Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Double Balance Wheel Openworked Frosted

Audemars Piguet‘s new Royal Oak Frosted Gold Double Balance Wheel Openworked 41 mm combines the largest-sized case with a multicoloured bezel, and most importantly, the twin-oscillator movement.

The calibre relies on twin balance wheels, each with its own hairspring, to average out positional errors and improve stability, making for better timekeeping over the long run. This mix of sparkly excess and mechanical achievement is rare, which sets the watch apart from its peers.

The white or yellow gold versions are the most appealing. Both colours go well with the rainbow bezel – the white has greater contrast – while the pink gold model is overly pink. The octagonal bezel is set with 32 baguette-cut gemstones of 12 different variations, including ruby, emerald, and sapphires in a range of colours.

The bright colours and finish of the bezel contrast against the granular, “diamond dust” case finish. It was inspired by a traditional hammered technique used by the city’s craftsmen, where a diamond-tipped graver removes tiny amounts of gold to create minuscule pivots on the case surface.

Developed together with a Florentine jeweller and debuted in 2016 on a ladies’ Royal Oak, the “Frosted” finish is now employed across the Royal Oak line, but mostly for ladies’ watches, making this 41 mm uncommon.

The calibre within is the cal. 3132, which is based on the workhorse cal. 3120. Its key feature is the double balance wheel secured by a full bridge visible at eight o’clock on the dial.

Both the balance bridge and wheels are plated to match the case colour, while the rest of the movement has been skeletonised in a geometric fashion and finished in the clean, precise style typical of Audemars Piguet.

The cal. 3132 in the 41 mm model is coated in NAC, giving it a dark grey finish that contrasts with the case and bezel. On the other hand, the movement in the 37 mm versions is plated in the same colour of gold as the case.

The tone-on-tone movement leaves the technical aesthetics less apparent, and instead makes the rainbow bezel the key visual element – an outcome that makes sense given that the smaller model will likely be a jewellery watch for ladies. Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Double Balance Wheel Openworked Frosted

The two new 37 mm additions in pink and yellow gold join the white gold model that has already been in the catalogue for several years.