Diamond-studded novelty from Audemars Piguet

Text: Britta Rossander

Now Audemars Piguet presents yet another treat for ladies’ wrists. A real sweet with an automatic movement in the case, precious stones on the case ring and this time also on the strap attachments. Audemars Piguet’s Royal Oak, the watch that revolutionised the view of sports watches, is now launched in a new elegant package. Eqotime’s Britta Rossander has taken a look.

Jacqueline Dimier

It was Jacqueline Dimier who in 1976 redesigned the original for Royal Oak so that it would suit women. She told in an interview earlier this summer:

– I was probably the only female watch designer in Switzerland at that time and it is fun to be able to look back on oneself as a pioneer within the industry. I got a job at Rolex in 1968 and developed there the Cellini series and spectacular jewellery watches.

Seven years later Jaqueline took up the post as design manager for Audemars Piguet. The company was then to bring out a feminine version of the men’s watch Royal Oak which with its groundbreaking design by Gerald Genta was presented in Basel in 1972. Dimier’s task became not only to reduce the size but also to make technical modifications so that the model with its eightsided case and eight visible screws would sit well on a female wrist.

– To begin with we made it with an automatic movement (ref 8638 with a case of 29 mm) but it was experienced as too thick. After a while we changed to a qvartz movement which meant that we could make the case somewhat thinner. That version had great success throughout the whole of the 1980s.

AP 15452

The time when a ladies’ watch was thought to look too heavy because it contains an an automatic movement is definitely over. We have got used to slightly bigger watches also for girls. And now Audemars Piguet is expanding its 15452 -series with two new Royal Oak models with a case of 37 mm in white and rose gold.

The watches have diamonds, coloured stones and a dial with guilloché in a grey or beige tone. A strap in leather with a satin finish makes them elegant and then some. They actually sit perfectly even on the narrowest wrist and in the case ticks Caliber 3120 with 60 hours of power reserve.

The case in rose gold has 124 brilliant-cut diamonds and a new beige shade on the ”Grande Tapisserie” -dial with matching hour markers and hands in rose gold. The two strokes for 12 o’clock have also been given a few diamonds. On the case ring (between the screws) sit 40 yellow and orange sapphires as well as red garnets. The version in white gold of course also has 124 brilliant-cut diamonds. The dial is this time in a grey tone and here too the 12 o’clock has got two strokes got diamonds. The case ring has for,the white gold 40 brilliant-cut pink sapphires and rubies in a subtle colour gradation.

This will surely become a watch wished for by many in Santa’s sack.