It’s that time of year. We’re all eagerly awaiting (or, in some instances, bracing for) the deluge of new releases at Watches & Wonders. But things don’t stop for the brands not participating in the show. For instance, Audemars Piguet took to Milan, Italy, this week to celebrate the opening of the brand’s new AP House Milan, located in the famed former Garage Traversi. It was also the perfect moment for the brand to introduce the first of its semi-annual major releases https://www.bagsbagu.com/.
Yes, the John Mayer Royal Oak Perpetual Calendar got top billing at the announcement, but there was a lot of ground to cover. At the press preview, watches were passed around at such speed that you couldn’t do much more than get a photo or two, examine the watch, and move on to the next release passed your way a minute later. In several cases, there were innovations to unpack. I hope to get a chance to spend more time with a few of these. But instead of inundating you with multiple stories, I’ll do my best, to sum up (nearly) every release. But before we start, here’s a primer:
The ref. 16204 (Royal Oak “Jumbo” Openworked) in steel is no more. The watch was originally planned to only exist for one year during the 50th Anniversary, but it stuck around a bit longer – until today https://www.bagsbagu.com/.
You won’t find many Code 11.59s in white gold anymore. The case material might be seen on watches that are more complicated than a chronograph, but to simplify the lineup, the three-hand models and chronographs will only come in pink gold or stainless steel.
Speaking of materials, AP continues its materials innovation, with a new “sand gold” color launched with the Royal Oak Selfwinding Flying Tourbillon Openworked model. This color shifts significantly in the light. They also showed off a prototype of a ceramic-cased Royal Oak Offshore Flying Tourbillon Chronograph like we saw last year but with a camouflage-patterned monotone case. And that’s just the start.
It’s tourbillons all the way down for Audemars Piguet these days, but that’s not a bad thing. Three new tourbillon Royal Oaks were announced, from a new RD#3 in 37mm to some new 41mm Royal Oak tourbillon colors.