Audemars Piguet launched the Royal Oak Selfwinding 34mm in 2020 because the smallest-sized possibility with mechanical motion. Since its debut, AP has expanded the vary with a number of variations, starting from easy chrome steel to diamond-covered pink gold variations. For 2024, Audemars Piguet added two new fashions to the Royal Oak Frosted Gold Selfwinding 34mm collection—one in yellow gold and one in white gold—each adorned with particular crystal sand-finished dials in yellow gold or rhodium-plated. And we now have one thing to say about them!
The monochromatic Royal Oak Frosted Gold Selfwinding 34mm watches depend on texture and lightweight moderately than color, with their hammered end on the case and bracelet complemented by the crystal-like floor of the dial. Observing these smaller Royal Oaks, one can’t assist however marvel what related time and date fashions in 39mm and 41mm would seem like if Audemars Piguet provided them in these sizes.
The frosted gold case and bracelet are presently out there in varied 37mm and 41mm fashions, as seen within the Double Steadiness Wheel Openworked and Selfwinding Chronograph references. Moreover, the Royal Oak Perpetual Calendar “John Mayer” Restricted Version featured a blue crystal sand dial in a 41mm case, giving us a glimpse of how stunning a bigger Royal Oak boasting sand crystal dial could possibly be.
Envisioning a 41mm white/yellow gold Royal Oak with a frosted end and varied crystal sand dial colors is tantalizing, particularly for many who really feel considerably omitted by the smaller 34mm model. Till AP really creates one, let’s take a look at the prevailing 34mm variations and recognize their beautiful design.
The Royal Oak Frosted Gold Selfwinding 34mm watches characteristic hammered 18-carat white or yellow gold circumstances and bracelets. This distinctive frosted end, launched by Audemars Piguet in 2016, was created in collaboration with fourth-generation Florentine jewelry designer Carolina Bucci, whose great-grandfather opened a workshop in Florence nearly 150 years in the past in 1885, the place he pioneered metalworking strategies. The textured end on these valuable metals is achieved by repeatedly placing the floor with a diamond-tipped software, creating micro-dents that catch the sunshine fantastically. This visually beautiful impact is elegant and delicate, altering with the sunshine and environment. The frosted end provides a vibrant, dynamic component to the design initially conceived within the Nineteen Seventies, giving this legendary watch one other layer of emotion and attraction.
A feminine buddy who wears the regular-dial white Frosted Gold Selfwinding 34mm shared her expertise, noting that whereas the dented floor of the bracelet often catches on cloth, pulling a thread or leaving a mark, she attributes these mishaps to her personal hand and wrist actions moderately than any flaw within the watch’s design. Equally, whereas the “common” Royal Oak bracelet would possibly catch a couple of hairs on a person’s wrist, this minor inconvenience is way from a purpose to half with such a shocking timepiece.
Whereas we might have grown accustomed to the fantastic thing about the frosted end, the so-called crystal sand dials proceed to captivate us. These diamond-sprinkled-like surfaces are created by means of a course of that begins with easy stamping, adopted by yellow gold or rhodium plating of the brass dial plate. Nonetheless, there’s nothing easy about creating the stamping die. This entails electroforming, a way that builds metallic elements atom by atom, permitting for detailed designs and unmatched accuracy. The result’s a dial with a texture that appears and appears like pure crystal sand, therefore the identify.
The utilized pink gold or white gold hour indices and the matching AP-style fingers are handled with lume for enhanced legibility. The date home windows are colour-matched to the dials, as customary for AP. Whereas the reflections from the dial’s floor would possibly typically make studying the time lower than excellent, it’s attainable that our eyes are subconsciously diverted and drawn to the timeless magnificence and attraction of the diamond dust-like dial end. Some counsel that our appreciation for shiny objects is embedded in our DNA, a product of evolution: water’s glistening floor signalled an important life supply, so something that sparkles is of course perceived as fascinating. However I digress.
But, what else is there so as to add? Like different Royal Oak Selfwinding 34mm fashions, these beautiful references are outfitted with Caliber 5800, working at a frequency of 28,800 vibrations per hour and providing an influence reserve of fifty hours. The motion is seen by means of the sapphire caseback, showcasing its intricate mechanics. The circumstances are waterproof to 50 meters, making certain sturdiness in day by day put on. Each variants are priced at EUR 62,400, and to buy, “plan an appointment”.
In conclusion, reflecting on these aesthetically placing but modestly-sized Royal Oaks, I’m more and more satisfied that we should always urge AP to supply bigger variations. Traditionally, manufacturers have usually downsized watches initially designed for males to cater to their ladies’s collections. Now, there’s a chance for a reverse pattern. Simply think about a 39mm or 41mm white frosted gold Selfwinding with a fascinating blue or salmon crystal sand dial – it might be a knockout!
For extra, go to AudemarsPiguet.com.
