When it comes to watchmaking, complexity is all in the details. But when it comes to Audemars Piguet’s Royal Oak Selfwinding Perpetual Calendar Ultra-Thin in titanium, well, the details are aplenty.
So where to start? Not only does the new 41mm timepiece come with a full Perpetual Calendar complication, iconic Royal Oak design hallmarks, new smokey dial colour, a case that is just 6.2 mm thick – but it is now created in a titanium and platinum alloy which combines state-of-the-art technology, aesthetic refinement and lightness.
The timepiece can rightfully be considered the natural heir of 2019’s game-changing RD #2 – which became the world’s thinnest selfwinding perpetual calendar when it launched – and now, with the inclusion of titanium on the case, bracelet and bezel, makes it even more wearable.
Limited to a mere 200 pieces, the new watch not only comes with an impressive list of technical characteristics, but also incorporates the alternating finishes dear to Audemars Piguet. The screws and chamfers of the bezel, case and bracelet links are polished, while the other surfaces are adorned with a vertical satin-brushed finish.
Aesthetically, however, our highlight is the new smoky-blue dial developed especially for the model.
Light in the centre and black around the rim, it is decorated with a sunburst motif endowing it with luminous aesthetics facilitating read-off of the calendar indications, month and leap year at 3 o’clock, date at 6 o’clock, day and day/night indicator at 9 o’clock.
This new iteration also perpetuates the long tradition of calendar watches and ultra-thin movements at Audemars Piguet. A century ago, in 1921, the Manufacture began this two-fold quest with the thinnest pocket watch movement ever made (1.32 mm thick), followed by a similar record for a hand-wound wristwatch movement (1.64 mm in 1938) and then a selfwinding one (2.45 mm in 1967). In 1978, when the watch industry was entirely focused on the development of quartz watches, the Manufacture unveiled a selfwinding perpetual calendar wristwatch movement that was the thinnest in the world at the time of its launch (3.95 mm).
Today the new Royal Oak Selfwinding Perpetual Calendar Ultra-Thin represents the culmination of this age-old watchmaking approach, as well as a valuable stepping-stone towards future developments.
Audemars Piguet will be showcasing some of its key pieces at Dubai Watch Week between November 16 and 20, 2023.