Whenever a highly-regarded luxury watchmaker releases something new, it’s often exclusively limited to a few examples. This means buyers should act fast to not miss out on these releases. As luck would have it, Audemars Piguet recently announced its 2024 lineup for the iconic Royal Oak line and the Selfwinding Flying Tourbillon Openworked easily became our favorite.
Given the team’s obsession with understated aesthetics, we typically prefer darker hues and tonal colorways. What made us swoon over reference 26735SG.OO.1320SG.01 is its muted golden sheen. AP tells us it’s “the very first timepiece crafted in sand gold, a new 18-carat gold alloy conferring rich plays of light.”
To give you an idea, its metallic surfaces dynamically shift between pink gold and white gold as it moves along with your wrist. The 18-carat sand gold case measures 41 mm x 10.6 mm and flaunts a stunning combination of brushed and polished finishes which helps the Royal Oak Selfwinding Flying Tourbillon Openworked dazzle the crowd.
Its showstopping attributes continue as the layered skeleton dial is intentionally exposed beneath glare-proof sapphire crystals on both ends. This allows us to marvel at the sophisticated movement behind its timekeeping duties and the mesmerizing motion of its flying tourbillon.
Although we would have loved it if AP went full tonal with the Royal Oak Selfwinding Flying Tourbillon Openworked, the applied hour markers and hands are rendered in white gold. Meanwhile, low-light visibility comes from the luminescent coat on the spines of said hardware.
In charge of everything is the in-house Calibre 2972. Comprised of 271 components and 27 jewels, it beats a frequency of 3 Hz (21,600 vph) with a 65-hour power reserve. The Royal Oak Selfwinding Flying Tourbillon Openworked flaunts a matching 18-carat sand gold bracelet with an AP folding clasp closure.
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Images courtesy Audemars Piguet
