Introducing The New Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Flying Tourbillon Openworked

Audemars Piguet began the year 2024 with the appointment of “Ilaria Resta” as the new CEO after the retirement of “François-Henri Bennahmias”. This change certainly injected and will inject a new perspective. In terms of new releases, the company began the year with two collaborative releases with the American singer “Travis Scott” and the designer “Tamara "Ralph."

Now, a month before the Watch & Wonders event, the company presented many new releases that we will discuss all of them, most notably the unveiling of the “Royal Oak Open Work” watch made of a new mixture of 18-carat gold, which it called sand gold. This new watch underscores the brand's commitment and excellence in developing new materials. IB has always presented several versions of its famous Royal Oak watches using new materials, the latest of which was brown ceramic.

The main innovation of the new watch lies in its case made of sand gold. This material presents itself as a mixture of white gold and rose gold, but with a darker appearance. To be more precise, this new mixture combines gold, copper, and palladium.

The 41mm case boasts well-proportioned dimensions, measuring just 10.6mm in thickness, thinner than many conventional sport watches despite housing an automatic flying tourbillon movement. Despite the novelty of the sand gold alloy, the finishing adheres to the typical Royal Oak style: satin brushing with polished bevels, extending to the integrated bracelet.

To harmonize with the case and bracelet, the Swiss manufacturer has devised a sand-gold-toned hue, achieved through galvanic treatment, adorning the inner bezel, as well as the openworked bridges and mainplate of the movement, visible from both sides of the watch.

Contrasting the sand-gold-toned bridges and mainplate are subtle touches of grey. The rhodium-toned barrel, gear train, and flying tourbillon at 6 o’clock are accentuated by white gold hour-markers and hands, all filled with luminescent material.

Powering the Tourbillon Openworked is the cal. 2972, which debuted in 2022 for the Royal Oak’s 50th anniversary. Engineered from scratch as a skeletonized caliber, the neat and orderly bridge layout attests to this.

While skeletonized watches often appear cluttered and chaotic, the geometric bridges of the cal. 2972 were clearly crafted with openworking in mind, combining a self-winding mechanism with a flying tourbillon. Operating at a frequency of 3 Hz (21,600 vibrations per hour), it offers a power reserve of 65 hours.

Crafted from the innovative sand gold alloy, the Royal Oak bracelet showcases a characteristic blend of brushed and polished surfaces, secured with an AP folding clasp. The new Sand Gold Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Selfwinding Flying Tourbillon Openworked makes its debut in the permanent collection, priced at CHF 250,000, equivalent to 918,000 AED.

For more information please visit the official website of Audemars Piguet.