Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Openworked Flying Tourbillon in SAND GOLD 26735SG
Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Selfwinding Flying Tourbillon Openworked 26735SG.OO.1320SG.01
Before we begin, if you’ve ever heard me declare that if I could have just “one watch” this would be it, disregard it immediately because THIS IS THE ONE!
It is the utterly fantastic and undeniably beautiful AP Royal Oak Flying Tourbillon Openworked in the brands all new precious metal - Sand Gold.
What fresh alchemy is this, then?
Sand gold is an all-new 18 carat AP alloy made by mixing gold, palladium, and copper to create a metal that is nothing short of spectacular, while at the same time being quite tricky to describe.
It’s almost like somebody tipped pink champagne over something distinctly titanium to give a warm rose tinted grey that is subtle, and not remotely overpowering in the same way as “other” gold can sometimes be.
Audemars describes it as hovering between white and rose gold, and while that’s an exceptionally close description, it doesn’t really do the alloy full justice as in the metal it is both very strange, and very attractive indeed.
It changes colour in different lights and on some occasions looks virtually identical to steel, while at other times it appears almost to take on the iridescence of a golden south sea pearl.
I’m pretty sure that this description helps absolutely nobody so I’m going to have to flake out slightly and say, just look at this thing!
With the exception of the bright white super-luminova lending its glow in low light, the watch is entirely monochromatic.
The frame and rehaut of the gloriously three-dimensional openworked dial is sand gold to match the case and bracelet, while the hands and indices are white gold to match the bolts. The tourbillon and visible movement gear trains are steel.
The only colour deviation from the sand and white metal theme are the jewels, which scatter glints of ruby across the landscape.
Aesthetically, it’s an absolute treat of a dial and the finishing is superb.
There is a mix of horizontal and vertical brushing, sun-ray finishing and mirror polished chamfers cut into the frame with absolute precision.
There is so much detail here and without the interference of any other colours or additional flourishes, the workmanship is laid bare through the dial and honestly, chefs kiss level craftsmanship is on display throughout.
It is the kind of openwork that you could stare at for hours and discover something new with every inspection, the only thing you’re unlikely to notice is the time, which almost becomes irrelevant when viewing this watch.
Speaking of time, however, gives me a chance to move on to the star of the show sitting at the bottom of the dial around 6 - the Flying Tourbillon.
Named “flying” because it is supported only from below and minus any upper bridge to obscure the spectacle as it rotates on its axis.
The tourbillon - derived from the French word for “Whirlwind” - exists for two reasons -
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To counteract gravity which could potentially affect timekeeping.
On a fixed plane balance wheel and escapement found on a “regular” watch, positional variation and gravity can create drag, which in turn can affect accuracy.
A tourbillon is a balance wheel in a freely spinning cage which constantly changes direction so is theoretically unlikely to suffer from positional deviations. - To look the absolute nuts, and because AP can.
Powering the watch is the self-winding 27 jewelled caliber 2972 which has a 65 hour power reserve and can be viewed in all its glory through the sapphire case-back that features a similarly skeletonised rotor so as not to disrupt your viewing pleasure.
The construction and calibre of the case is pure AP Royal Oak and its finishing matches that of the dial with vertical brushing along the bezel, case and bracelet which has been sculpted and lifted with mirror polished chamfers.
This is a standard 41mm piece which is nice and slim at 10.6mm with water resistance of 50mm. Due to the integrated bracelet it does wear a little larger than its 41mm suggests as it is around 50mm long all-in, which is the same with all “standard size” Royal Oaks. Think of it as you would a 43mm piece.
Although the design is, always has been, and always will be brutalist in its nature. It is softened by both its quality of finish, and in this case, the sandy gold tone of the metal.
It is sheer and unadulterated laid-back luxury in a completely new alloy.
I suspect that sand-gold will become “the next big thing” for AP, and personally I can’t wait to see what else they do with it.