When the acronym “RD#” appears in the name of an Audemars Piguet watch replicas uk, immediately followed by a number, you can be sure that it is something very special and complicated. An acronym for Research and Development, for example last year’s Code 11.59 RD#4 is the most complicated Audemars Piguet watch ever built to date.
The news came a few days ago that Audemars Piguet presented a new precious edition of its iconic Royal Oak luxury watch. This is the Flying Tourbillon Automatic Extra-Flat RD#3 in a 37mm case crafted from 18K white gold.
This complicated timepiece contains a self-winding mechanical movement with flying tourbillon, one of the most refined and spectacular complications of Haute Horlogerie created in 1930 by the German Alfred Helwig, master watchmaker from Glashütte, the town at the heart of Saxon watchmaking.
The aesthetics of this new model are inspired by the 39 and 37 mm Royal Oak RD#3 in steel launched in 2022 to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the collection. However, this new version in white gold with a bezel set with baguette-cut diamonds stands out for its essence of unparalleled luxury. The diamond indices also stand out on the smoky blue dial with the “Petite Tapisserie” motif.
Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Flying Tourbillon Automatic Extra-Thin 37 mm RD#3
This new timepiece from the Royal Oak collection reflects all the essence of Swiss Haute Horlogerie. Let’s find out in detail.
Aesthetics and Design
The 37mm case and integrated 18k white gold bracelet have been handcrafted with the usual alternation of satin and polished surfaces, typical of Audemars Piguet masterpieces. This workmanship is echoed by the bezel set with 32 baguette-cut diamonds totaling 2 carats.
The smoky blue dial with “Petite Tapisserie” motif expresses a distinctive touch of elegance, while the diamond indexes and white gold “bagnoire” hands covered with a luminescent treatment recall the brand’s heritage.
It is right to include in the aesthetics also the flying tourbillon visible at 6 o’clock, the maximum expression of traditional fine watchmaking, all contained in an extra-thin case just 8.1 mm thick.
Movement
The beating soul of this masterpiece is the self-winding Caliber 2968, equipped with a flying tourbillon, and just 3.4mm thick. As is known, invented by Abraham-Louis Breguet and patented in 1801, the tourbillon was created to counteract the effects of gravity on the precision of the mechanical movement in pocket watches, by rotating the balance wheel and escapement in a tiny cage that completes one revolution. per minute.
Here with the presence of the Helwig flying variant, the tourbillon is supported only by an arm which anchors it to the movement plate from below, ensuring that the rotations of the regulating organ on the dial are free from any visual obstacle.
This caliber is also equipped with a new peripheral escapement which, according to the Maison, would improve energy distribution. fundamental characteristic for a tourbillon. From the sapphire caseback, the skeletonized rhodium bridges reveal the symmetrical architecture of the movement, embellished with artisanal finishes such as the bevels and the contemporary trait tyrés on the mainplate.
Price
The price of the Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Flying Tourbillon Automatic Extra-Flat 37 mm RD#3, which we are unlikely to ever see in Italy, is CHF240,000 excluding VAT.
Conclusion
In reality, being a 37mm version of the Flying Tourbillon RD#3 which appeared in 2022 for the fiftieth anniversary of the Royal Oak, it is not an absolute novelty and in fact although the mechanical solutions are always cutting-edge, AP has left the acronym RD# unchanged 3.
The faceted architecture of the 18k white gold case and bracelet, embellished with the bezel set with 32 baguette-cut diamonds, makes it a sheik’s watch; personally I prefer the more sober previous Jumbo version.
The smoky blue dial with the “Petite Tapisserie” motif says a lot about the class of this variant, a masterpiece of watchmaking design and engineering, among other things intended for thin (or why not feminine) wrists which expands the manufacture’s range of complicated watches of Le Locle.
If you would like to find out more details about this extraordinary mechanical wristwatch, I invite you to visit the official AP website and leave a comment below.