The titanium tourbillon cage is still to this day one of the smallest in the world at 7.2 mm in diameter, as well as one of the lightest at just 0.123 grams.
This model is known to watch enthusiasts as the Tourbillon Automatic Râ, because Jacqueline Dimier’s design gave the small regulator (one of the smallest regulators ever) the appearance of a sun shining over the dial.
This intricate wristwatch will be produced for a few years in 401 copies until 1992. It has opened a new path for luxury watches that revive prestigious mechanisms, including those of tourbillon watches.
Thirty years after the model of Jacqueline Demiere, AP, known for its ability to innovate, is launching a series of research and development models. In 2015, Audemars Piguet unveiled its first prototype RD #1 Royal Oak Concept Répétition Minutes Supersonnerie.
The product of eight years of research in partnership with EPFL (Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne) and with an expert panel of watchmakers, engineers, musicians and audio specialists, this watch incorporates Supersonnerie technology.
The subject of three patents, this system, which combines an impressive mechanism with an innovative box structure, represents a significant advance in terms of acoustic performance, spread volume and sound aesthetics.
Introduced at SIHH in the same year, RD #1 will enable the release of the marketable version of the Royal Oak Concept Répétition Minutes Supersonnerie, winner of the 2016 Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève in the “mechanical exception” category.
In 2019, AP launched the Royal Oak Calendar Perpetual Ultra-Thin Automatic 41 mm, the prototype of which was presented a year earlier at SIHH under the designation RD #2.
This calendar watch, with a case thickness of 6.3 mm, has a movement that is only 2.89 mm thick, making it at the time the thinnest automatic calendar wristwatch in the world.
To achieve this feat, calendar functions generally fitted on three levels were grouped together on the same plane. The factory experts also developed two patented innovations related to integrating the month-end camera into the date wheel and attaching the month-to-month wheel.
At a turning point in the history of complex watches, the Royal Oak Calendar Perpetual Ultra-Plat Automatic watch will receive the Audemars Piguet Grand Prix de l’Aiguille d’Or at the Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève in November 2019.
This year, the Le Brassus factory unveils a new technology breakthrough with the Royal Oak Extra-Plat Automatic Flying Tourbillon.
Evan McKenzie is a contributor at Vaughantoday.ca, covering a wide range of topics including local news, politics, business, technology, sports, entertainment, and lifestyle. He focuses on clear, balanced reporting that helps readers stay informed about current events and issues that matter to their communities. His work aims to provide useful information, timely updates, and relevant stories presented in an accessible and reader-friendly way.