippled Dial
Indexes: Platinum or rose gold markers applied
Luminous: yes
Waterproof: 50m
Strap/Bracelet: 18K White Gold or 18K Pink Gold

sports
Caliber: AP Caliber 2950
Function: flying tourbillon
Diameter: 31.5 mm
Thickness: 6.2mm
Power reserve: 65 hours on
Chain: Automatic
Frequency: 3 Hz
Number of Gems: 27