2023-09-18 22:04:55
The Swiss Haute Horlogerie manufacturer Audemars Piguet is pleased to present its first Royal Oak models adorned with snow-set diamonds
Designed for thinner wrists, these High Jewelry timepieces are available in two diameters of 34 and 37 mm and in a choice of 18-carat white or pink gold covered with a multitude of brilliant-cut diamonds of different sizes. Both rare and technical, the snow setting gives these pieces a luminous effect highlighting the multifaceted architecture of the Royal Oak while recalling a winter landscape.
A dazzling snow setting
The new 34 and 37 mm Royal Oak Automatic references combine Haute Horlogerie and Haute Joaillerie by presenting an aesthetic entirely paved with brilliant-cut diamonds ranging from 0.5 to 2.2 mm in diameter in a snow setting – a first in the collection. The 34 mm model is the first fully gem-set timepiece available in this diameter. While the two 34mm references sparkle with a total of 2,255 brilliant-cut diamonds (~6.6 carats), the 37mm variations are adorned with 2,123 brilliant-cut stones (~7.2 carats ), each of them meeting the highest standards of the Manufacture in terms of clarity, size and color.
The snow setting technique illustrates all the talent of the artisans. Diamonds of varying sizes are individually selected and carefully placed on the dial, the bezel, the case as well as on each link and stud of the bracelet in order to obtain an irregular but harmonious design. The claws that hold the stones in place are also created individually by the setters. The brilliant-cut diamonds are then meticulously arranged so that the gold components holding them are almost invisible to the naked eye. The result is a mosaic of diamonds reminiscent of snowflakes dancing in the light.
As the setting of a watch influences its geometry and its resistance, the Design and Production teams worked in symbiosis with the setters throughout the manufacturing process in order to ensure watertightness, reliability, robustness and the repairability of each timepiece while preserving the distinctive aesthetic codes of the Royal Oak.
Royal Oak Automatic © Audemars Piguet
A delicate design
The brilliance of the snow-set diamonds is accentuated by the precious metals that adorn the timepieces. Executed in a choice of 18-carat white or pink gold, the four Royal Oak Automatic models display a brilliant aesthetic reinforced by the finishes which make the chamfers of the case, the bezel and the bracelet links sparkle, giving a play of infinite light.
While the two 18-carat white gold references feature a monochrome design, those in pink gold stand out with a two-tone contrast. The snow-set dials, sparkling with 879 brilliant-cut diamonds (~1.32 carats) for the 34 mm version and 699 for the 37 mm (~1.4 carats), are completed by 13 baguette-cut diamond indexes. The 18-carat white or pink gold hands are decorated with a luminescent coating for optimal readability in the dark. Finally, the long “Audemars Piguet” signature is printed in black on a satin gold cartridge, matching the color of the case and bracelet.
Elegant automatic movements
These new products are powered by two of the Manufacture’s most recent automatic hour, minute and second mechanisms.
Both 34mm versions are equipped with Caliber 5809, which has a frequency of 4 Hz and 50 hours of battery life. For the first time in this diameter, the date indication has been removed to allow the setting to be fully expressed on the dial.
The 37 mm models beat to the rhythm of Caliber 5909, which also has no date indication. This automatic movement has a frequency of 4 Hz and a power reserve of 60 hours making it ideal for contemporary use.
These two movements are adorned with the emblematic decorations of Haute Horlogerie, notably the Côtes de Genève, the drawn lines, the satin-finishing, the snailing and the polishing, which can be admired through the sapphire caseback, as well as the gold oscillating weight. 22 carat pink.
A tradition of high jewelry watches
These four new Royal Oak Automatic models continue Audemars Piguet’s long tradition in High Jewelry watches. Since 1883, women’s watches created by Audemars Piguet have combined technical mastery and atypical designs. The Manufacture has thus collaborated with many of the most prestigious jewelry brands including Tiffany, Cartier, Oscar Heyman and Bvlgari in order to embed its movements at the heart of unique High Jewelry creations. Often, Audemars Piguet sold the movement and dial to the jeweler who then took care of the exterior design of the watch and signed it before selling it within its network.
In the 1970s, Audemars Piguet began designing High Jewelry watches in-house. If the boxes are still made with external partners, the movement is fitted to the Manufacture’s workbenches and the final product is signed and sold through its own network. In the 1980s, the fashion for watches with integrated bracelets led Audemars Piguet to open its own jewelry workshop where a handful of experts still work. Although the brand continued to collaborate with external jewelers, jewelry watches were increasingly designed in-house, prompting Audemars Piguet to create watches and collections with distinctive aesthetics over the following decades.
It is in this context that the first set Royal Oak models were created in 1982. Thus, Model 4331, designed in yellow and white gold, is the first in the collection to be listed as High Jewelry in the archives of the business. Both 35mm variations feature a grain-set bezel, case and bracelet with 584 brilliant-cut diamonds. The first fully set Royal Oak was released in 1987. This Model 14575 also measures 35 mm and constitutes a jewelry interpretation of the Royal Oak. Four examples were produced between 1987 and 1990, three in yellow gold and one in white gold, each composed of 580 brilliant- and baguette-cut diamonds set to the gold components using grain setting and closed setting techniques.
Since then, Audemars Piguet has produced numerous High Jewelry interpretations of the Royal Oak in a wide variety of diameters, often favoring regular and symmetrical settings in order to emphasize the architecture of the model. Few examples of random settings have been recorded in the archives. One notable exception is the Royal Oak Quartz 33mm (ref. 67654) reinterpreted in 2017 with an asymmetrical pattern composed of brilliant-cut diamonds of different sizes illustrating a wave progressing from a bountiful river on the left towards a starry sky on the right.
This year, Audemars Piguet continues its exploration of High Jewelry techniques by launching its first snow-set Royal Oak models. This very technical setting, previously reserved within the Manufacture for High Jewelry creations such as the Diamond Punk (2015) and the Diamond Outrage (2017), opens new horizons for the Royal Oak.
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