Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Selfwinding Offshore Tourbillon Chronograph. Audemars Piguet is presenting the new Royal Oak Selfwinding Offshore Tourbillon Chronograph driven this time by the selfwinding Calibre 2897 which has been especially developed to power it. The Royal Oak Offshore Selfwinding Tourbillon Chronograph (ref. 26550AU.OO.A002CA.01) will be produced in a numbered series of 50 pieces and premiered at the Watches & Wonders fair in Hong Kong (30 September - 2 October 2014).
The Royal Oak Offshore was introduced in 1993 as the sport evolution of the Royal Oak designed by Gerald Genta and unveiled at Basel in 1972 (read here the history of this iconic timepiece).
The idea behind the design of its case was to create a luxury sports watch extremely robust and functional with a soft iron inner cage to make it ultra-resistant to magnetism and a rubber coated crown and pushpieces combined with a visible gasket beneath the screwed-down bezel to make it waterproof.
The automatic winding system is driven by a peripheral oscillating weight made from satin-brushed, 950 platinum and mounted on ball bearings, a design which shifts the mass of the rotor to the outer edge of the movement so improving winding speed and, therefore, efficiency. Its position on the edge of the movement allowed the Audemars Piguet engineers not to increase the overall thickness of the watch and deliver the additional benefit of not hiding the beautiful movement. The system guarantees a power reserve of 65 hours.
The tourbillon mechanism and the use of the column wheel system for the chronograph functions ensure the highest accuracy to this timepiece. The tourbillon contained within the Royal Oak Offshore Selfwinding Tourbillon Chronograph uses a blackened, titanium bridge. It takes a master watch maker almost three days to assemble the tourbillon carriage, which comprises 85 parts yet weighs a mere 0.45 grammes.
The 44 mm case adopts multiple materials: forged carbon for the middle, ceramic for the bezel, titanium and ceramic for the push pieces, titanium for the guards and rubber for the strap.
The Royal Oak Offshore Selfwinding Tourbillon Chronograph (ref. 26550AU.OO.A002CA.01) will be produced in a numbered series of 50 pieces and premiered at the Watches & Wonders fair in Hong Kong (30 September - 2 October 2014).
The idea behind the design of its case was to create a luxury sports watch extremely robust and functional with a soft iron inner cage to make it ultra-resistant to magnetism and a rubber coated crown and pushpieces combined with a visible gasket beneath the screwed-down bezel to make it waterproof.
Over the years we had a great number of model variations and configurations. One of the most surprising interpretations appeared in 2010 in the form of the first Royal Oak Offshore Tourbillon Chronograph featuring a hand-wound movement and a case incorporating forged carbon and ceramic.
Four years later, Audemars Piguet is presenting the new Royal Oak Selfwinding Offshore Tourbillon Chronograph driven by the automatic Calibre 2897 which has been especially developed to power it.
Comprising 335 parts, the Calibre 2897 mechanism beats at 21,600 vibrations per hour and is showcased through the sapphire crystal caseback. Part of it can also be seen through a special aperture at the one o’clock position. The level of decoration is very high with classic finishes such as mirror polishing, hand chamfering, circular graining and hand-drawing.
Comprising 335 parts, the Calibre 2897 mechanism beats at 21,600 vibrations per hour and is showcased through the sapphire crystal caseback. Part of it can also be seen through a special aperture at the one o’clock position. The level of decoration is very high with classic finishes such as mirror polishing, hand chamfering, circular graining and hand-drawing.
The tourbillon mechanism and the use of the column wheel system for the chronograph functions ensure the highest accuracy to this timepiece. The tourbillon contained within the Royal Oak Offshore Selfwinding Tourbillon Chronograph uses a blackened, titanium bridge. It takes a master watch maker almost three days to assemble the tourbillon carriage, which comprises 85 parts yet weighs a mere 0.45 grammes.
The 44 mm case adopts multiple materials: forged carbon for the middle, ceramic for the bezel, titanium and ceramic for the push pieces, titanium for the guards and rubber for the strap.
The black dial is decorated with the traditional 'Mega Tapisserie' motif and features gold applied hour-markers and gold Royal Oak hands with luminescent coating.
Am I the only one to find the chrono counters just too small?
ReplyDeleteI agree. And the tourbillon aperture, despite of its large size, does not display the mechanism so well. The back is the best part for sure.
ReplyDelete