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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.
The white gold hour-markers, white gold hands, counters, large date window 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.
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. The new Royal Oak Concept Split Second Chronograph GMT Large Date is no exception. This innovative timepiece sports a new 43 mm three-dimensional titanium case playing with textures, relief and light and a high-tech openworked dial display.
It is powered by a new cutting-edge selfwinding movement, Calibre 4407, which notably features a highly contemporary split-seconds flyback chronograph, whose complicated micro-mechanics takes centre stage on the caseback side.
In addition to introducing a new 43 mm case size, the titanium watch boasts a multifaceted design playing with contrasts and light that necessitated complex programming and manufacturing processes to strike the right balance between ergonomics and ultramodern design.
Sandblasted titanium inserts bring the case’s juxtaposition of angular and rounded geometries into bold relief. The sandblasted case is topped off with a satin-brushed octagonal bezel outlined with polished chamfers. The collection’s strong lines are amplified by the three-dimensional push-piece guards brazenly securing the black ceramic pushers at 2, 4 and 9 o'clock.
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 stylised case design of the Royal Oak Concept collection.
Unlike a regular chronograph, the flyback function allows to reset and restart the chronograph without having to stop it first, while the split-seconds mechanism measures intermediate time intervals thanks to the addition of a split-seconds hand that can be stopped independently of the chronograph hand.
Visible through the sapphire caseback, the split-seconds mechanism has been integrated within the thickness of the central rotor’s ball bearing. 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.
By giving centre stage to the split-seconds mechanism on the caseback side, the new Royal Oak Concept links past and future as pocket watches and hand-wound wristwatches commonly exhibit this beautiful mechanism.
The state-of-the-art watch 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. With its symmetrical inserts, the new interchangeable rubber strap provides a seamless continuity with the Royal Oak Concept's multidimensional, high-tech case design.
Since its launch in 2002, the Royal Oak Concept has pushed the limits of Haute Horlogerie craftsmanship by blending high technology mechanisms with avant-garde designs. This year, the new Royal Oak Concept explores new high-tech horizons with a cutting-edge take on the classic split-seconds complication.
The split-seconds hand made its debut at Audemars Piguet as early as 1882. 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. However, this complication was immensely rare in the Manufacture’s chronograph wristwatch offering in the 20th century.
In 1996, the split-seconds chronograph made its come back at Audemars Piguet, this time miniaturised to equip the Manufacture's first Grande Complication wristwatch alongside the minute repeater and the perpetual calendar, presented in the Jules Audemars collection. This watch was followed in 1997 by the first Royal Oak Grande Complication and in 2013 by the Royal Oak Offshore Grande Complication.
The miniaturisation of the split-seconds mechanism also led Audemars Piguet to explore other technical dimensions for the chronograph function. In 2015, the Manufacture released the patented Royal Oak Concept Laptimer, developed in collaboration with Michael Schumacher – the first mechanical watch capable of measuring consecutive lap times on the racetrack.
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 commercially produced advanced split-seconds mechanisms independent of the Manufacture’s Grande Complication production.
Royal Oak Concept Split Seconds Chronograph GMT
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