The sky is the limit for the finest craftsmanship and high innovation.
Audemars Piguet unveiled its novelties for 2025 in April to celebrate its 150th Anniversary, showcasing mouth-watering timepieces that seem to have outdone themselves once again in terms of craftsmanship, engineering, and innovative prowess. One that catches the eye is the Royal Oak Double Balance Wheel Openworked, available in a 41mm size. Royal Oak was first launched in 1972 by the maestro Gerald Genta during the Japanese quartz crisis. Instead of precious metals, which were the only material the family-owned independent watchmaker ever used, stainless steel was used for the first time to lure younger customers to their first-ever sports watch.
The outstanding feature in 1972 was the blue ‘tapisserie” dial which stared out from the octagonal bezel. It wasn’t just any blue, Audemars Piguet call it the “Bleu Nuit Nuage 50”. It is not just any blue, it is the blue inspired by the dark blue sky at night seen over Le Brassus in Valleè de Joux, Switzerland. That specific rich dark midnight blue has come to inspire the current timepiece and pay its tribute to the locality where the company was founded in 1875.
The entire case and bracelet of the Royal Oak Double Balance Wheel Openworked 41mm are crafted from ceramic in “Bleu Nuit Nuage 50”. Achieving that shade was no easy task; a precise amount of mineral compound is used to create it. The dark “bleu nuit” ceramic octagonal bezel sits on the case, secured by eight octagonal screws. It frames the main feature, the beautifully rhodium-coated openworked dial executed with exceptional craftsmanship. The skeleton bridges are hand-polished with vertical strokes and finished with mirror polish on the bevelled edges, as they curve around, exposing and supporting the intricate workings of the gears and components below. It is accented by a pink gold skeletal bridge, from which the balance spring and wheels are suspended. The indexes, in pink gold filled with luminescent material, sit on the ‘bleu nuit’ inner bezel, and the hour and minute hands are also in pink gold filled with luminescent. The combination of pink gold and rhodium coating creates a striking, contrasting visual.
The jewel in the timepiece that sits below the intricate skeleton dial is the automatic Calibre 3132. What makes this movement special is the double balance wheel, it was a tour de force when it was first launched in 2016, and it still is. This patented mechanism consists of two hairsprings on the same axis, which oscillate in perfect synchrony to ensure precision and also help in stability. It comes with a 45-hour power reserve. The magnificent engine and all features above deck are secured by a titanium-framed caseback with a sapphire crystal that showcases the calibre. They are then housed in a 41mm “Bleu Nuit Nuage 50” ceramic case and a matching ceramic bracelet. This is one timepiece you must add to your collection as it represents everything great and good about Audemars Piguet’s Royal Oak, and a very sweet size, indeed.
