The New Audemars Piguet Royal Oak 37mm Yellow Gold & Natural Turquoise Dial

Audemars Piguet was famous for its use of stones in the 1960s and the 1990s, with dials made from lapis lazuli, aventurine, garnet, mother-of-pearl, opal, ruby, amethyst and other stones. Turquoise is one of the oldest known stones, as Egyptian and Chinese civilizations used it over 3000 years ago. It here finds its place in the collection for its unique colour and spiritual qualities. The new Royal Oak Selfwinding 37mm 15550BA in 18k yellow gold with a dial cut from a turquoise stone is the first to offer this combination of materials and is another addition to the very few “no-tapisserie” Royal Oak watches.

The versatile, mid-size 37mm versions of the Royal Oak collection were added to the series only in 2012 but were updated last year, in line with the design evolution of the brand from Le Brassus – released to mark the 50th anniversary of its omni-important model, created by Gerald Genta in 1972. The new generation of 37mm Royal Oaks got a slimmer case, down from 9.8mm to 9mm. There were changes made to the bracelet to improve it ergonomically, and the polished chamfers on the bezel and the bracelet became more apparent, but nothing to compromise the classic appearance of the icon.

The carefully selected stone is cut, ground, sandblasted and polished, and the dial disc, only 0.75mm thick, is fitted into a casing. The minute track is printed, the gold hour markers with luminescent coating are applied, and the polished yellow gold text logo is fixed to the dial with tiny feet. The date window is at 3 o’clock, the date disc is blue to match the colour of the dial, and the date numerals are black. The hour, the minutes and the central seconds’ hands are yellow gold. The hour and minute hands are shaped to mirror the indices and are luminescent, too. The case, the bezel and the integrated bracelet with the folding clasp of this new Royal Oak Selfwinding 37mm reference in 18k yellow gold are exemplary in terms of hand-finishing with alternating polished and satin-brushed surfaces and compliment the expressive blue dial. A striking reference, no doubt.

The Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Selfwinding 37mm in Yellow Gold with a Natural Turquoise Dial (reference 15550BA.OO. 1356BA.01) is powered by the automatic Calibre 5900, with a guaranteed power reserve of 60 hours. This Vaucher-sourced movement, featuring the gold rotor and decorated components, can be seen through a sapphire caseback. The caseback is more integrated into the case middle, an improvement since last year. It will be priced at EUR 62,000 (incl. EU taxes). For more, please visit www.audemarspiguet.com.