The Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Concept replica has been around since 2002 and has been the canvas for some of the brand’s most avant-garde, futuristic-looking haute horology creations. It seemed to take the idea of the Royal Oak Offshore to an even more "xtreme" and "xperimental" place. Even among all the Royal Oaks and haute horology presented by Audemars Piguet for SIHH 2018, one could hardly overlook something as strange, bold, and exotic as the Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Concept Flying Tourbillon GMT 44mm replica 26589IO.OO.D002CA.01.
This is not the headline from the brand's breakthrough technology or new design in 2018, however it did introduce Audemars Piguet's first flying tourbillon making some design updates, which is the most recent inside a collection that's inherently polarizing and fascinating.
It may not be readily apparent what the "H, N, R" at 6 o'clock is for, but it simply indicates the crown setting. H is for the French heures (hours) where you can set the time, N is for neutre (neutral) when the crown is pushed all the way in, and R is for remontoir (winder) where you can wind the movement. In previous Royal Oak Concept Tourbillon GMT watches fakes, this was indicated by a hand. New for this watch is a disc indication that is a bit more elegantly integrated into the rest of the design. This will be simple for the user but obscure for the onlooker who will be presented with an impression of something that just looks generally technical and complicated.
Also new for the GMT/tourbillon Royal Oak Concept watches is the crown guard that incorporates the pusher at 4 o'clock – now changed up to be angular instead of round. That pusher advances the second time zone's disc by an hour. As a pedantic aside, I believe that in the most strict sense, watches denoted as "GMT" are "supposed to" display the second time zone in 24 hours, whereas this second time zone disc shows 12 hours.
This is not the headline from the brand's breakthrough technology or new design in 2018, however it did introduce Audemars Piguet's first flying tourbillon making some design updates, which is the most recent inside a collection that's inherently polarizing and fascinating.
Black Tourbillon Dial
Black sandblasted titanium was chosen this time for this Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Concept watch fake's central bridges, with polished and gold-toned facets – which is a cool touch, in my opinion. One can also see glimpses of Audemars Piguet’s (in-house, of course) 2954 movement through openings between the various indications. Besides the time and the tourbillon at 9 o’clock, there is the second time zone indicated via a disc at 3 o'clock with an aperture that kind of looks like one of those wide date displays that have, thankfully, mostly gone out of fashion. Partially revealed under smoked glass is the part of the disc not currently displaying the time.It may not be readily apparent what the "H, N, R" at 6 o'clock is for, but it simply indicates the crown setting. H is for the French heures (hours) where you can set the time, N is for neutre (neutral) when the crown is pushed all the way in, and R is for remontoir (winder) where you can wind the movement. In previous Royal Oak Concept Tourbillon GMT watches fakes, this was indicated by a hand. New for this watch is a disc indication that is a bit more elegantly integrated into the rest of the design. This will be simple for the user but obscure for the onlooker who will be presented with an impression of something that just looks generally technical and complicated.
Octagonally Faceted Bezel
The octagonally faceted bezel (still in ceramic) with its eight miraculously aligned screws most obviously ties the otherwise pretty distinctive Concept family to the broader Royal Oak collection. The case, on the other hand, is radically different from anything else at AP. Here, it is in sandblasted titanium. Its geometric facets – echoed in the bridges and other elements – remind me of a video mapping loop, an 8-bit mountain range, Kryton from the sci-fi britcom Red Dwarf, or perhaps a Linde Werdelin Octopus watch – all fine watch design inspirations. Audemars Piguet Flying Tourbillon GMT watch replica is 44mm wide, 16.1mm thick, and 100m water-resistant with a screw-down crown. The case is quite long, however, with a rubber strap that juts out from the lugs, so wrists that can otherwise accommodate a 44mm watch should beware of potential overhang.Also new for the GMT/tourbillon Royal Oak Concept watches is the crown guard that incorporates the pusher at 4 o'clock – now changed up to be angular instead of round. That pusher advances the second time zone's disc by an hour. As a pedantic aside, I believe that in the most strict sense, watches denoted as "GMT" are "supposed to" display the second time zone in 24 hours, whereas this second time zone disc shows 12 hours.
Calibre 2954
While the flying tourbillon provides plenty of dazzle and mechanical fascination on the dial side, it is not visible from the back of the watch. Here, you can see skeletonized bridges with mostly brushed and sandblasted finishing and more of the movement. One can also more clearly see the two barrels and their mainsprings that provide a grand 237 hours (about 10 days) of power reserve. Made of 348 parts and operating at 3Hz, the manually-wound Audemars Piguet calibre 2954 is "new" with its flying tourbillon but shares a lot in common with previous Royal Oak Concept Tourbillon GMT watches replica, including the same frequency and power reserve – so it is more of an evolution than something totally new. Its bridge design is different, however, and I believe that other changes include the way the crown position indicator functions more simply as a disc.
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