The emblematic sports watch from the Vallée de Joux watchmaker wraps its gold or steel bezel in a coat of tinted rubber for an even more robust and dynamic look on two models.

As a brawny, modern and sporty version of the emblematic model designed by Gérald Genta (1931-2011) in the 1970s, the Royal Oak Offshore imagined by another designer, Emmanuel Gueit, two decades later continues its adventure through time by embracing all the technical innovations developed by Audemars Piguet. In fact, this summer, the manufacture based in Le Brassus presented a pair of “three-hand” watch references that play with textures and colors, always with the dynamic elegance that characterizes this collection.

Vibrating under the impulse of the caliber 4302, a 4hz automatic movement that delivers a 70-hour power reserve, the largest piece – measuring 43mm in diameter and 14.4mm thick – boasts a steel body whose famous geometric bezel is trimmed with blue rubber and punctuated with silver screws. The Grande Tapisserie motif on the dial is a beautiful smoky-blue hue, matching the grooved bezel and strap, which is crossed by a trio of rhodium-plated hour, minute and seconds hands, while a window at 3 o’clock displays the date in white. With a diameter of 37mm and a height of 12.1mm, the second half of this duo combines the rose gold of its case with the pearl-gray rubber that covers its bezel and composes its bracelet, to frame its guilloché face in ivory-colored checkerboard. Time and calendar indications are provided by the self-winding caliber 5900 (60 hours of stored energy).

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The Le Brassus manufacture delves into its archives to reinterpret a distinctive 1960s watch in a modern, exclusive version, limited to 250 pieces.

In the aftermath of the Second World War, an architectural style took hold until the 1970s: Brutalism, a movement that favored simple geometric work, made of massive blocks and uncluttered materials, and inspired watchmaking. Between 1959 and 1963, Audemars Piguet produced around 30 asymmetrical watches, including the reference 5159BA, of which only 7 were produced. Continuing its creative approach initiated 4 years ago of reinterpreting emblematic models of a bygone era, the Manufacture of Le Brassus presents the [RE]Master02, a watch with an atypical, almost futuristic silhouette that makes a lasting impression.

Indeed, its rectangular case (41mm) with integrated horns in satin-finish sand gold, this gold amalgamated with copper and palladium to give it reflections oscillating between beige and grey depending on the light, plays with inclinations and angles, a particular shape followed by the sapphire crystal that protects the dial. Dressed in the famous “Bleu Nuit, Nuage 50” (Night Blue, Cloud 50), the dial is composed of 12 mosaic-like triangles separated by golden chamfers. One of them, at 3 o’clock, like a line seemingly stretched to infinity, underlines the brand’s signature, while in the center of this abstract painting devoid of indexes and numerals, two baton-type hands display the hours and minutes.

The essential rhythm of time is set by the extra-thin 7129 caliber, a 4hz movement with automatic winding by bidirectional oscillating weight, a large barrel and a 52-hour power reserve.

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After a steel variation, the manufacture center stages a version obtained using a never-seen-before alloy that gifts this piece with ever-so subtle, ever-so delicate hues.

Gold, a raw material, a precious material, forever amazes with its incredibly-soft array of colors. By building on its ability to innovate, Audemars Piguet imagined a new 18-karat gold alloy enhanced with palladium and copper, known as sand gold, featuring captivating, warm tones somewhere between white gold ones and rose gold ones, which change depending on the light. And, for perfect harmony, a sand gold shade, obtained using galvanic treatment, also adorns the bridges of the Caliber 2972 rolled out in 2022 to celebrate the iconic Royal Oak’s 50th anniversary. This movement with its outstanding finishes drives the Royal Oak Selfwinding Flying Tourbillon Openworked. Thanks to this stylistic choice, this mechanical heart, assembled using some 271 components, and the slim 41 mm-diameter, 10.6 mm-high signature case, topped with its octagonal bezel, create perfect osmosis. In this scenography, the white gold hour and minute hands enjoy a comfortable power reserve of 65 hours enabling them to tick over time accurately.

The craftspeople’s mastery of skeletonizing invites the manufacture to showcase a sculptural timepiece where light roams freely and underscores each element, in particular the regulating device set at 6 o’clock. What’s more, the barrel nestling at 12 o’clock delivers harmonious visual balance. The Royal Oak Selfwinding Flying Tourbillon Openworked is accompanied by its can’t-do-without integrated bracelet fashioned with links forged in the same alloy as the case.

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When the savoir-faire of Le Brassus meets the spirit of New York and the expertise of Milan, this journey leads us to the genesis of an unprecedented story, that of the creation of a watchmaking quartet forged in yellow or white gold for a minimalist, restrained, timeless allure.

Two different worlds coming together in the fertile ground embodied by creativity to give birth to an object or even objects: this is the genesis of the collaboration between watchmaker Audemars Piguet and designer Matthew Williams. Founder in 2015 of the clothing and accessories brand 1017 Alyx 9SM – a complex name based on his date of birth, the first name of his eldest daughter and the abbreviation of the first address of his workshop in New York before relocating to Italy – the American has put his stamp on two watch collections to create the four pieces with the minimalist, muted, timeless allure that are the Royal Oak and Royal Oak Offshore x 1017 Alyx 9SM.

This small, limited-edition series comprises models in yellow gold (three of them) and white gold, powered by three movements with power reserve of between 60 and 70 hours: caliber 5909 for the 37mm Royal Oak Selfwinding, which displays hours, minutes and seconds in the center, caliber 4409 for the 41mm Royal Oak Selfwinding Chronograph and caliber 4404 for the 42mm Royal Oak Offshore Selfwinding Chronograph duo. Far from the often busy graphics of his clothes, which explore multiple trends, Matthew Williams has opted for the pure elegance of time. Gone are the Tapisserie motif so dear to Audemars Piguet, the hour markers, Arabic numerals and circled counters: the dial appears bare, clear and free. On the circular, vertically satin-brushed surface, the Royal Oak hands in gold underlined by a touch of luminescent material catch the eye, then, on models equipped with a chronograph with flyback function, attention is drawn to the totalizers, small seconds counter and, if applicable, the date.

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Incorporating a profusion of complications and ingenious systems, the new work of the watchmaker born in Le Brassus embodies the mechanical expression of his contemporary know-how and the creative power of his workshops.

Prowess? The word seems rather weak to describe the Code 11.59 by Audemars Piguet Ultra-Complication Universelle RD#4. Majestic? Without a doubt. Exceptional? Yes! This masterpiece, which pays tribute to L’Universelle, a complex pocket watch made in 1899, concentrates both age-old and contemporary know-how as it contains the latest innovations made by Audemars Piguet‘s teams of engineers, watchmakers and craftsmen. This result of seven years of development features 23 complications and 17 ingenious systems, totaling 40 functions, and is available in four equally spectacular variants.

Machined in white or pink gold, the collection’s emblematic case has been redesigned to increase its diameter from 41 to 42mm to accommodate the self-winding 1000 caliber, assembled with 1,155 components and clocked at 3hz, which delivers a 64-hour power reserve. This manufacture movement powers, among other things, a split-seconds flyback chronograph, a minute repeater, a Grande and Petite Sonnerie, a flying tourbillon, a semi-gregorian perpetual calendar, and an astronomical moon. Pushers and crowns equipped with buttons, installed on the left and right sides of the case and punctuated with pictograms, allow certain functions to be controlled and certain displays to be adjusted. Everything has been carefully designed to make handling as simple and ergonomic as possible. The information on the dial, whether openworked with gray counters or covered with a beige or black disc with an opening at 6 o’clock, is also very easy to read.

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To celebrate its 30^th anniversary, the legendary watch identifiable by its massive case and rebellious adventurer look revisits the spirit of a piece created in collaboration with a famous actor over two decades ago.

Conceived in 1993 by the designer Emmanuel Gueit who wanted to give life to a sporty, even body-built version of the famous Royal Oak, the Royal Oak Offshore has become in three decades the symbol of a need for emancipation, far from the classic codes, and for affirmation. This iconic piece, which has undergone numerous changes without losing its identity, goes for a remake of a 1999 model, the Royal Oak Offshore “End of Days”, the result of a collaboration between Audemars Piguet and Arnold Schwarzenegger, the Austrian-American actor and… former bodybuilder! Like the original piece, the new Royal Oak Offshore Selfwinding Chronograph juggles with contrasts, light and shadow.

Indeed, this limited edition of 500 pieces features a 43mm-diameter case in black ceramic, punctuated by some titanium elements such as the crown guard, the screw heads on the bezel and the studs on the lugs. This dark ensemble, which also includes the dial decorated with the Méga Tapisserie checkerboard pattern, is enlivened by a few touches of bright yellow on the body of the hour markers and the pair of hour and minute hands, the tachymeter scale running along the flange, and the stitching that borders the calfskin strap textured like a fabric. The small seconds (at 6 o’clock), the chronograph second hand (in the center), the totalizers (at 9 o’clock for the minutes, at 3 o’clock for the hours) and the date (at 4:30 o’clock) are all in a light color to better stand out. All these functions and indications are driven by the caliber 4401, a powerful self-winding movement vibrating at a frequency of 4hz and providing a 70-hour power reserve.

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After the use of precious materials such as gold, white or rose, or technical materials such as ceramic for the case middle of some models, it is now the turn of steel, a metal synonymous with robustness, to make its entry into the young collection of the Le Brassus watchmaker.

For Audemars Piguet, the first quarter of 2023 is marked by the introduction of a robust, reliable silvery metal with a delicate bluish sparkle into its latest collection: steel. This iron and carbon-based alloy, which is well known in the watchmaking industry, joins the range of materials, both precious, such as white and rose gold, and technical, such as the ceramic used for the case middle of some models, to dress the architectural silhouettes of six new references, including three Code 11.59 by Audemars Piguet Automatique.

In addition to the appearance of steel to compose the 41mm-diameter, 10.7mm-thick case and embrace the octagonal profile, in black ceramic for one of the versions, a breathtaking work has been done on the dial. Tinted with a green PVD coating – a color that oscillates between khaki and emerald – or blue – the famous “Bleu Nuit Nuage 50” borrowed from the Royal Oak collection – or with a galvanic treatment to obtain a beige gradient effect, it features a motif specially developed for the Code 11.59 that is based on the formation of a graphic structure by concentric circles that seem to undulate toward the outside. The bezel has also been redesigned with a smoother slope and a more precise seconds scale. In terms of display, the elongated and luminescent indexes, overhung by white gold baton-type hands, replace the Arabic numerals. The date, indicated in light color on a dark background at 3 o’clock, completes the rhythm of the passing time. This trio is powered by the caliber 4302, a 4hz automatic movement manufactured by Audemars Piguet, which delivers a significant 70-hour power reserve when fully wound.

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Last fireworks set off before the end of a particularly festive year for the watch brand from Le Brassus with this modern and poetic interpretation of a display that is nearly four centuries old.

While 2022 was a festive year for the Royal Oak collection as it celebrated its 50^th birthday, the young Code 11.59 by Audemars Piguet family was not neglected. On the contrary, it welcomed several pieces, including the spectacular Tourbillon Openworked with its architectural face tinted electric blue, and concluded the past twelve months with a fascinating model: the Code 11.59 by Audemars Piguet Starwheel, which offers a modern and poetic interpretation of the wandering hour complication, a particular display that is nearly four centuries old, brought up to date by Audemars Piguet as early as 1991, and which is now included in this range of watches.

Floating in time like ships sailing at night on an ocean of aventurine glass, three domed black PVD-coated aluminum discs replace the traditional hour hand. Each one carries four white Arabic numerals, from 1 to 12, and a dark arrow that they point in turn to the arc of a circle graduated from 0 to 60 that stretches from 10 to 2 o’clock along the black flange. The seconds swirl around the center, indicated by a long, slightly curved second hand. These functions are set by the self-winding caliber 4310, which provides a significant energy reserve of almost three days and is housed in the heart of the 41mm-diameter, 10.7mm-thick case. True to the collection’s aesthetic signature, this case combines two light and robust materials in two different colors: white gold for the bezel, horns and back, and black ceramic for the case middle and crown.

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As part of the 50^th anniversary of its watch ambassador, the Manufacture in Le Brassus is unveiling a timepiece designed to mesmerize the eye by featuring a beating heart on a vibrant purple background.

Celebrating the 50^th anniversary of a legendary watch, the year 2022 has been rich in new product launches, in both mechanical and aesthetic creativity, always with the spirit of innovation and know-how that has driven Audemars Piguet since its founding in 1875. The watchmaker from Le Brassus is thus unveiling the Royal Oak Selfwinding Flying Tourbillon Extra-Thin RD#3, a brand-new version incorporating a movement that required five years of development to fit into a diameter as small as 37mm.

Indeed, thanks to its titanium tourbillon cage coupled with a peripheral drive and a new escapement with an oscillator allowing a greater amplitude for more precision and better energy management, the Calibre 2968 is 3.4mm thin and 29.6mm in diameter. Set to 3hz, this engine assembled with 226 components delivers 59 hours of power reserve when fully wound. Its openworked oscillating weight, stamped with the logo specially designed for the 50^th anniversary of the Royal Oak, as well as its openworked bridges, can be admired through the transparent back of the steel case.

On the dial side, the show begins with the dance of the flying tourbillon placed in an opening at 6 o’clock on a violet checkerboard. The famous Petite Tapisserie pattern has been coated with a vibrant, uniform plum color by CVD, or chemical vapor deposition, forming a superb contrast with the white gold hour markers and bathtub-shaped hour and minute hands. The Royal Oak Selfwinding Flying Tourbillon Extra-Thin RD#3 is worn on a steel link bracelet, reworked for enhanced ergonomics and fluidity, which is closed by an AP buckle.

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In the workshops of Le Brassus, they play with the power of mechanics, the strength of design and the magic of architecture, as proven by this new limited edition made of white gold and blue ceramic.

While the spotlight is on the iconic Royal Oak watch, which is celebrating its 50^th anniversary this year, Code 11.59 by Audemars Piguet, the youngest of the Le Brassus watchmaker’s collections, welcomes a new version of its Tourbillon Openworked. In addition to being a mechanical jewel, this limited edition of 50 pieces is also a masterpiece of architecture and design. Moreover, it harmoniously combines different materials, colors and finishes for a rendering as hypnotic as the dance of its tourbillon.

Measuring 41mm in diameter and 10.7mm in thickness, the case is composed of a combination of white gold bezel/horns/caseback and a cobalt blue ceramic case middle. It is topped with a double curved crystal, domed on the inner surface and concave on the outer. Beneath the sapphire crystal is a whole world of blue-tinted ALD or CVD, such as the flange with a thin white minute track, the bridges and the movement’s plate, with a few silver (the barrel and the gear train) and gold (the balance and the central baton-type hour and minute hands) touches.

This novel architecture, enhanced by different finishing styles (vertical satin-finishing, circular satin-finishing and polished beveling) is the mechanical expression of the hand-wound caliber 2948, an openworked engine that vibrates at the gentle frequency of 3hz and provides an important three-day power reserve. The Code 11.59 by Audemars Piguet Tourbillon Openworked can be worn on a blue rubber strap decorated with a woven pattern and lined with calfskin leather and fastened with a white gold folding clasp.

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Time in music, music in time. This is how, through five new references, the watchmaker from the Vallée de Joux sets the sportiest of its collections to a colorful tempo.

The ticking of a watch may be a melody in itself, but it also inspires many refrains to compose unforgettable songs. In the case of its new series of five Royal Oak Offshore Music Edition watches, Audemars Piguet is bringing its talent for music to bear on the sportiest of its collections. This quintet is made up of two diameters – 37 and 43mm – in two different materials – titanium and gemstones set white gold – and a black ceramic piece, and houses two automatic movements – calibers 5909 and 4309 – that drive the hours, minutes, central seconds and deliver respectively 60 and 70 hours of power reserve.

For the watchmaker from Le Brassus, this musical passion begins in a recording studio, where the colorful graphics typical of equalizers can be seen on the face of these new watches. Indeed, the checkerboard pattern of the Grande Tapisserie, the signature of the collection, hosts columns running from the bottom of the dial in navy, aventurine or black, from blue to red. On the white gold model, the notes are translated into brilliant stones thanks to the Harmony cut that spill out onto the octagonal bezel: rubies, peridots, tsavorites, and blue, green and orange sapphires. In order to perfect this link with the melodic universe, the case’s attachment studs adopt the same knurled relief than jack plugs and the posts that protect the crown are inspired by faders, the control buttons of mixing consoles.

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As part of the celebrations of the 50^th anniversary of its watch ambassador, the Le Brassus brand presents a new collaboration with the jeweler Carolina Bucci. No Florentine hammering here but a game of hide-and-seek with a rainbow.

Fifty years ago, the Royal Oak watch, with its original design by Gérald Genta, was born and became the ambassador of Audemars Piguet. To pay tribute to this half-century of existence, the watchmaker from Le Brassus is presenting new timepieces throughout the year, such as the Royal Oak Selfwinding Limited Edition Carolina Bucci, available in 300 pieces. As a regular collaborator since 2016, the Italian jeweler has this time abandoned the Florentine hammering of gold (Frosted Gold) that it has made its specialty to capture a rainbow and inscribe on the dial of this new work and thus play with contrasts, colors and light.

The face consists of a brass disc topped by a sapphire glass plate on which a micro-marking has reproduced the checkerboard structure of the Tapestry pattern (Tapisserie) and under which a golden metallization has been applied. At first glance, the dial appears to be as dark as night, but under the sunlight and depending on the angle, it lights up like a firework display of a thousand and one hues.

Completely dressed in black ceramic, from the 34mm diameter case to the link bracelet, the watch features a few touches of rose gold: the screws that secure the octagonal bezel, the center of the crown, the raised hour markers and the Royal Oak hour, minute and second hands. The date is displayed in white on black through a window at 3 o’clock. This Royal Oak Selfwinding Limited Edition Carolina Bucci is powered by the caliber 5800, a 4hz automatic movement that delivers 50 hours of power reserve.

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The revolutionary watch from the Le Brassus manufacture, designed by Gérald Genta, celebrates its 50^th anniversary in 2022 with, among other things, a new engine and a personalized oscillating weight.

When it was unveiled in 1972, the Royal Oak by Audemars Piguet was a surprise. Designed by Gérald Genta in one night, it was initially considered an unusual watch with its atypical silhouette – a steel case with integrated lugs, measuring 39mm, a diameter then considered too “large” (hence its nickname of Jumbo), which is encircled by a large octagonal bezel fitted with eight screws – before becoming a must-have piece of the watchmaking landscape and an object of desire that enthusiasts clamored for. Half a century later, the manufacture in Le Brassus presents the Royal Oak “Jumbo” Extra-Plat 39mm, a version equipped with a new automatic movement.

Indeed, after 5 years of development, Caliber 7121 now replaces the original 2121. It has a larger barrel for greater precision, adopts a patented date mechanism to reduce energy consumption, vibrates at the standard frequency of 4hz and provides 55 hours of power reserve. Its rhodium-plated 22-carat gold oscillating weight bears the special 50^th anniversary inscription.

The dial features the traditional Petite Tapisserie pattern in “Bleu Nuit, Nuage 50“ (Night Blue, Cloud 50), a color obtained by PVD and not by galvanic bath as in the Seventies. Machined in white gold and hollowed out, the applied hour markers and the bathtub-shaped hands are filled with luminescent material for optimized time reading, while the date is displayed at 3 o’clock.

The Royal Oak “Jumbo” Extra-Plat 39mm is worn with a steel bracelet with a folding clasp.

Price: 29,700 CHF

By Sharmila Bertin

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Ever since its introduction in 1993, the body-built version of the Royal Oak has been constantly improving and becoming more in tune with the times. The 2021 generation further underscores this commitment.

In the early 2000s, Audemars Piguet expanded its collections of Royal Oak Offshore models to include a robust 44mm diameter. After introducing a wide range of colors and materials, the watchmaker is now offering a new generation of references structured around a 43mm casing that is water-resistant to a depth of 100 meters. Five timepieces make up this redesigned collection. Whether in steel, pink gold, or even titanium, each of them has a slightly revised design. While the aesthetic codes inherent to the brand are still present, such as the “Mega Tapestry” motif on the dial and the octagonal bezel, the ergonomics of the watch have been optimized to make it more comfortable to wear and easier to use. Thus, the data can be read with complete clarity. Time keeping is made easy with the help of long push buttons that are perfectly integrated into the case middle. The alternating polished and satin-finished surfaces of the casing enhance the visual harmony of these timepieces.

These models are powered by the caliber 4401 equipped with a chronograph featuring a flyback function. The sapphire backing of the case enables its complex architecture to be admired. This self-winding movement meets today’s performance standards by generating 70 hours of power reserve.

The rapid interchangeability system provides the possibility of replacing the Royal Oak Offshore 43mm rubber strap supplied with the watch with a second one made of either the same material or leather depending on the version.

Price: €37,700 (steel) – €37,700 (titanium) – €56,400 (rose gold)

By Dan Diaconu

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