Audemars Piguet (Instagram), the Swiss Haute Horlogerie titan, is making waves in the world of luxury watches with its latest creations. The company has introduced two groundbreaking timepieces in the Royal Oak Minute Repeater Supersonnerie range, both housed in sleek black ceramic cases. The result? Incredible pieces that exude a distinctly contemporary appeal.
Audemars Piguet’s latest Royal Oak Minute Repeater Supersonnerie models are the first of their kind. They feature cases crafted in black ceramic, a daring choice that demonstrates Audemars Piguet’s commitment to pushing boundaries. The ceramic caseback, a first for the brand, is meticulously designed with apertures to amplify the minute repeater’s sound when worn. This design underscores the attention to detail in the manufacturing and finishing of ceramic components, showcasing the material’s nuances and the intricate case shape.
The monochromatic aesthetics extend to the Grand Tapisserie dials, with a minute train and a small seconds counter at 6 o’clock, adorned with snailing finishing. The first version features luminescent white gold hour-markers, while the second model dazzles with 13 baguette-cut diamond hour-markers for a striking contrast. Both models are equipped with white gold Royal Oak hands with luminescent coating for superior legibility. The white gold details on the dial harmonize with the eight white gold hexagonal screws securing the octagonal bezel onto the case. The timepieces are completed with black rubber straps featuring titanium studs and a three-blade AP folding clasp, also crafted in titanium.
These Royal Oak Minute Repeater Supersonnerie models house Audemars Piguet’s latest hand-wound minute repeater movement, the patented Calibre 2953. This ingenious blend of advanced technology and traditional craftsmanship delivers an exceptional acoustic performance. Despite ceramic’s known limitation in sound conductivity, these timepieces produce remarkable sound quality thanks to Audemars Piguet’s Supersonnerie technology.
The Supersonnerie mechanism, developed in collaboration with the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne (EPFL), endows the minute repeater with the volume and resonance typically found in pocket watches. It achieves this by rethinking the case construction and introducing gongs attached to a titanium membrane that acts as a soundboard. This technology enables the notes of the minute repeater to resonate perfectly, creating a powerful and unique tonality.
Since its inception in 1875, Audemars Piguet has been a pioneer in chiming mechanisms, crafting complex Grande Sonnerie, Petite Sonnerie, and Minute Repeater mechanisms. While chiming wristwatches were rare for much of the 20th century, they made a comeback at Audemars Piguet in the 1990s. The Supersonnerie technology made its way to the Royal Oak collection in 2019, and today, Audemars Piguet continues to redefine the limits of watchmaking.
With these two new black ceramic Royal Oak Minute Repeater Supersonnerie timepieces, Audemars Piguet marries tradition with state-of-the-art technology and uncompromising design, setting new standards in the luxury watch industry.
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