Once the hammers hit the gongs, this membrane vibrates and behaves like the sound board of a guitar, dramatically amplifying the looks of the gongs. Additionally, the actual titanium case back is slightly raised to cover this membrane and contains apertures along the border to allow sounds to escape. This contributes to one of the minute repeater watches we have ever heard. And interestingly, the watch seems even louder when it’s worn to the wrist!At that the end of the afternoon, the Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Concept Supersonnerie Tourbillon Chronograph watch is yet another powerful showcase of this brand’s almost breathtaking technical know-how and unique design sense. It is a thoroughly modern take on a few of horology’s oldest complications, and also we could observe that in the instance of the Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Concept Supersonnerie Tourbillon Chronograph view, it has also been thoroughly improved.And if you believe all this will not come cheap, you’d be right. Though the Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Concept Supersonnerie Tourbillon Chronograph watch isn’t a limited edition, it’s a princely cost of597,400.
Paradoxically, “The Beast” is back, and this re-edition Ref. 26237ST stays very much loyal to the original. The principal differences which we can see between this 2018 model and the first are very subtle, namely in the moments track and ‘Swiss Made’ print onto the periphery of this dial.Inside the re-edition Royal Oak Offshore Selfwinding Chronograph beats the Caliber 3126/3840, exactly the exact same movement used in other contemporary Royal Oak Offshore chronograph watches. Besides the time, needless to say, this motion comprises chronograph and date complications, a 22k gold rotor, beats at 3Hz, and includes a power reserve of 50 hours.
The Audemars Piguet Le Brassus Watch Price Replica Royal Oak is perhaps one of the most famous watches available today, and unlike other watches of comparable fame like the Omega Speedmaster or Rolex Submariner, its fundamental design also enjoys considerable versatility in terms of complications. From straightforward time-only variants to more complex offerings, there are many tastes of Royal Oak accessible, and the Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Tourbillon Chronograph Openworked Material Great watch is one of the more complicated examples.As an aside, and possibly it’s just me, but it feels just like brands really need to work on maintaining watch titles to a manageable span. Getting back into the watch at hand, this specific Audemars Piguet Royal Oak was designed in collaboration with Material Good — a New York-based luxury retailer. As the name clearly indicates, encased within the Gerald Genta-designed case is a openworked movement with a tourbillon and a chronograph complication.The Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Tourbillon Chronograph is powered by the grade 2936, which is a hand-wound movement with a 72-hour power reserve. It’s a traditional 2-counter 30-minute chronograph movement with a tourbillon at 6:00. The skeletonization is complicated and complicated, and effort has gone into the bridge design to be certain the last result looks visually interesting and balanced.The bridge in 12:00, which holds the mainspring barrel, has an interesting arch-like design which complements the shape of the tourbillon cage on the other end. The bridges are in gold and polished to a brilliant end and with plenty of chamfering.
When Audemars Piguet unveiled the Royal Oak Concept RD#1 minute repeater last year, it was all cloak and dagger, since the patents related to its concept were still pending. Now that the patents have been granted, the prototype has become a reality in the form of the Royal Oak Concept Supersonnerie that was just introduced at SIHH 2016.
The Royal Oak Concept Supersonnerie actually features three complications, a chronograph, tourbillon and minute repeater. The first two are essentially superfluous, it is the minute repeater that is truly outstanding.
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| The rear of the Supersonnerie movement showing the chronograph mechanism, and repeater hammers visible at seven o’clock |
Audemars Piguet claims the Royal Oak Concept Supersonnerie chimes as loudly as ten pocket watch minute repeaters, a seemingly exaggerated claim but quite plausible once the Supersonnerie has been heard in action.
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| Under the dial of the Supersonnerie, with the minute repeating mechanism exposed |
Three patents were instrumental in building the Supersonnerie. The first relates to the manufacturing of the gongs, a process that creates an optimal gong which nonetheless needs to be filed by hand to tune it.
The next patent concerns the case construction; the back is actually two pieces, an outer case back and an inner back that functions as a soundboard. Instead of being attached to the base plate as in ordinary repeaters, the gongs are attached to the inner case back, a thin disc of special alloy. This disc functions as a soundboard, amplifying the chimes of the repeater.
Notably, despite the large apertures in the outer back for sound transmission, the Supersonnerie is water-resistant to 20 m, as the inner back is sealed. Most minute repeaters are not water-resistant at all, since the cases are not sealed so as to improve the sound.
The last key feature of the Supersonnerie is the silent governor. The mechanism that regulates the pace of the repeater chimes, the governor in the Supersonnerie has a built-in shock absorber that eliminates most of the noise typically associated with its functioning. This prevents the governor from interfering with the sound of the repeater.
We will bring you more details on the Supersonnerie soon. In the mean time, follow our SIHH 2016 coverage for the latest from Geneva.