A ROYAL OAK

DOUBLE BALANCE WHEEL OPENWORKED PAVED WITH DIAMONDS

Swiss Haute Horlogerie manufacturer Audemars Piguet is delighted to present a new 18-carat pink gold Royal Oak Double Balance Wheel Open worked  timepiece set with 436 baguette-cut diamonds. Full of contrasts, this 41 mm iteration complements the elegant model in white gold released in 2020.

The diamonds’ purity and shimmering effect create interesting plays of light and illuminate the cutting-edge double balance wheel mechanism visible on both sides of the watch. The radiance and elegance of this distinctive timepiece marrying Haute Horlogerie and Haute Joaillerie will attract attention from a distance. The Royal Oak Double Balance Wheel Openworked model will be launched in Italy before being available globally from October 2021.

Uniting 18-carat pink gold with 436 baguette-cut diamonds, this new Royal Oak Double Balance Wheel Openworked model offers a glittering and harmonious contrast. © Courtesy of Audemars Piguet

THE ART OF GEMSETTING

The 436 baguette-cut diamonds adorning the case, bracelet and bezel of the new Royal Oak Double Balance Wheel Openworked have been carefully selected to respond to the Manufacture’s highest criteria in terms of clarity, cut and colour. The diamonds have been individually cut and polished to reach clear and sharp angles before being invisibly set by hand. Tiny grooves are delicately cut in each stone. The baguette-cut diamonds are then snapped into a hidden rail mounted in the gold case as well as in the bracelet’s links and connecting studs, giving the impression that they are holding on their own. Pushing meticulousness a step further, the gemsetting continues all the way down to the folding clasp, reflecting light, while creating a pure scintillating effect.

The glittering case and bracelet illuminate the openworked mechanism, whose rhodium-toned hues harmoniously echo the grey shades of the inner bezel and reflecting diamonds. To add a subtle hint of colour, the hour-markers are adorned with 11 pink gold-toned baguette-cut sapphires, around which rotate the 18-carat pink gold Royal Oak hands. Visible through the sapphire caseback, the 22-carat pink gold double balance wheel pushes the contrast further for a refined touch down to the last detail.

PATENTED INNOVATION MEETS ANCESTRAL CRAFTSMANSHIP

The diamond-set pink gold bezel offers a scintillating frame to Calibre 3132, equipped with a double balance wheel mechanism. This patented innovation, released by Audemars Piguet in 2016, improves the watch’s precision and stability. By incorporating two balance wheels and two hairsprings assembled on the same axis, the system oscillates in perfect synchrony. Visible on both sides of the case, the double balance wheel confers a rare glimpse at the watch’s beating heart.

In addition, the openworked bridges reveal part of the gear train on the dial and caseback sides. An Audemars Piguet speciality since the 1930s, openworking is an art balancing aesthetic and function. Highly trained experts create the movement by starting with the end design and working backwards. Cut too little in the wrong place and it looks wrong. Cut too much and the movement’s functionality is compromised. Solving the puzzle demands horological mastery and profound knowledge of materials and finishing techniques.

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