Swiss haute horlogerie manufacturer Audemars Piguet is pleased to present its first Royal Oak models adorned with snow-capped diamonds
Designed for smaller wrists, these high-jewelry watches are available in two diameters of 34 and 37 mm and in a choice of 18-karat white or rose gold set with a variety of brilliant-cut diamonds of varying sizes. The snow, both rare and technical, gives these pieces a luminous effect that highlights the Royal Oak’s multifaceted architecture while evoking a winter landscape.
A breathtaking snow backdrop
The new 34 and 37 mm Royal Oak Automatic references combine haute horlogerie and haute jewelry by presenting an aesthetic entirely set with brilliant-cut diamonds from 0.5 to 2.2 mm in diameter in a snow setting – a first in of the collection. The 34mm model is the first fully gemstone-set watch available in this diameter. While the two 34 mm references sparkle with a total of 2,255 brilliant-cut diamonds (~6.6 carats), the 37 mm versions are decorated with 2,123 brilliant-cut stones (~7.2 carats), each meeting the highest standards of the Manufacture corresponds to clarity, size and color.
The technique of making snow shows the full talent of the craftsmen. Diamonds of different sizes are individually selected and carefully placed on the dial, bezel, case, and each link and stud of the bracelet to create an irregular but harmonious design. The claws that hold the stones in place are also custom-made by the setters. The brilliant-cut diamonds are then carefully arranged so that the gold components they hold are almost invisible to the naked eye. The result is a mosaic of diamonds that resembles snowflakes dancing in the light.
Since a watch’s frame influences its geometry and resistance, the design and production teams worked in symbiosis with the frames throughout the manufacturing process to ensure the water resistance, reliability, robustness and repairability of each watch, while preserving the Royal’s distinctive aesthetic codes Oak.
Royal Oak Automatic © Audemars Piguet
A delicate design
The sparkle of the snow-capped diamonds is further enhanced by the precious metals that adorn the timepieces. Crafted in a choice of 18K white or rose gold, the four Royal Oak Automatic models feature a brilliant aesthetic enhanced by the finishes that add sparkle and play to the bevels of the case, bezel and bracelet links produce infinite light.
While the two 18-carat white gold references have a monochrome design, the rose gold models are characterized by a two-tone contrast. The snowy dials sparkle with 879 brilliant-cut diamonds (~1.32 carats) on the 34mm version and 699 on the 37mm version (~1.4 carats) and are complemented by 13 baguette-cut diamond indices. The 18-carat white or rose gold hands have a luminous coating for optimal readability in the dark. Finally, the long “Audemars Piguet” lettering is printed in black on a satin gold cartouche, matching the color of the case and bracelet.
Elegant automatic movements
These new products are powered by two of the manufacture’s latest automatic hour, minute and second mechanisms.
Both 34mm versions are equipped with the Caliber 5809, which has a frequency of 4 Hz and a battery life of 50 hours. For the first time in this diameter, the date display has been removed to allow the setting to be fully displayed on the dial.
The 37 mm models beat to the beat of the caliber 5909, which also does not have a date display. This automatic movement has a frequency of 4 Hz and a power reserve of 60 hours, making it ideal for modern use.
These two movements are decorated with the emblematic decorations of Haute Horlogerie, in particular the Côtes de Genève, the drawn lines, the satin finish, the snail cut and the polish, which can be admired through the sapphire crystal caseback, as well as the gold oscillating weight. 22 carat pink.
A tradition of high-quality jewelry watches
These four new Royal Oak Automatic models continue Audemars Piguet’s long tradition of haute jewelry watches. Since 1883, Audemars Piguet women’s watches have combined technical mastery and atypical designs. The manufacture has therefore collaborated with many of the most prestigious jewelry brands, including Tiffany, Cartier, Oscar Heyman and Bvlgari, to integrate their movements at the heart of unique high jewelry creations. Often, Audemars Piguet would sell the movement and dial to the jeweler, who would then take care of the watch’s exterior design and sign it before selling it within its network.
In the 1970s, Audemars Piguet began designing high-quality jewelry watches. If the boxes are manufactured by external partners, the movement is assembled on the factory’s workbenches and the final product is signed and sold via the company’s own network. The trend towards watches with integrated bracelets led Audemars Piguet to open its own jewelry workshop in the 1980s, where a handful of experts still work. Although the brand continued to work with external jewelers, jewelry watches were increasingly designed in-house, leading Audemars Piguet to create watches and collections with distinctive aesthetics in the following decades.
In this context, the first Royal Oak models were created in 1982. Model 4331, designed in yellow and white gold, is the first in the collection to be listed as high jewelry in the company’s archives. Both 35mm variants feature a grain-set bezel, case and bracelet set with 584 brilliant-cut diamonds. The first fully framed Royal Oak was released in 1987. This model 14575 also measures 35 mm and represents a jewelry interpretation of the Royal Oak. Four examples were made between 1987 and 1990, three in yellow gold and one in white gold, each consisting of 580 brilliant and baguette-cut diamonds set using grain setting and closed setting techniques in which gold components were framed.
Since then, Audemars Piguet has produced numerous high jewelry interpretations of the Royal Oak in a variety of diameters, often favoring regular and symmetrical settings to highlight the model’s architecture. Only a few examples of random settings are recorded in the archives. A notable exception is the Royal Oak Quartz 33mm (Ref. 67654), reinterpreted in 2017 with an asymmetrical pattern of brilliant-cut diamonds of varying sizes, depicting a wave rising from a lush river on the left to a starry sky moved to the right side.
This year, Audemars Piguet continues its exploration of haute jewelry techniques with the launch of its first “Snow Set” Royal Oak models. This very technical version, previously reserved for the manufacture of haute jewelry creations such as Diamond Punk (2015) and Diamond Outrage (2017), opens new horizons for the Royal Oak.