Audemars Piguet’s new Royal Oak Concept GMT Tourbillon.
Crafted in titanium and white ceramic because white ceramic is said to be nine times harder than stainless steel, the new Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Concept GMT Tourbillon (slated to be shown to the world at the January 2014 SIHH) features a sculpted titanium case middle, white ceramic bezel, inner dial flange of anodized aluminum and – the real wow factor — a pure white ceramic upper bridge.
The new Calibre 2930 was a challenge to create because the intricately machined ceramic bridge required special cutting machines with diamond-tipped tools. Just the making of the ceramic bezel takes approximately 8 hours compared to 45 minutes for a steel bezel. The Royal Oak Concept GMT Tourbillon’s hand-wound 291-part Calibre 2930 features a twin barrel for 10-day power reserve, tourbillon and second time zone GMT display. The tourbillon cage consists of 85 parts and takes a master watchmaker almost three days to assemble. The work of art carries on the brand’s winning streak with the Royal Oak, which was originally designed by Gerald Genta 30 years ago as the world’s first luxury stainless steel watch.
