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拍品專文
Audemars Piguet has created some of the finest openworked wristwatches throughout its history, yet the combination of this traditional craft with the unmistakable architecture of the Royal Oak remains particularly striking. Beyond its visual impact, however, the present timepiece showcases one of the manufacture’s most ingenious contemporary technical developments: the Double Balance Wheel mechanism.
In a conventional mechanical watch, a single balance wheel and hairspring regulate the movement. When the watch changes position, gravity can influence the hairspring and consequently affect its precision. Audemars Piguet addressed this challenge with the introduction of the Double Balance Wheel Openworked, employing two balance wheels and two hairsprings assembled on the same axis. By increasing the stability of the regulating organ, this innovative construction improves precision while providing a spectacular focal point within the openworked movement.
The present timepiece is further distinguished by its ‘frosted’ finish, an aesthetic first introduced to the Royal Oak through Audemars Piguet’s collaboration with Florentine jewelry designer Carolina Bucci in 2016. Inspired by an ancient Florentine jewelry technique, the surface is repeatedly struck with a diamond-tipped tool, creating innumerable microscopic indentations that catch and reflect the light. The resulting granular texture gives the metal a remarkable sparkling appearance reminiscent of a surface set with tiny diamonds, while preserving the characteristic geometry of the Royal Oak.
Housed within a contemporary 37 mm. case, the openworked calibre 3132 provides an exceptional view of the mechanism from both sides of the watch. Its intricately skeletonised bridges are given a dark ruthenium treatment, creating a distinctive gunmetal appearance that contrasts dramatically with the balance bridge and further draws attention to the two superimposed balance wheels.
In a conventional mechanical watch, a single balance wheel and hairspring regulate the movement. When the watch changes position, gravity can influence the hairspring and consequently affect its precision. Audemars Piguet addressed this challenge with the introduction of the Double Balance Wheel Openworked, employing two balance wheels and two hairsprings assembled on the same axis. By increasing the stability of the regulating organ, this innovative construction improves precision while providing a spectacular focal point within the openworked movement.
The present timepiece is further distinguished by its ‘frosted’ finish, an aesthetic first introduced to the Royal Oak through Audemars Piguet’s collaboration with Florentine jewelry designer Carolina Bucci in 2016. Inspired by an ancient Florentine jewelry technique, the surface is repeatedly struck with a diamond-tipped tool, creating innumerable microscopic indentations that catch and reflect the light. The resulting granular texture gives the metal a remarkable sparkling appearance reminiscent of a surface set with tiny diamonds, while preserving the characteristic geometry of the Royal Oak.
Housed within a contemporary 37 mm. case, the openworked calibre 3132 provides an exceptional view of the mechanism from both sides of the watch. Its intricately skeletonised bridges are given a dark ruthenium treatment, creating a distinctive gunmetal appearance that contrasts dramatically with the balance bridge and further draws attention to the two superimposed balance wheels.