When the abbreviation “RD#” appears in the name of an Audemars Piguet Replica watch immediately followed by a number, you can be sure that it is something very special and complicated. An acronym for Research and Development, for example, last year’s Code 11.59 RD#4 is the most complicated Audemars Piguet watch ever built.

A few days ago, the news broke that Audemars Piguet has presented a new precious edition of its iconic Royal Oak luxury watch. It is the Flying Tourbillon Automatic Extra-Thin RD#3 in a 37 mm case made of 18-karat white gold.

This complicated timepiece houses a mechanical self-winding movement with a flying tourbillon, one of the most refined and spectacular complications of Haute Horlogerie created in 1930 by the German Alfred Helwig, a master watchmaker from Glashütte, a town at the heart of Saxon watchmaking.

The aesthetics of this new model are inspired by the 39 and 37 mm Royal Oak RD#3 in steel launched in 2022 to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the collection. However, this new version in white gold with a bezel set with baguette-cut diamonds stands out for its unparalleled essence of luxury. The diamond-set indexes stand out on the blue smoky dial with a “Petite Tapisserie” motif.

Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Flying Tourbillon Automatic Extra-Thin 37 mm RD#3

This new timepiece in the Royal Oak collection reflects the essence of Swiss Fine Watchmaking. Let’s take a look at it in detail.

Aesthetics and Design

The 37 mm case and the integrated bracelet in 18-carat white gold have been hand-finished with the usual alternation of satin-brushed and polished surfaces, typical of Audemars Piguet masterpieces. This workmanship is echoed by the bezel set with 32 baguette-cut diamonds for 2 carats.

The smoky blue dial with “Petite Tapisserie” motif expresses a distinctive touch of elegance, while the diamond indexes and the white gold “bagnoire” hands covered with a luminescent treatment recall the brand’s heritage.

It is right to include in the aesthetics also the flying tourbillon visible at 6 o’clock, the maximum expression of traditional haute horlogerie, all contained in an extra-thin case of just 8.1 mm thick.

Movement

The beating heart of this masterpiece is the self-winding Calibre 2968, equipped with a flying tourbillon, and just 3.4 mm thick. As is well known, invented by Abraham-Louis Breguet and patented in 1801, the tourbillon was created to counteract the effects of gravity on the precision of the mechanical movement in pocket watches, by rotating the balance wheel and escapement in a tiny cage that makes one rotation per minute.

Here with the presence of the flying variant of Helwig, the tourbillon is supported only by an arm that anchors it to the movement plate from below, ensuring that the rotations of the regulating organ on the dial are free from any visual obstacle.

This caliber is also equipped with a new peripheral escapement that according to the Maison would improve the distribution of energy, a fundamental characteristic for a tourbillon. From the sapphire caseback, the skeletonized bridges in rhodium reveal the symmetrical architecture of the movement, embellished with artisanal finishes such as the anglage and the contemporary traits tirés on the plate.

Price

The price of the Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Flying Tourbillon Automatic Extra-Thin 37 mm RD#3, which we will hardly ever see in Italy, is CHF240,000 excluding VAT.

Conclusion

In reality, being a 37mm version of the Flying Tourbillon RD#3 that appeared in 2022 for the fiftieth anniversary of the Royal Oak, it is not an absolute novelty and in fact despite the mechanical solutions always being cutting edge, AP has left the RD#3 acronym unchanged.

The faceted architecture of the 18K white gold case and bracelet, enhanced by the bezel with 32 baguette-cut diamonds, make it a sheik’s watch; I personally prefer the more sober previous Jumbo version.

The fumé blue dial with a “Petite Tapisserie” motif speaks volumes about the class of this variant, a masterpiece of watchmaking design and engineering, also intended for slim wrists (or why not, feminine ones) that expands the offer of complicated watches from the Le Locle manufacture.