zelin0802 / June 14, 2024

Following the launch of the Royal Oak Automatic Rainbow Set in 2022, Swiss haute horlogerie manufacturer Audemars Piguet continues to explore highly creative sets. This year, Audemars Piguet unveils two fully pavé 41mm Royal Oak Automatic watches with a camouflage pattern that extends from the dial to the case and bracelet. The pattern is composed of 861 baguette-cut gemstones in gradients of blue or green, brown and black – an industry first. Each gemstone is carefully selected and custom-cut to achieve seamless harmony between the components and produce an original blend of colors. These timepieces bring haute horlogerie and high jewellery into a creative dialogue, opening up new aesthetic possibilities for the brand.

Unprecedented Camouflage Design

Since its inception, the Audemars Piguet fake Manufacture has continuously pushed the boundaries of craftsmanship, pioneering avant-garde aesthetics with a variety of shapes, colors, finishing techniques and gem-setting techniques. This year, Audemars Piguet explores the creative possibilities of the camouflage pattern, which first appeared on the rubber strap of the Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Offshore in 2018. Audemars Piguet’s R&D department introduced a new colored material with a similar pattern earlier this year¹, and the Manufacture has once again reinterpreted this iconic design through gem-setting.

The camouflage of the two new 41mm Royal Oak Automatic watches is composed of 861 baguette-cut colored gemstones that completely cover the case, bracelet and dial. The first watch features graded blue sapphires and Swiss blue topaz (approx. 44.32 carats), while the second combines black sapphires, light and dark tsavorites and smoky quartz (approx. 39.91 carats) to create a harmonious palette of green, brown and black tones.

Finding the right gemstones, colors and contrasts while meeting Audemars Piguet’s strict standards for color, clarity and quality were key steps in the design of these two watches. Each gemstone undergoes a rigorous quality control process. After a rigorous selection by suppliers, Audemars Piguet also conducts additional checks to ensure overall harmony. Finally, the purity and gemological properties of the gemstones are verified by external laboratories.

To create a harmonious camouflage effect and to have it repeated throughout the watch, we carefully selected a variety of gemstones, including some rarely used in watchmaking. Tsavorites, smoky quartz and black sapphires are used for the green copy watch, while Swiss blue topaz is combined with blue sapphires for the blue watch, which allows us to enrich the colors and achieve more subtle gradients. Finally, invisible setting enhances the tone of each stone, giving volume and depth to both watches. ” Samira Ribeaucourt Audemars Piguet gemologist.

The art of invisible setting

To complement the construction of the Royal Oak case, bracelet and dial, the coloured gemstones were individually cut into 179 different baguette sizes and then hand-polished to present sharp, clear angles. The quality of the cut was just as important as the intrinsic quality and clarity of the gemstones. Not only did they have to be loupe-clean (i.e. no inclusions visible when examining the gemstones with a 10x loupe). Their lines and stepped facets also had to be perfectly symmetrical and aligned to allow light to pass through.

The Manufacture has chosen a complex invisible setting technique for the dial, bracelet links and some of the case parts.² Tiny grooves are meticulously carved into the baguette stones, which are then carefully snapped one by one into hidden tracks set into the gold components, using as little material as possible and giving the impression that the stones have secured themselves. The complexity also lies in achieving seamless alignment – ​​a painstaking task that requires extreme precision.

The dial alone features 152 gemstones, cut into 28 The quartz crystals are set in a variety of sizes – a technical feat given how thin the gold discs on which they are set are. To highlight the position of the stones, the hour markers are omitted, while the “Audemars Piguet” signature and “Swiss Made” logo are discreetly printed in white on the underside of the sapphire crystal.

Invisible setting affects the entire production process of the dial and bracelet links, from construction, precision manufacturing to finishing. The technical and gem-setting teams work together at all stages of production to push creativity while preserving the aesthetic codes of the collection and ensuring water resistance, reliability, robustness and repairability. ³ copy luxury watches

² Note, however, that closed setting techniques are used on the bezel, lugs and crown of different timepieces. ³
A watch’s gem-setting affects its geometry and durability, as well as its entire manufacturing process.

Latest-generation automatic movement

Both watches are equipped with the 4309 calibre, the latest automatic movement of this diameter developed by the watchmaker. The date display is omitted to highlight the gemstone setting on the dial.

The movement is equipped with a patented mechanism that ensures stability and precision in the adjustment of the watch. In addition, the 32 mm diameter ensures optimal timekeeping accuracy, while the minimum 70-hour power reserve is perfectly suited to contemporary lifestyles.

Through the watch’s sapphire caseback, one can admire the movement’s rhodium-colored 22-carat rose gold oscillating weight and its signature haute horlogerie decorations, such as Geneva waves, satin-brushed, circular-grained and polished chamfers.

Technical specifications

Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Automatic 41 mm

Reference: 15514BC.YY.1284BC.02

Case

Material: 18K white gold case and bezel, set with 132 baguette-cut gemstones (black sapphires, light and dark tsavorites and smoky quartz) (approx. 10.48 carats)
Diameter: 41 mm
Thickness: 11.6 mm
Anti-glare sapphire crystal and case back
Water-resistant to 20 m
Dial and hands

Dial set with 152 baguette-cut gemstones (black sapphires, light and intense tsavorites and smoky quartz) (approx. 9.83 ct)
White gold Royal Oak hands with luminous material
Movement

Automatic winding movement 4309
Diameter: 32 mm (14 lignes)
Thickness: 4.9 mm
Number of parts: 225
Number of jewels: 32
Minimum power reserve guaranteed 70 hours
Frequency: 4 Hz (28,800 vph)
Functions/indications

Hours, minutes and center seconds.
Strap and clasp

18K white gold bracelet set with 577 baguette-cut gemstones (black sapphires, light and dark tsavorites and smoky quartz) (approx. 19.6 ct)
AP folding clasp

Technical specifications

Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Automatic 41 mm

Reference: 15514BC.YY.1284BC.04

Case

Material: 18K white gold case and bezel set with 132 baguette-cut gemstones (graded blue sapphires and Swiss blue topaz) (approx. 11.17 ct)
Diameter: 41 mm
Thickness: 11.6 mm
Anti-glare sapphire crystal and caseback
Water-resistant to 20 meters
Dial and hands

Dial set with 152 baguette-cut gemstones (graded blue sapphires and Swiss blue topaz) (approx. 11.43 ct)
White gold Royal Oak hands with luminous material
Movement

Automatic movement 4309
Diameter: 32 mm (14 lignes)
Thickness: 4.9 mm
Number of parts: 225
Number of jewels: 32
Minimum power reserve guaranteed 70 hours
Frequency: 4 Hz (28,800 vph)
Functions/Indications

Hours, minutes and central seconds.
Strap and clasp

18K white gold bracelet set with 577 baguette-cut gemstones (graded sapphires and Swiss blue topaz) (approx. 21.72 ct)
AP folding clasp