Audemars Piguet presents its first Royal Oak Flying Tourbillon Automatic. Three versions are being produced, 41 millimetres in diameter: one in steel, one in titanium and the last in 18-carat pink gold. The first two feature, respectively, a smoky blue dial with "Tapisserie Evolutive" motif and a slate grey sandblasted dial with a colimaçonnage peripheral finish; both make use of luminescent-coated white gold hour markers and hands. The rose gold version, on the other hand, sports a dial with a smoky grey 'Tapisserie' motif with a sunburst finish, enhanced with rose gold hour markers and hands. Another distinctive feature of the new Royal Oak is the Audemars Piguet signature applied in 24-carat gold, a first for the collection (it was originally developed to decorate the smooth lacquered dials of the Code 11.59 by Audemars Piguet collection). Created with thin layers of gold, it is obtained by galvanic enhancement, a chemical process similar to 3D printing. Each letter is joined to the other by thin links, almost invisible to the naked eye; the signature is then placed on the dial by hand via tiny pins. The watch is powered by the calibre 2950, a state-of-the-art automatic movement made in-house, combining a flying tourbillon and a central rotor, launched in 2019. Visible both from the dial side, at 6 o'clock, and from the case back, the hand-finished flying tourbillon cage showcases some of the timepiece's regulating components that allow it to rotate. The back also allows one to admire the movement's refined decorations, such as côtes de Genève and satin-finished and hand-polished bevels, as well as the skeletonised oscillating weight in rose gold or rhodium-plated rose gold.
