Entre las muchas novedades que ha presentado Audemars Piguet at the SIHH(Salon de la Haute Horlogerie) of this year 2016 three stand out, namely:
- The Royak Oak Concept SuperSonnerie
- The skeletonized Royal Oak with double balance 3132 movement
- The 42mm Royal Oak OffShore Diver Chronograph
The return to yellow gold has also been presented in several of its models: a perpetual calendar caliber 5154 with exposed case back, the chronograph with caliber 2385 (both 41mm in diameter), several extra-flat tourbillons (skeletonized and with dial, chrono and time only) and the 37mm Royal Oak Selfwinding automatic, the umpteenth version of an immortal classic, all of them in various versions combining steel, gold and diamonds and various colors of sphere. And speaking of classics: we have seen a gold Royal Oak with a quartz movement and 33mm with a diamond-encrusted bezel, the eternal feminine? Continuing with the feminine, the Millenary combining onyx and diamonds or pearls but above all the Diamond Fury with its almost 5000 perfectly set diamonds are a demonstration ofthe high jewelry that Audemars Piguet has presented at the SIHHand which he has been practicing for decades (and for which last year he won the Geneva Grand Prix in that specialty). The impressive parade does not end here: the Jules Audemars collection also appears with two skeletonized tourbillons, a chronograph and a single hour watch, the latter sharing a caliber with the Royal Oak. What I said: impressive.
The Royal Oak Concept SuperSonnerie is, once again, the showcase of the Maison's most impressive technical achievements (although the manually wound Royal Oak Concept Tourbillon Chronograph, caliber 2941, has also been presented in Geneva, you can see it in the gallery above). In the Audemars Piguet Acoustic Lab, research has been carried out that combines science and watchmaking tradition to achieve a sound ten times more intense than anything known until now. And I can attest to this: at the presentation, inside an amphitheater filled with at least 30 people, the gongs of this minute repeater were perfectly audible from 6 meters away. The secret, in addition to some
improved rods (or gongs), is in a revolutionary – and patented – resonance chamber that without excessively increasing the thickness of the assembly achieves such a feat. Two more patents accompany it: the pre-preparation of the steel to manufacture the gongs and the redesign of the hammer regulator, which works as a sound absorber, avoiding unwanted noises. In traditional sonnerie the gongs are fixed to the base stage, while in the Royal Oak Concept SuperSonnerie they are fixed to a new device under the sphere that acts as (or is actually a) resonance box and receives the vibrations directly without passing through the stage, something like the body of a guitar case. The result is a better, richer and certainly louder sound.
The Royal Oak Double Balance Wheel Openworked is another demonstration of both creative and artistic strength from the Le Brassus manufacture. Movement of 245 pieces, 38 jewels, 45 hours of power reserve vibrating at 3 hertz and a novelty: two balance wheels joined by the same axis with inverted cycle spirals (when one is open the other is closed) which according to the brand improves precision and running stability. What is objective is the beauty of such an addition in a hand-skeletonized movement where human mastery is put to the test with each pass of the gouge. It comes in a steel and rose gold case (and bracelet), in both cases with a slate-colored dial –perimeter due to the skeleton- and rose gold hands and indexes. Prices: €43,900 for the steel version and €76,400 for the rose gold version.
The most colorful has arrived with a new twist to one of the most successful series within the already successful Royal Oak collection: the Diver Chronograph have been presented in three absolute colors, lime,
yellow and orange, which will only be sold in the brand's boutiques, (the lime color only in Geneva) and a combination of blue and yellow for sale, let's say "free." According to the specifications, they mount the automatic caliber 3124/3841 of 29.92mm (13¼ lines) and 7.16mm thick, with 50 hours of power reserve vibrating at 21,600 a/h or what is the same: 3 Hertz. The case is made of steel with a transparent sapphire caseback while the pushers and screwed crowns (time setting and helium valve) are made of black ceramic. Waterproof up to 300 meters, the buttons can be operated underwater, so they do not need to be threaded themselves. On the dial we see continuous seconds at 3 o'clock and a 30-minute counter at 9 o'clock and a central treadmill. Rubber straps to match each combination. Personally, the one that caught my attention the most was the non-exclusive blue-yellow. You can call me unsophisticated, if you want… Price: €27,700 for all versions. By the way, by clicking on the chrono illustration you can see all the colors in sequence.
And speaking of seeing, we haven't seen Diamond Fury. A true madness, a display of power from Audemars Piguet (and no, it is not Mordor):
Best watch strap | Best annual calendar watch | Best watch winder | Best Black Luxury watch | Best Luxury Watches Men | Best Swiss Luxury Watches Women | Best Men Diamond Watches under 1000 | Best Diamond Watches Women | Best Luxury Dive Watch
