Audemars Piguet's New Royal Oak Concept GMT Tourbillon
With a company lineage that stretches back to 1889, Audemars Piguet has earned its place of primacy as one of the world’s premiere watch manufacturers. Always innovators in the design of cutting edge technology, delivered in beautifully packaged detail, a Swiss-made Audemars Piquet time piece was a statement of elegance as well as precision. From the introduction of the thinnest pocket watch in 1925 to the development of the first skeleton watch three years later.
Audemars Piguet confirmed their commitment to innovation in 1972 with the introduction of the first of only three entries into their “Royal Oak” line of watches, which is credited with ushering in the market for the stainless steel luxury watch. The third and latest entry into the Royal Oak line, the Concept GMT Tourbillion, is now available and continues the tradition of fine craftsmanship that is associated with the concept watches.
Cutting Edge Technology and Stunning Visual Results…
A long list of first’s sets off the latest Royal Oak Concept watch, but that list is driven by innovative technology. Unwilling to rest upon their laurels, the design team at Audemars Piguet turned their considerable talents to the use of white ceramic material in the manufacture of an almost entirely scratchproof composite material. Where the company was a trailblazer in the introduction of stainless steel more than four decades ago, now they are displaying that same determination in their use of ceramics and the results already speak for themselves.
Fashioned into the inner workings of the watch itself, the bright white of the ceramic presents a stunning visual display that is impossible to ignore beneath the beveled crystal, and mixed with the use of titanium for the case middle makes this 44mm watch twice as light as the steel that it replaced. Their thorough understanding of high-tech metals and materials, the inner flange of the Royal Oak Concept GMT Tourbillion is cast from lightweight aluminum that has been hardened by anoxisation. Nothing has been left to chance in the fashioning of this signature commemorative piece that was created to honor the 40-year tradition of the first Royal Oak Concept watch.
Made With an Active Lifestyle in Mind…
While the highly stylized face of the GMT Tourbillion looks great peeking out from under the cuff of any suit at the boardroom table, don’t let its elegant façade, and stylish appearance lead you to believe it’s designed strictly for the rarified world of cocktail parties and stockholder’s meetings.
As mentioned, its innovative ceramic construction makes the surface of the watch impervious to scratching, and its ability to resist upwards of 100 meters of water pressure suggests that this is a time piece that is designed to be taken on the go. With its GMT functionality, it doesn’t matter where you decide to go because you will always know what time it is.
Courtesy of Audemars Piguet, the frontier of innovation has been pushed out even further than thought possible with this latest offering of the Royal Oak line of quality time pieces.