SELFWINDING MODELS FOR THE SMALLER WRISTS GLITTERING WITH SNOW-SET DIAMONDS
Swiss Haute Horlogerie manufacturer Audemars Piguet is pleased to introduce its very first Royal Oak models shimmering with snow-set diamonds. Conceived for the smaller wrists, these Haute Joaillerie timepieces in 34 and 37 mm are executed in a choice of 18-carat white or pink gold and covered with an array of various-sized brilliant-cut diamonds. The rare and highly technical snow setting creates a luminous effect that highlights the Royal Oak’s multifaceted architecture and recalls a winter wonderland.
Released in 18-carat white or pink gold, the latest Royal Oak Selfwinding models in 34 and 37 mm are fully snow set with brilliant-cut diamonds — a first in the collection. © Courtesy of Audemars Piguet
SNOW SETTING REFLECTING THE LIGHT
The new Royal Oak Selfwinding in 34 and 37 mm bring together Haute Horlogerie and Haute Joaillerie. The four timepieces are entirely set with brilliant-cut diamonds ranging from 0.5 mm to 2.2 mm in diameters and set together using the artisanal technique of snow setting – a first in the Royal Oak collection. The 34 mm models also represent the first fully gemset timepieces available in this diameter. While the two 34 mm timepieces count a total of 2,255 brilliant-cut diamonds (~6.6 carats), the 37 mm models showcase 2,123 brilliant-cut stones (~7.2 carats), all responding to the Manufacture’s highest requirements in terms of clarity, cut and colour.
The snow setting adorning each piece is an expression of the gemsetter’s talent. The various-sized diamonds are individually selected and meticulously placed on the dial, bezel, case, as well as on each bracelet link and stud so as to reach an irregular, yet seamless shimmering design. Each claw, too, is individually crafted by the gemsetter to welcome its dedicated diamond. The brilliant-cut stones are then arranged so carefully together that the gold components holding them in place are rendered almost invisible to the eye. The gemsetting results in a mosaic of interlocking diamonds reminiscent of freshly fallen snowflakes dancing in the light.
As the gemsetting of a watch influences its geometries and resistance, the design and production teams worked hand in hand with the gemsetter throughout the fabrication process to ensure the water resistance, reliability, robustness and repairability of each timepiece, in addition to maintaining the Royal Oak’s distinctive aesthetic codes.
GLAMOROUS AND SCINTILLATING DESIGN
The radiance of the snow-set diamonds is accentuated by the watches’ precious metals. Executed in a choice of 18-carat white or pink gold, the four new Royal Oak Selfwinding models present a unique shimmering aesthetic as the mirror-polished chamfers outlining the case, the bezel and the individual links of the bracelet confer an endless play of light.
The two 18-carat white gold models display a monochromatic design, while the pink gold timepieces provide a refined two-tone contrast. The snow-set dials, glittering with 879 brilliant-cut diamonds (~1.32 carats) for the 34 mm timepieces, and 699 for the 37 mm models (~1.4 carats), are complemented with 13 baguette-cut diamond hour-markers. The 18-carat white or pink gold hour and minute hands are enriched with luminescent coating for optimum readability in the dark. Lastly, the “Audemars Piguet” signature has been printed in black on a satin-brushed gold cartouche echoing the case and bracelet colour.
ELEGANT SELFWINDING MOVEMENTS
These novelties house two of the Manufacture’s latest selfwinding hours, minutes and seconds mechanisms.
The two 34 mm models are powered by Calibre 5809 which beats at a frequency of 4 Hz and has 50 hours of autonomy when not on the wrist. For the first time in the 34 mm collection, the date indication has been removed to give pride of place to the refined gemsetting on the dial.
Their 37 mm counterparts are equipped with the selfwinding Calibre 5909 that also dispenses with the date indication. This 4 Hz movement has 60 hours of power reserve, making it ideal for a contemporary lifestyle.
Both movements encompass refined Haute Horlogerie decorations including Côtes de Genève, traits tirés, circular satin, snailing and polishing, which can be admired through the watches’ sapphire casebacks along with the 22-carat pink gold oscillating weights.
A HAUTE JOAILLERIE LEGACY
The four new Royal Oak Selfwinding models continue Audemars Piguet’s long legacy of Haute Joaillerie timepieces. Since 1883, Audemars Piguet women watches have combined technical mastery and unconventional design. The Manufacture collaborated with a variety of prestigious jewellery brands, including Tiffany, Cartier, Oscar Heyman and Bvlgari to case its movements in unique Haute Joaillerie creations. The Manufacture often sold the movement and dial to the jeweller who took care of the watch’s external design and signed the watch before selling it through his network.
From the 1970s onwards, Audemars Piguet started to design high-jewellery watches internally. While the case was often crafted externally, the movement was cased at Audemars Piguet’s workbenches. The final creation was signed and sold by the Manufacture. In the 1980s, the growing fashion of watches with welded bracelets led Audemars Piguet to open its own jewellery workshop, ran by a handful of experts. Although the company continued to collaborate with external jewellers, jewellery-based timepieces were increasingly crafted in-house, spurring Audemars Piguet to create distinctive jewellery watches and collections in the decades that followed.
It is in this context that the first gemset Royal Oak models saw the light of day in 1982. Model 4331, released in yellow and white gold, is the first Royal Oak Haute Joaillerie model recorded in the company’s archives. The two 35 mm examples feature a bezel, case and bracelet grain-set with 584 brilliant-cut diamonds. The first fully gemset Royal Oak followed in 1987 with Model 14575, another 35 mm high jewellery interpretation of the Royal Oak. Four units were produced between 1987 and 1990, three in yellow gold and one in white gold, all displaying 580 brilliant- and baguette-cut diamonds, fixed to the gold components using closed and grain settings.
Since then, Audemars Piguet has created numerous Haute Joaillerie Royal Oak timepieces offered in a variety of sizes and privileging regular gemsetting patterns due to the collection’s geometrical architecture based on symmetries. Very few examples of irregular gemsetting designs have been recorded. One notable exception is the 33 mm Royal Oak Quartz (ref. 67654) which was reinterpreted in 2017 with an asymmetric wave-like pattern composed of different-sized brilliant-cut diamonds progressing from bountiful river on the left to spaced-out stars on the right.
This year, Audemars Piguet continues its exploration into high jewellery techniques with the release of its first snow-set Royal Oak models. This highly technical gemsetting, which was mainly reserved at Audemars Piguet to Haute Joaillerie creations such as the Diamond Punk (2015) and Diamond Outrage (2017) pieces, brings the Royal Oak to new horizons.
“Seek beyond.”
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