The New Women's Concept Flying Tourbillon: the Trademark Royal Oak Octagon Set in an Unconventional Case.
This is the first time a frosted gold finish has been applied to a timepiece in the Royal Oak Concept collection. Italian jeweler Carolina Bucci revived the traditional frosted finish treatment initially developed in Florence, and the Le Brassus watch brand now uses it for both its white-gold case and rose-gold case versions of the model. The case is relatively small in size at 38.5 mm, making the new edition to the Audemars Piguet Concept collection stand out. The Concept collection has already featured men's 44 mm models, the Royal Oak Concept Supersonnerie being one example, which won the 2016 Grand Prix d'Horlogerie de Geneve (GPHG) in the category for Mechanical Exception.
The brand is reaching out to a broader audience with the new Concept Flying Tourbillon for women. The eye of the beholder is ultimately drawn to the dial on the new timepiece — a ripple of cascading circles that descend like an amphitheater towards the flying tourbillon at 6 o'clock. The Flying Tourbillon is not limited to the usual technical austerity one would expect to see in a Royal Oak Concept piece.
It bears more resemblance to the exquisite Haute Joaillerie Sapphire Orbe, with its spherical case in a ring of ripples. The blue surface of the Royal Oak Concept Flying Tourbillon dial is complemented by a sunburst pattern, radiating out from the center. This circular geometry is echoed in the design of the hand-wound Manufacture calibre 2964. It comprises 207 components, operates at a frequency of 21,600 vph, and guarantees a 72-hour power reserve.