In January 2024, Swiss high-end watchmaking brand Audemars Piguet and high-end fashion designer Tamara Ralph jointly launched a new limited edition Royal Oak Concept series floating tourbillon watch. This limited-edition new product with a diameter of 38.5 mm is inspired by the designer’s aesthetic style that combines female confidence, creativity and timeless elegance.
The watch is made of 18K rose gold and has been treated with exquisite frost gold technology, showing a subtle gradient effect from brown, red copper to gold. On January 22, 2024, this eye-catching collaborative watch was officially unveiled at the fashion show during the 2024 Spring and Summer Paris Haute Couture Fashion Week organized by Tamara Ralph’s personal namesake brand, vividly interpreting high-end watchmaking and haute couture. The exquisite fusion between them further extends Audemars Piguet’s deep connection with the creative world.
A clever intersection of creativity
Audemars Piguet firmly believes in the power of creativity to help nurture culture, connect hearts and expand horizons, so it has always looked for inspiration in the wide world. Over the years, Audemars Piguet has been actively participating in cross-border exchanges in various creative fields. Especially in the field of haute couture, the unremitting pursuit of excellent craftsmanship, exquisite skills and outstanding quality makes it coincide with Audemars Piguet.
The cooperation between Audemars Piguet and Tamara Ralph began in 2020. At that time, Audemars Piguet launched a number of matching new watches for the designer’s 2021 spring and summer ready-to-wear series. This year, the two parties once again joined hands to draw inspiration from Tamara Ralph’s haute couture works and jointly launched the new Royal Oak Concept floating tourbillon limited edition watch. This new watch will make a striking debut at the designer’s personal brand’s Paris fashion show on January 22, 2024. This cross-border cooperation will highlight the forward-looking excellence of the two brands and demonstrate the outstanding integration of traditional craftsmanship and modern cutting-edge technology, resulting in a design that is not only a masterpiece of art, but also a carrier of rich emotions.
“My original intention in designing this watch was to express the core characteristics and exquisite craftsmanship of the Tamara Ralph brand and Audemars Piguet. The art of fine watchmaking is a complex blend of materials, colors and design, which provides the opportunity to introduce the exquisite craftsmanship of luxury fashion. This is an excellent opportunity. The ingenious fusion of rich materials, unique colors and precise craftsmanship has created the exquisite and extraordinary new Royal Oak Concept series floating tourbillon limited edition watch.”Tamara Ralph says.
Ilaria Resta(Global CEO of Audemars Piguet) says:”Tamara’s persistent pursuit of excellence resonates harmoniously with the philosophy of Audemars Piguet’s master watchmakers who constantly push the boundaries of craftsmanship. I am very happy to start a cross-border cooperation with such an inspiring and inspiring woman to start a new chapter in 2024, and more exciting things will be unveiled soon!”
Exquisite texture, touch and light and shadow performance
The Royal Oak Concept series floating tourbillon “Tamara Ralph” limited edition watch shows the ultimate in watchmaking craftsmanship and exquisite decorative techniques. The watch uses an 18K rose gold case, which is reinterpreted by Italian jewelry designer Carolina Bucci through a clever combination of ancient Florentine jewelry craftsmanship and modern techniques. This process was introduced by Audemars Piguet master craftsmen in 2016 to decorate the brand’s timepieces.
Craftsmen use diamond-tipped tools to gently tap the gold surface, creating subtle and delicate indentations that create a shimmering effect like diamond stardust. The polished chamfering on the outer edge of the octagonal bezel further accentuates this visual aesthetic, creating a subtle contrast with the satin-finished finish on the case sides. The clever alternating application of different finishing techniques requires craftsmen to be extremely careful to ensure that the various surfaces through frost gold finishing, brushing and polishing are naturally connected, so as to give the case a rich texture and ever-changing light and shadow charm. This makes the appearance of the watch more unique and refined, showing excellent craftsmanship.
The back of the watch uses an anti-glare sapphire crystal bottom cover, which is firmly fixed by an 18K rose gold octagonal frame. The surface is cleverly alternated between fine satin grinding and polished chamfering, and the words “Royal Oak Concept Limited Edition” are engraved on it, adding a unique identity to the watch.
The hexagonal crown cleverly echoes the stainless steel screws on the bezel, and is also decorated with a clever alternation of satin polishing and polishing, presenting a striking light and shadow effect. The translucent cabochon-cut sapphire crystal adds a lot of color to the overall design, injecting a touch of elegant feminine charm into the case. This design detail allows the watch to show a high degree of craftsmanship through meticulous processing, providing the wearer with endless visual enjoyment.
Coordinated color palette and layered structure
Inspired by the bold femininity and rich textural details of Tamara Ralph haute couture, the dial of this watch presents a multi-layered delicate structure. It is composed of four intertwined rose gold discs, which seem to radiate waves from the floating tourbillon frame at 6 o’clock. The color of each layer is unique, from brown in the center to copper in the middle, and golden in the outermost layer. The brown and gold colors are dyed through an electroplating process, while the red copper layer is coated with a red copper lacquer. The dial is satin-finished and decorated with continuous radial patterns that radiate outward from the center of the hands, and the connection between the layers is natural and smooth. Careful attention to detail is reflected in the fact that each layer of the disc is outlined with fine diamond-polished gold lines, further adding to the layered beauty of the dial.
The floating tourbillon at 6 o’clock continues the multi-layered circular design of the dial, perfectly integrating superb craftsmanship and complex aesthetics. The upper frame of the tourbillon contains three rings, with an eccentric disc as the center, set with 19 brilliant-cut diamonds (approximately 0.04 carats), which complement the rose gold tone and 18K rose gold hour and minute hands. The hands are covered with a fluorescent coating to ensure they are still visible in the dark. The rose gold three-dimensional “AP” letter logo at 12 o’clock embellishes the overall design with a unique charm. There are no time scales on the dial, making the overall design more pure and harmonious.
The watch is equipped with a red copper-colored hand-stitched square large-lattice crocodile leather strap, and a brown crocodile leather strap is also included, which complements the tone in the center of the dial and shows exquisite beauty. Both straps feature a pearlescent finish, exuding an elegant and glamorous vibe. Whether admired from a distance or savored carefully, this watch is eye-catching with its bright colors and exquisite details, demonstrating an extraordinary charm comparable to haute couture.
A look into the inner mysteries of fine watchmaking
The newly launched limited edition watch is equipped with Caliber 2964 manual winding movement, which exquisitely combines traditional craftsmanship with modern design. The floating tourbillon is uniquely displayed at 6 o’clock to demonstrate its elegant mechanical dance. This highly sophisticated and complex function effectively offsets the impact of gravity on the watch’s travel time accuracy. The balance wheel and escapement are installed in an ingenious frame that continuously rotates. It completes one rotation every minute, causing the direction of its center of gravity to constantly change. Unlike traditional tourbillons, the floating tourbillon frame is only supported by the lower components, allowing the internal “core” structure on the dial side to be clearly displayed. Today, only a handful of master watchmakers are able to master the craftsmanship of this complex mechanical device, so the floating tourbillon is also regarded as the pinnacle symbol of watchmaking art.
The back bridge of the movement is inspired by the multi-layered circular aesthetic of the dial. Through the sapphire crystal bottom cover, it shows the exquisite decoration of five concentric circles, spreading outward from the back of the floating tourbillon cage in increasing sizes. The clever use of sandblasting and satin polishing gives the bridge surface a more detailed texture and layered beauty, which complements the delicate frosted gold finish of the case. Through the sapphire crystal bottom cover, you can also admire the only bridge plate dedicated to fixing the floating tourbillon frame. The opening above it reveals part of the mechanical structure of the transmission gear train. In this watch, design aesthetics and complex movement structure are once again cleverly integrated, showing harmonious beauty from the inside to the outside. It is in the same line as haute couture fashion, integrating practical functions and fashionable beauty.
“This watch uniquely interprets the extraordinary charm of the floating tourbillon watch from a female aesthetic perspective. It cleverly integrates light texture, precise performance, elegance and exquisite craftsmanship, highlighting Audemars Piguet’s unremitting pursuit of excellence. .”
Anne-Gaëlle Quinet Head of Complications Department, Audemars Piguet
A long tradition
In 2002, in order to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the Royal Oak series, the first Royal Oak Concept watch was eye-catchingly unveiled. This limited-edition watch, of which only 150 are produced, is inspired by the “concept car” and is made of titanium combined with Alacrite 602, an ultra-light and extremely strong cobalt alloy used in the aerospace industry. The bezel retains the iconic octagonal shape of the Royal Oak series, while the large 44mm round case and ergonomic curve design take on a new vitality. The dial boldly displays the structure of the avant-garde manual winding movement, which is equipped with many innovative functions and complements the futuristic aesthetics of the case.
Although the original idea was to create a limited edition to commemorate an anniversary, the Royal Oak Concept watch was born after the launch of the innovative Royal Oak Carbon Concept in 2008. A brand new series. Since then, the Royal Oak Concept series has continuously introduced cutting-edge materials, avant-garde designs and innovative complex functions, uniquely shaping the aesthetic trend of the high-end watchmaking industry in the 21st century.
In 2018, the Royal Oak Concept series launched its first women’s watch, and it was also Audemars Piguet’s first floating tourbillon watch. Two 18K white gold watches with a diameter of 38.5 mm are set with brilliant or baguette-cut diamonds, showing the unique subversive aesthetic style of this series. A series of new watches launched in 2021 inject new gorgeous elements into the design with dazzling diamonds and colored gemstones.
In 2020, the Royal Oak Concept series launched a floating tourbillon women’s watch, which was decorated with frost gold technology for the first time. This watch is made of 18K white gold or rose gold, with a multi-layered gradient blue dial. Continuing this design, the new Royal Oak Concept series floating tourbillon “Tamara Ralph” limited edition watch combines the bold and avant-garde style of the series with the exquisite luxury and elegant dreamy creativity derived from Tamara Ralph’s haute couture works fusion.
