AUDEMARS PIGUET – ROYAL OAK Concept Split-Seconds Chronograph GMT Large Date

 

AUDEMARS PIGUET – ROYAL OAK Concept Split-Seconds Chronograph GMT Large Date 43mm Titanium  2023

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Swiss Haute Horlogerie manufacturer Audemars Piguet opens a new chapter for the Royal Oak Concept with the release of its very first selfwinding split-seconds flyback chronograph. Inspired by the collection’s high-tech identity, this timepiece takes the Royal Oak Concept’s futuristic looks, ergonomics and skilled performance to a new level.

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In addition to introducing both a new 43 mm case size and the first interchangeable strap of the collection, the sporty timepiece boasts a highly contemporary, three-dimensional titanium case playing with textures, depth and light. It is powered by a new cutting-edge movement, the selfwinding Calibre 4407, whose complicated micro-mechanics takes centre stage on the rear side. 

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For the first time, the caseback showcases the advanced split-seconds mechanism which has been inserted within the ball bearing holding the oscillating weight. More than 20 years after the release of the first Royal Oak Concept, the collection continues to offer a pioneering platform of R&D experimentation.

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“We are proud to introduce Audemars Piguet’s first selfwinding flyback chronograph equipped with a split-seconds mechanism. This classic complication has been entirely rethought to fit in a highly contemporary sports watch offering optimum reliability for the present day. This watch was made possible thanks to the collaborative work of our different teams, specialized in the production of highly complicated mechanims.” Lucas Raggi Research and Development Director, Audemars Piguet

A FUTURISTIC CASE PLAYING WITH DEPTH, FINISHING AND LIGHT

Audemars Piguet continues to evolve the Royal Oak Concept with the addition of an innovative complication blending ergonomics with the collection’s bold aesthetic looks. This timepiece required extensive R&D engineering, pushing the teams’ technological expertise further.  

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In addition to introducing a new 43 mm case size, the titanium watch boasts a multifaceted design playing with contrasts and light. The case’s elaborate architecture necessitated complex programming and manufacturing processes to strike the right balance between ergonomics and ultramodern design. The case and bezel are slightly curved to match the natural shape of the wrist, making it comfortable to wear despite the watch’s generous size.

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Sandblasted titanium inserts bring the case’s juxtaposition of angular and rounded geometries into bold relief. The sandblasted case is topped off with the Manufacture’s trademark satin-brushed octagonal bezel, whose rounded outline is highlighted by polished chamfers. The combination of satin-brushed, sandblasted and polished surfaces furthers the watch’s textured look, while providing an endless play of light.

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The collection’s strong lines are amplified by the watch’s screw-locked crown and push-pieces, all honed from black ceramic. Three-dimensional push-piece guards brazenly secure the pushers at 2, 4 and 9 o’clock, each finished with the same juxtaposition of sandblasting, satin brushing and polished chamfers as seen on the case.

“This selfwinding split-seconds chronograph has been designed to the extreme inside and out. Integrated into the futuristic Royal Oak Concept case, this complication has reached a level of technical complexity never achieved before.” Anne-Gaëlle Quinet Head of Complications, Audemars Piguet

A TWO-TONE OPENWORKED DIAL DISPLAY

Conceived like a movement bridge, the openworked dial gives a glimpse of the complicated micro-mechanics ticking within. The rounded openings have been cut out from a single German silver plate, finished with sandblasted black PVD and polished rhodium-toned bevels. This contrast confers depth and light to this sporty and architectural timepiece, which is further enhanced by the absence of a logo on the dial.

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White gold hands and hour-markers, complemented with white transferred numerals spread across the dial, accentuate the watch’s two-tone aesthetic. In addition, the hour-markers, hands, counters, large date and GMT day/night disc feature luminescent coating for optimum visibility in the dark. Red and yellow accents, respectively marking the chronograph and GMT functions, add a subtle, yet vivid touch of colour. A black inner bezel, on which a white tachymeter scale has been printed, completes the watch’s overall design.

A HIGH-TECH SPLIT-SECONDS, FLYBACK CHRONOGRAPH

Ultra-contemporary inside and out, the new timepiece premieres the selfwinding Calibre 4407 – a feat of mechanical and industrial engineering that combines flyback chronograph, split seconds, GMT function and large date into the highly stylised case design of the Royal Oak Concept collection. The first of its kind to be produced in a series at Audemars Piguet, it is based on the Manufacture’s latest generation integrated flyback chronograph movement, Calibre 4401, which was launched in 2019 with the Code 11.59 by Audemars Piguet collection.

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Unlike a regular chronograph, the flyback function allows the wearer to reset and restart the chronograph without having to stop it first. The column wheel works with a vertical clutch system. When starting or stopping the chronograph, the hands respond accordingly without any hint of jumping. Furthermore, a patented zero resetting mechanism ensures that both chronograph and split-seconds hands instantaneously reset to zero.

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The split-seconds mechanism enables to measure intermediate time intervals thanks to the addition of a split-seconds hand that can be stopped independently of the chronograph hand when the dedicated pusher is activated. When the latter is pressed again, it catches up to the running hand to continue their journey together around the dial, in perfect synchrony. The action can be repeated at will. Located at 9 o’clock, the push-piece subtly nods to the Royal Oak Concept Laptimer (2015) – the first mechanical watch capable of measuring consecutive lap times on the racetrack developed in collaboration with Michael Schumacher.

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To reduce the movement’s height, the split-seconds mechanism has been integrated within the thickness of the semi-peripheral rotor’s ball bearing and is now visible through the sapphire caseback like in pocket watches and hand-wound wristwatches. Usually hidden from view in selfwinding watches, the split-seconds wheel and two actuating clamps can be admired at the centre of the platinum oscillating weight, under the X-shaped bridge holding the mechanism in place.  

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Lastly, the large date at 12 o’clock enhances legibility with its digital look, while providing perfect symmetry with the small seconds counter at 6 o’clock.

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 Although incorporating high-tech features, Calibre 4407 continues to uphold fine watchmaking traditions and presents elegant Haute Horlogerie decorations, including sandblasting, circular satin, circular graining and polished chamfers, all visible through the sapphire caseback. 

“We currently have 18 movements in development across collections. The launch of our new Royal Oak Concept Split Seconds Chronograph GMT Large Date is part of our ongoing effort to build the future of AP.” - François-Henry Bennahmias CEO, Audemars Piguet

A PIONEERING MOVEMENT

Based on the in-house chronograph Calibre 4401 released in 2019 in the Code 11.59 by Audemars Piguet collection, the Calibre 4407 has been deeply reengineered to improve its energy management in order to allow the addition of the split seconds mechanism. 

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In addition of this, a new oscillator has been developed which features a Breguet overcoil, whose sharply curved outer end ensures the concentric development of the balance spring for increased accuracy

A NEW STYLISED INTERCHANGEABLE STRAP

The new sporty timepiece premieres the first interchangeable strap of the Royal Oak Concept collection. The interchangeability system has been directly integrated into both the case and the triple-blade folding clasp to enable the wearer to change strap with a quick click and release. The system also provides optimum security when the watch is worn.

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The design of the new black interchangeable rubber strap blends in with the facets of the case. The bevels on the case sides extend onto the strap, providing a seamless continuity between the two components. Furthermore, the strap is decorated with symmetrical inserts in grey hues that echo the multidimensional, two-tone aesthetics of both the case and the dial. The timepiece comes with a second all-black interchangeable rubber strap for wearers to style up their watch depending on their mood.

Two additional black rubber straps contrasted with yellow or red accents will be available in boutiques as part of the interchangeable strap assortment for the new Royal Oak Concept 43 mm diameter. 

WHEN RARITY MEETS HIGH TECHNOLOGY 

Launched in 2002 to celebrate the Royal Oak’s 30th anniversary, the Royal Oak Concept established an entirely new aesthetic for 21st-century Haute Horlogerie. For the occasion, Audemars Piguet released a 150-piece limited edition inspired by Concept cars that combined titanium with Alacrite 602, a light yet highly resistant alloy mainly used in the aeronautical industry. While the bezel retained the Royal Oak’s trademark octagonal shape, the massive rounded 44 mm case brought this timepiece to new horizons. To complement the case’s futuristic aesthetic, the dial exposed the state-of-the-art hand-wound mechanism, while providing innovative functions: a push-piece serves as a function selector (for winding and setting the time) and a dynamograph displays the mainspring torque.

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A linear power-reserve display is indicated thanks to the calculation of the number of turns of the barrel, along a scale of 0 to 12, with each turn representing six hours of autonomy. The tourbillon cage and its shock-absorbing bridge was also visible at 9 o’clock and the timepiece was fitted with a Kevlar strap. Although conceived as a concept watch that wasn’t intended to for commercialization, a small series was made to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the model. Four years later, a new interpretation was unveiled in carbon, marking the birth of the Royal Oak Concept collection. Since then, the Royal Oak Concept has pushed the limits of Haute Horlogerie craftsmanship by blending high technology mechanisms with avant-garde designs.

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This year, the Royal Oak Concept reinterprets the split-seconds chronograph for the present day. This complication is the last family of classical complications that was introduced in the history of watchmaking. It was born at a time when the world was in full acceleration and speed was everything, both in terms of industrialization and the diffusion of competitive sports. Its origin is the measurement of performance.

Of the 1,625 watches produced in the 1880s and 1890s, 625 included a chronograph, of which 299 were equipped with a split-seconds hand. The majority of chronograph pocket watches released thereafter and through the 21st century continued to feature a split-seconds hand.

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However, this complication was immensely rare in the Manufacture’s chronograph wristwatch offering in the 20th century. Only one example is documented before 1996. Records show that this unique example was sold by Audemars Piguet to New York retailer Roehrich on April 14, 1949 and now belongs to a prestigious private collection. The 35 mm yellow gold wristwatch is powered by the Calibre 13VZAH. The split-seconds mechanism was added following a special request received after production had started. The archives mention an additional split-seconds movement, made in 1946, yet it is unlikely that it was ever cased up and sold.

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In 1996, the split-seconds chronograph made its come back, this time miniaturised to equip the first Audemars Piguet Grande Complication wristwatch presented in a round case. This model combined the split-seconds chronograph with the perpetual calendar and the minute repeater as per Audemars Piguet Grande Complication tradition. The first Royal Oak Grande Complication followed in 1997, while the first Royal Oak Offshore Grande Complication saw the light of day in 2013 on the occasion of the sports watch’s 20th anniversary.

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The miniaturisation of the split-seconds mechanism also led Audemars Piguet to explore other technical horizons for the chronograph function. In 2015, the Manufacture released the patented Royal Oak Concept Laptimer in collaboration with Michael Schumacher. 

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Endowed with a flyback system with two successive and alternating flyback chronograph hands, this avant-garde watch allowed the measurement of consecutive lap times on the racetrack thanks to a single chronograph driving two central sweep-seconds hands controlled independently via three push-pieces. This watch represents a world first as such time intervals could only be measured digitally beforehand.

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Following in the footsteps of this highly complicated timepiece, the split-seconds function joins the Royal Oak Concept collection this year, paving the way for a new generation of advanced split-seconds mechanisms independent of the Manufacture’s Grande Complication production and merging engineering, technology and watchmaking artisanship.

“Born in Le Brassus, raised around the world.”

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TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS
 

Model: Royal Oak Concept Split-Seconds Chronograph GMT Large Date / 43mm

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Reference: 26650TI.OO.D013CA.01

MOVEMENT SPECIFICATIONS
Selfwinding Calibre 4407
Total diameter  32 mm (14 lignes)
Movement thickness  8.92 mm
Number of jewels  73
Number of parts  638
Minimum guaranteed power reserve  70 h
Frequency of balance wheel 4 Hz (28,800 vibrations/hour)
FUNCTIONS
Flyback chronograph, split-seconds chronograph, GMT 24h, hours, minutes, small seconds and
large date.
CASE
Diameter 43 mm 
Case thickness: 17.4 mm
Titanium case and bezel, glareproofed sapphire crystal and caseback, 
black ceramic push-pieces and screw-locked crown, water-resistant to 50 m.
DIAL
Black PVD openworked German silver dial display with black inner bezel, 
white gold applied hour-markers and Royal Oak hands with luminescent coating.
STRAP
Black and grey interchangeable rubber strap with titanium three-blade AP folding clasp. 
Additional black interchangeable rubber strap.

🔴 Price: 184'000 USD / 170, 000 CHF 💰

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Press Release - 2023
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Audemars Piguet (Marketing) SA
Route de France 16 - Case postale 16
1348 Le Brassus - Switzerland
Phone : + 41 21 642 39 00
Fax : + 41 21 642 34 02
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BLANCPAIN – Fifty Fathoms 70th Anniversary Act 2 Tech Gombessa

BLANCPAIN – Fifty Fathoms 70th Anniversary Act 2 Tech Gombessay Titanium 2023

70th Anniversary
Act 2 – Tech Gombessa

Blancpain continued the celebrations for the 70th anniversary of the Fifty Fathoms from the Rangiroa Atoll in French Polynesia, where the Tamataroa mission is taking place. Blancpain opened a new chapter in the history of the first modern diver’s watch by unveiling a new model designed to meet today’s technical diving requirements. Featuring an innovation co-developed by Marc A. Hayek, President & CEO of Blancpain, and Laurent Ballesta, founder of the Gombessa project, this instrument named “Tech Gombessa” makes it possible for the first time to measure up to three-hour immersion times.

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Its release commemorates the 10th anniversary of Gombessa, an initiative that Blancpain helped create by becoming the founding partner of the project from its inception in 2013. It also marks the launch of a new line in Blancpain’s diver’s watch collection.

Seventy years ago, an icon was born: the Fifty Fathoms. The watch that would revolutionise watch-making by becoming the first modern diver’s watch was conceived by a passionate scuba diver, Jean-Jacques Fiechter, then CEO of Blancpain. A pioneer in a discipline that was in its infancy, he understood the imperative need to track time while underwater. The instrument he designed to meet his own needs was immediately embraced by the oceanic community, becoming an unfailing ally of elite divers and under-water explorers. By enhancing safety in diving, the Fifty Fathoms contributed to the development of the sport and promoted the discovery of the ocean world. 

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The year 2023, which marks the 70th anniversary of the Fifty Fathoms, also resonates as a reboot of its birth through the arrival of an innovative anniversary diver’s watch. Since the 1950s, diving has experienced a major evolution, notably characterised by an obvi-ous extension of immersion times. While the 1953 Fifty Fathoms met the requirements of Jean-Jacques Fiechter and the most experienced divers of the time, those now capable of spending several hours under-water have new requirements for time measurement.

Such is precisely the case with Blancpain’s current President & CEO, who is also an avid scuba diver and has been accustomed to highly technical closed-­ circuit dives for a number of years. Drawing on the invaluable heritage of the 1953 Fifty Fathoms, but also and above all on his own experiences, the CEO embarked on the design – alongside diver, photo­ grapher and underwater biologist Laurent Ballesta – of a new mechanical instrument. It was intended to meet the needs of all extreme divers, starting with the members of the Gombessa Expeditions whose research work involves long-­duration deep dives. With Blancpain’s support, these deep-sea adventur-ers have joined forces in the multi-year Tamataroa mission. Dedicated to the study of the behaviour of the great hammerhead shark, Sphyrna mokarran, in French Polynesia, this project is led by a committee of passionate deep-sea divers, including Marc A. Hayek and Laurent Ballesta. Observation and information gathering regarding this species continued through technical dives on the Rangiroa Atoll, aimed at contributing­ to the implementation of management ­measures promoting its conservation.

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It is in this context that the latest addition to the Fifty Fathoms collection was presented for the first time: the Tech Gombessa watch designed to measure the duration of up to three-hour-long tech dives or exits from a saturation system. Conceived five years ago by the two divers, this watch has been extensively tested. In 2019, after a year of

conceptualisation, Blancpain began the develop­ ment of the project, starting with the two key elements represented by the movement and the unidirectional rotating bezel. Unlike the bezels on conventional diver’s watches, the bezel on the Fifty Fathoms Tech Gombessa has a three-hour scale. It is linked to a special hand that completes one full turn in three hours and whose material and colour – a white luminescent coating with green emission – match those of its markers. This device invented jointly by Marc A. Hayek and Laurent Ballesta is a world first for which a patent has been filed. It is the heart of the 13P8 self-winding move-ment, based on the same criteria of reliability and robustness that have made the Fifty Fathoms the ultimate diver’s watch for 70 years.

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Once the combination of bezel and movement was defined, it was time to tackle the exterior of this new watch designed to plumb the depths. The brief was clear yet meeting it proved tricky: the Fifty Fathoms Tech Gombessa had to look like a Fifty Fathoms while exhibiting distinct tech attributes. Blancpain’s designers therefore opted for a bezel inlay in black ceramic – instead of the traditional sapphire – which they decided to endow with a stronger curve and tilt it towards the dial. The latter’s legibility is opti-mised by a spherical crystal that eliminates any visual distortion. To ensure the best possible readability in the dark, the dial has a new finish: absolute black, whose structure is able to capture almost 97% of the light. In the same vein, the hour-markers are formed by luminescent block-shaped appliques, this time in orange with blue emission – colour codes picked up on the hours and minutes hands to differentiate between time-related information and diving times.
 
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Grade 23 titanium was chosen for the case. Recently introduced to the Blancpain collections, this metal also known as grade 5 ELI (extra low inter-stitials) is the purest type of titanium available. It is distinguished by exceptional strength and anti-­ allergenic properties, while being remarkably light. This material ensures that the watch is comfortable to wear and guarantees a barely-there feel on the wrist despite the 47 mm diameter. This is especially true since the watch features – in a first for Blancpain – central lugs attached from the inside of the case middle and integrating the strap. Water-resistant to 30 bar (approximately 300 metres), the case is equipped with a helium valve. During saturation diving in a hyperbaric chamber, helium manages to seep into the watch. During the decompression phase, unscrewing the valve facilitates the evacua-tion of the helium (a manipulation that has no effect on the watch’s water resistance). The notches of the helium valve are identical to those of the winding and time-­setting crown that enables simultaneous setting of the hours, minutes and dive-time hands. As with all Fifty Fathoms timepieces, the crown is screwed down and associated with a crown guard that now features a new trapeze-shaped design ensuring visual consistency with the lugs.

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Nothing has been left to chance either on the back of the watch. The lower part of the case middle is bevelled rather than the rounded ‘bassine’ shape characterising the other Fifty Fathoms models. The notches used to screw in the case back have also been reworked, in the same spirit of robustness. The anthracite-coloured oscillating weight, stamped with the Gombessa Expeditions logo, features an innovative shape dominated by three large openings through which to admire the movement. The black rubber strap is screwed to the back of the lugs. It has an internal titanium reinforcement, guarantee-ing ideal long-term shape, and is teamed with an extension for wearing the watch over a tech-diving suit. The buckle with its extremely wide and ergo-nomic pin has been designed to reinforce the hold of the watch to the wrist and to facilitate fastening the extension.

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The Fifty Fathoms Tech Gombessa comes in a special Peli™ presentation box that is water-resistant­ and shock-resistant as well as reusable and config-urable. The case houses a rest for the watch, the strap extension, a travel pouch, a magnifying glass, as well as a set of dividers and cutting tools offer-ing the possibility­ of compartmentalising it for any future use.

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While all the details of the Tech Gombessa appear to have been smoothly combined, they have in fact involved numerous adjustments result-ing from a multitude­ of tests in real-life conditions. Marc A. Hayek personally tried several differ-ent prototypes of the watch during his dives. The same is true for Laurent Ballesta and the divers of the Gombessa Expeditions, who tested the watch throughout its evolution. Four prototypes were worn on the wrists of aquanauts for an almost 50-day trial period at a depth of 120 metres as part of the Gombessa V and Gombessa VI missions. Conducted in the Mediterranean in 2019 and 2021 respectively, these expeditions combined saturation diving with closed-circuit rebreather diving for the first time. Having lived for an entire month on both occasions in a 5 m² hyperbaric chamber from which they emerged daily to explore the depths, the divers tested several versions of the helium valve.

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The Fifty Fathoms Tech Gombessa watch has been able to satisfy the most demanding require-ments of the Gombessa divers, who have adopted it as the official timepiece of their expeditions. Its launch honours the Fifty Fathoms’ 70th anniversary and sets the seal on ten years of collaboration between Blancpain and Laurent Ballesta – whose Gombessa project was born in 2013 thanks to the involvement of the Manufacture as founding partner. The arrival of this instrument in the Fifty Fathoms collection­ also inaugurates a new line, the Fifty Fathoms Tech, which will encompass all Blancpain watches dedicated to technical diving.

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TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS

Collection: Fifty Fathoms

Model: Fifty Fathoms 70th Anniversary Act 2 Tech Gombessa

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Ref.   5019-12B30-64A 

Case
Satin-brushed Grade 23 titanium
Unidirectional 3-hour scale bezel with black ceramic inlay tilted towards the dial with white luminescent markers with green emission
Helium valve
Diameter:  47.00 mm
Thickness: 14.81 mm
Between horns:  24.00 mm
Spherical sapphire crystal
Antimagnetic properties 
Central lugs attached from the inside of the case middle
Water-resistant: 30ATM/300m/1000ft
Dial
Aabsolute black dial
Luminescent orange block-shaped appliques with blue emission
Functions                
Hours, Minutes, Seconds
Movement
Calibre 13P8
Self-winding Ultra-slim   

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Diameter: 30.60.mm
Thickness: 5.65 mm
Power reserve in hours: 120 hours
Jewels: 35
4 mainspring barrels

Glucydur free sprung balance with gold regulation screws

Secured movement

Components: 204
Strap
Integrated black rubber strap with extension 
Titanium clasp engraved with the BLANCPAIN logo.

🔴 Price : 26,300 CHF💰

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Press release - 2023
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Blancpain S.A.
Le Rocher 12
1348 Le Brassus
Suisse
International PR: Lucie Notar
Tel.  (+41) 21 796 3619
Fax (+41) 21 796 3637
E-mail: pr@blancpain.com
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