News: AP Launches New Gem-Set ‘Rainbow’ Royal Oaks
The Royal Oak’s 50th anniversary celebrations show no sign of dwindling over at Audemars Piguet, who continue to launch yet more models to commemorate the half-century of its flagship watch.
Its latest jaw-dropping reveal is one that will be eagerly received by those with a taste for a gem-clad timepiece—and by ‘’gem-clad” we mean covered in them, with minimal metal on show.
Produced in 18k white gold, there are twenty versions of this new Royal Oak in total, coming in two different sizes—37mm and 41mm—and ten different coloured gemstones, ranging from red rubies to pink tourmaline to blue sapphire.
The larger version features 861 baguette-cut stones while the smaller watch boasts 790, all set by Switzerland’s top gem-setter, Salanitro, a long-time AP collaborator. Sourcing the gems and selecting them for precise colour-matching took a year, and only ten of Salanitro’s 80 artisans were selected and specially trained for this meticulous and painstaking task.
Both sizes are powered by self-winding movements, with a calibre 4309 in the 41mm version and a 5909 in the 37mm. They are visible through the exhibition caseback, revealing AP’s 22k rhodium-toned pink-gold rotor bearing a stylised ’50 Years’ text and the brand logo.
Naturally, the price for these watches is ‘on request’, so you might want to give this one a miss if your salary isn’t at least seven figures.
With two months of the year still remaining, we’re far from confident that this is AP’s final release of 2022.
But what else can they possibly pull out of the hat after this and other recent unveilings?
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