Sandra‘s Closet

You know how much I love my Royal Oak Frosted Gold watch that Swiss Haute Horlogerie Manufacturer Audemars Piguet launched in collaboration with Carolina Bucci. 2022 marks a new milestone as Audemars Piguet presents a new limited edition 34 mm Royal Oak Selfwinding in black ceramic. This timepiece is the fruit of the latest collaboration between the manufacture and Carolina Bucci. In celebration of the Royal Oak’s fiftieth anniversary, the Italian jewellery designer has created a dial endowed with a unique multi-coloured mirror effect paying tribute to the iconic Tapisserie design. Inspired by urban landscapes, the result is as unexpected as it is elegant. This limited edition is designed for both men and women and is available exclusively in Audemars Piguet boutiques and AP Houses.

A SUBTLE AND UNEXPECTED AESTHETIC
For her third collaboration with Audemars Piguet, Carolina Bucci has left behind her hammering technique, known as Frosted Gold, to enrich an all-black ceramic piece with a surprising dial. Always looking to meet new challenges, she decided to focus on contrasts. At first glance, the dial appears black, but on closer inspection it reveals a multi-coloured spectrum that brings the Tapisserie effect to life in the ever-changing light. To reach this result, a sapphire plate adorned with little squares achieved through micro-structuring is added on top of the brass dial plate to create rich rainbow-coloured plays of light. A golden metallisation, specially developed for the occasion, is also applied onto the back of the sapphire plate to create a mirror effect and shines light onto the dial. The pattern of iridescent colours varies from dial to dial, making each design unique. This limited edition comes in a presentation box that has also been designed by Carolina Bucci. For this special occasion, the jewellery designer wanted to use the Tapisserie pattern in relief, going into the finest details, to pay homage to the 1972 classic.

«I wanted to place a rainbow in the most unexpected of places, a little like when you see oil floating on a puddle in a city street… So here you have every colour of the spectrum on a canvas that is completely black, which is itself the absence of colour.»
Carolina Bucci – Jewellery Designer

MATERIALS FULL OF CONTRASTS
The black ceramic case and bracelet are highlighted by hexagonal pink gold screws that secure the bezel and create an elegant contrast of colours. All the components of the case and bracelet are finished with the Manufacture’s signature satin-finishing that is paired with polished chamfers for a maximum play on light. The bracelet has been slightly revised to provide a better visual effect. The pins connecting the links to the studs are no longer visible from the side, but are directly integrated into the studs.

The titanium and sapphire caseback is engraved with the inscription «Limited Edition Carolina Bucci» and reveals the Calibre 5800 beneath, which indicates the hours, minutes, seconds and date. In keeping with the finish on the screws, hour-markers and hands, the 22-carat pink gold oscillating weight features elegant microbead-blasted, polished and satin finishes. On the dial, the AP monogram has vanished to leave pride of place to the long-form signature which has been engraved on top of the sapphire plate and filled with white lacquer due to the singularity of the dial imagined by Carolina Bucci.

My beloved Frosted Gold watch.

A COLLABORATION IN CONSTANT EVOLUTION
Carolina Bucci first started working with Audemars Piguet in 2016 for the 40th anniversary of the women’s Royal Oak that was created by Jacqueline Dimier in 1976. It was for this special occasion that the Italian designer was invited to reinterpret the original design by Gérald Genta. Together with the Manufacture’s watchmakers, she brought the ancestral technique of Florentine hammering, or Frosted Gold, to the complex architecture of the Royal Oak.

This technique consists of creating tiny indentations in the gold with a diamond-tipped tool that results in a sparkle that looks like diamond dust. Two models were initially released – the 15454 in 37 mm and the 67652 in 33 mm in a choice of white or pink gold – during an international event with Jacqueline Dimier in attendance. This marked the beginning of Audemars Piguet’s collaboration with Carolina Bucci. Since 2016, the Frosted Gold finish has been applied to numerous watch collections, sizes and complications.

In 2018, the designer signed a limited edition of 300 pieces for Audemars Piguet, entirely crafted in frosted yellow gold with a unique dial. Instead of the model’s trademark Tapisserie design, Carolina Bucci chose a mirrored dial with a flat surface evoking the surface of a lake on a calm day, reflecting the surrounding landscape. Despite its apparent simplicity, the mirrored dial presented a number of technical challenges that the Manufacture’s artisans were able to overcome to perfection.

In 2020, she went on to design the K.I.S.S. collection of gold bracelets – available in two sizes and numerous tones with matching necklaces – that were inspired by her previous projects with the Manufacture. These creations reinterpret the aesthetic codes of a mechanical watch spring, creating a link between Haute Joaillerie and Haute Horlogerie.

«Born in Le Brassus, raised around the world.»

Today, Carolina Bucci pays tribute to the Royal Oak’s 50th anniversary, with a design in black ceramic contrasted with multi-coloured reflections on the dial, providing the watch with unexpected plays of light. The Royal Oak Selfwinding 34 mm will not only surprise watch lovers with its iridescence, but will also seduce them with its sober and discreet refinement.

Price: CHF 48 500 // Limited Edition of 300 Pieces

LoL, Sandra

Photos: © Audemars Piguet, © Sandra Bauknecht
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Sometimes I receive press releases that literally make me drool over their content. When I read about Audemars Piguet‘s 2021 women novelties, this was about to happen. Those new watch models are amazing, so beautiful and special. Blending tradition with avantgarde, the variegated timepieces offer creative contrasts, from the sleek aesthetics of black ceramics to the shimmering sparkle of Frosted Gold or the vivid hues of multicoloured gemstones. These multifaceted mechanical pieces will be true statements when worn on the wrist.

THROUGH THE LENS OF HARLEY WEIR
Drawing synergies between Haute Couture and Haute Horlogerie, photographer Harley Weir explored for Audemars Piguet how a timepiece or a couture look reflects the wearer’s personality and free-spirited attitude. Eclectic in colour, savoir-faire, materials and style, the Audemars Piguet 2021 novelties find inspiration in diverse worlds to present a kaleidoscopic view of the contemporary woman.

A NEW 34 MM ROYAL OAK SELFWINDING DRESSED IN BLACK CERAMICS
The sleek aesthetics of the new Royal Oak Selfwinding in black ceramic is enhanced with pink gold accents for a refined two-tone contrast. Timeless and versatile, the black hues will seamlessly complement the unique style of its wearer.

Adit wears the Royal Oak Selfwinding in black ceramics, accompanied by a short strapless dress in black vegan leather embellished with gold studs.

THE NEW ROYAL OAK SELFWINDING CHRONOGRAPH PLAYS WITH COLOUR AND LIGHT
The new Royal Oak Selfwinding Chronograph’s 18-carat pink gold case and bracelet are elegantly enhanced by a purple dial and a bezel set with 32 baguette-cut amethysts. The new chronograph in 38 mm will be available solely in Audemars Piguet boutiques. For the first time, the Manufacture is offering a solid 18-carat pink gold timepiece with a bezel that has been set with an array of baguette-cut amethysts. These purple gemstones surround and match the tones of the timepiece’s purple dial to perfection. Developed by the Manufacture’s artisans, the timepiece’s dial displays a range of purple hues that dance and change colour in the light.

Katlin wears the Royal Oak Selfwinding Chronograph adorned with amethysts, matched with a long evening gown with an asymmetric bust in fuchsia silk, pleated and split at the front.

A NEW ROYAL OAK FROSTED GOLD SELFWINDING MODEL IN 34 MM WITH BLUE DIAL
Audemars Piguet is expanding the 34 mm Royal Oak Selfwinding collection, established in April 2020, with a new reference shimmering with Frosted Gold – a jewellery technique developed in 2016 in collaboration with Italian jewellery designer Carolina Bucci. The 18-carat white gold piece is further enhanced with a Tapisserie dial in new shades of blue.

Chin Chin wears the Royal Oak Frosted Gold Selfwinding, dressed up with a long body-hugging gown in sequined ruthenium jersey.

RAINBOW MEETS FROSTED GOLD IN THE LATEST ROYAL OAK DOUBLE BALANCE WHEEL OPENWORKED
Last but not least, here comes my favorite: Rainbow meets Frosted Gold. Audemars Piguet will complement its Royal Oak Frosted Gold Double Balance Wheel Openworked series with three new references in 41 mm and two in 37 mm, all displaying a rainbow bezel composed of multicoloured gemstones and emphasizing the scintillating effect of the Frosted Gold case. The watches will be exclusively available in Audemars Piguet’s Boutiques as of October 2021.

Ola wears the Royal Oak Double Balance Wheel Openworked, with a technicoloured organza and translucent 3D hand-casted dress.

Frosted Gold models in yellow and pink gold also make their debut in the collection. Keeping with the aesthetics of the current 41 mm offering, the new yellow, pink or white Frosted Gold case and bracelet are contrasted by the openworked movement’s slate grey NAC-coated bridges and enhanced by the dial’s black inner bezel. The two-tone design is accentuated as the double balance wheel at 8 o’clock takes on yellow gold-toned, pink gold-toned or rhodium-toned hues to echo the case’s colour. Similarly, the hour-markers and luminescent Royal Oak hands are crafted in yellow, pink or white gold.

THE 37 MM COLLECTION EXPANDS ITS OFFERING
The Manufacture releases two new 37 mm Royal Oak Frosted Gold Double Balance Wheel Openworked references in 18-carat pink and yellow gold for the smaller wrists to complement the 18-carat white gold piece launched in 2019. Both sport a matching pink or yellow gold-toned openworked movement, sharply contrasted by the blackened openworked barrel at 1 o’clock which discloses the watch’s mainspring. In the same tone as the movement and case, the pink or yellow gold hour-makers and luminescent Royal Oak hands blend in to foreground the artistry of Calibre 3132.

LoL, Sandra

Photos: Harley Weir – Inès Dieleman – Courtesy of Audemars Piguet
DISCLOSURE: This post is NOT sponsored. I am loving it.