Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Double Balance Wheel Openworked 37mm

Audemars Piguet has unveiled two new Royal Oak Double Balance Wheel Openworked references for smaller wrists. These 37 mm novelties are crafted in a choice of 18-carat white or pink gold, granting both watches with an elegant tone-on-tone aesthetic, which is contrasted by a coloured inner-bezel in light blue or purple. Combining elegance and refinement, both timepieces showcase the selfwinding Calibre 3132, whose openworked architecture emphasises the dexterity of Audemars Piguet’s artisans.

Eleganetly monochromatic

The case and bracelet of the two new 37 mm Royal Oak Double Balance Wheel Openworked models are crafted in 18-carat white or pink gold. The precious metal is enhanced by the collection’s signature refined decorations, alternating between polished and satin-brushed surfaces that play with the light and underline the geometric architecture of the Royal Oak.

The colour of the gold is echoed in the movement’s rhodium-toned and pink-gold-toned finishes, creating an elegant monochrome aesthetic. In the 18-carat white gold version, the facetted pink gold hands and hour-markers with luminescent material contrast with the rhodium-toned movement, which is highlighted by a light blue inner bezel that frames its many details. The pink gold model features white gold hands and hour-markers, also filled with luminescent material. The pink gold-toned openworked movement is emphasised by a vivid purple inner bezel, adding a touch of colour and modernity to the watch. Both timepieces are completed with the “Audemars Piguet” signature printed on the underside of the sapphire crystal.

The two models come with an additional “large square scale” alligator strap that matches the colour of the inner bezel, adding both contrast and elegance to the design.

A selfwinding patented movement

These new models are powered by the Calibre 3132, a selfwinding movement equipped with a double balance wheel mechanism. This patented innovation, released by Audemars Piguet in 2016, provides the watch with enhanced precision and stability. By incorporating two balance wheels and two hairsprings assembled on the same axis, the system oscillates in perfect synchrony. Visible on both sides of the case, the double balance wheel confers a rare glimpse of the watch’s beating heart.

The openworked bridges on either side of the watch reveal some components of the gear train. Their geometries were cut by computer numerical control (CNC) machining before being refined into the desired shape. Each component was then finished and decorated using age-old techniques. The polished V-angles reflect the meticulous craftsmanship that went into their creation, as this level of precision can only be achieved by hand.

The openworked oscillating weight matches the colour of the case, harmoniously completing the contrasting design of the new references.

The delicate art of openworking

Balancing aesthetics and function, openworking has been an Audemars Piguet specialty since the 1930s. This art consists of removing as much material as possible from the mainplate and bridges to let the light through, revealing the beauty and finesse of the mechanism without compromising functionality. It therefore requires true watchmaking mastery and an in-depth knowledge of materials and finishing techniques.

In the early 1970s, a handful of young Audemars Piguet watchmakers, encouraged by their elders, decided to rediscover the art of openworking, which had fallen into disuse after the 1950s, and set up the brand’s first workshop dedicated to this technique. The visionary Georges Golay, then Director of Audemars Piguet, set the artisans an ambitious challenge: to create 100 openworked examples of the Calibre 2120, a meticulous task requiring 150 hours of work for each movement. The first watch (Model 5442) was delivered in November 1973, followed by thirty more between then and 1976. In 1978, the Manufacture produced 300 openworked timepieces powered by Calibre 2120. By 1984, the workshop employed a dozen craftspeople.

In the early years of the Royal Oak collection, the calibres remained hidden inside the cases. It was the advent of quartz that redefined the watchmaking codes, prompting the industry to showcase the beauty of mechanical movements and the traditional skills required to create them. Openworking first appeared in 1981 in the form of a pendant for the Royal Oak collection (Model 5710BA), followed in 1986 by the Model 25636, which was equipped with Calibre 2120/2800, an ultra-thin perpetual calendar movement. However, it was in the 1990s, a decade characterised by an abundance of Royal Oak models of all shapes and sizes, that this delicate art found its true place in the collection, making its debut in the “Jumbo” line in 1992.

Over the decades, the Royal Oak collection has grown to include some fifty openworked references, each powered by different movements and available in a variety of sizes, materials and styles, all reflecting years of passion and expertise handed down from generation to generation. Today, these 37 mm novelties continue to combine meticulous craftsmanship with delicate refinement.

Technical specifications

Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Double Balance Wheel Openworked 37mm

Reference: 15467BC.OO.1256BC.01

Case

• Material: 18-carat white gold
• Diameter: 37 mm
• Thickness: 10 mm
• Glareproofed sapphire crystal and caseback
• Water-resistant to 50 meters

Dial and hands

• Light blue inner bezel, pink gold applied hour-markers and Royal Oak hands with luminescent material.

Movement

• Selfwinding Calibre 3132
• Total diameter 26.6 mm (11 ¾ lignes)
• Total thickness 4.4 mm
• Number of parts 245
• Number of jewels 38
• Minimal guaranteed power reserve 45 h
• Frequency of the balance wheel 3 Hz (21,600 vibrations/hour)

Functions/Indications

• Hours, minutes and centre seconds.

Strap and buckle

• 18-carat white gold bracelet with AP folding clasp.
• Additional pearly light blue “large square scale” alligator strap with 18-carat white gold AP folding clasp.

MSRP: CHF 85'400

Technical specifications

Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Double Balance Wheel Openworked 37mm

Reference: 15467OR.OO.1256OR.02

Case

• Material: 18-carat pink gold
• Diameter: 37 mm
• Thickness: 10 mm
• Glareproofed sapphire crystal and caseback
• Water-resistant to 50 meters

Dial and hands

• Purple inner bezel, white gold applied hour-markers and Royal Oak hands with luminescent material.

Movement

• Selfwinding Calibre 3132
• Total diameter 26.6 mm (11 ¾ lignes)
• Total thickness 4.4 mm
• Number of parts 245
• Number of jewels 38
• Minimal guaranteed power reserve 45 h
• Frequency of the balance wheel 3 Hz (21,600 vibrations/hour)

Functions/Indications

• Hours, minutes and centre seconds.

Strap and buckle

• 18-carat pink gold bracelet with AP folding clasp.
• Additional purple “large square scale” alligator strap with 18-carat pink gold AP folding clasp.

MSRP: CHF 85'400

For more information, please visit audemarspiguet.com