2023-09-13 22:04:11
The Swiss Haute Horlogerie manufacturer Audemars Piguet continues its exploration of materials by unveiling two new versions of the Royal Oak Minute Repeater Supersonnerie made for the first time in black ceramic
Presenting a refined aesthetic, the timepiece is contrasted by subtle details made in white gold. Equipped with the latest version of the Supersonnerie manufacture mechanism and powered by the patented manually wound minute repeater movement, Caliber 2953, these two pieces offer high-end acoustic performance that transcends the acoustic conductivity of ceramic. By combining a very contemporary design with state-of-the-art technology, these two models open up a new technical and aesthetic horizon for the Royal Oak collection.
The elegance of black
For the first time, Audemars Piguet is enlivening its Royal Oak Minute Repeater Supersonnerie with a version dressed in black ceramic, incorporating for the occasion a solid case back also made of this material. Pierced with numerous openings on the side – allowing sound amplification when the watch is worn – the back embodies the meticulous craftsmanship and finishing work carried out on the ceramic aimed at magnifying its nuances and revealing the multifaceted geometry of the case of the Royal Oak.
The ceramic used here contains zirconium oxide powder (Z2O) associated with a binder. It only reveals its final uniform color once sintered at more than 1000°C. Each component is then pre-polished and pre-satined before being finished by hand using the alternation of polished and satin-finished chamfers, a signature of the Manufacture. Finally, the solid back is engraved with sound waves which materialize the incredible acoustic performance delivered by the Supersonnerie mechanism.
The monochrome aesthetic of the timepieces is extended by the black dial with the Grande Tapisserie pattern, completed with a flange and the snailed small seconds counter at 6 o’clock. The first version is adorned with white gold hour markers with luminescent coating, while the second model is set with 13 baguette-cut diamond indexes offering a dazzling contrast. Both versions feature luminescent white gold Royal Oak hands, guaranteeing optimal readability. The different white gold elements of the dial echo the eight hexagonal screws which secure the octagonal bezel to the case.
Each piece is offered with a black rubber strap enhanced with titanium studs and finished with a new three-blade AP folding clasp, also in titanium.
Royal Oak Minute Repeater Supersonnerie © Audemars Piguet
The alliance of ceramic and acoustic performance
These two new Royal Oak Supersonnerie Minute Repeaters merge technical complexity and aesthetic attention to detail. They are powered by the Manufacture’s very latest hand-wound minute repeater movement, Caliber 2953. The latter combines advanced technology and a high level of traditional finishing. Despite the moderate sound conductivity of ceramic, these two pieces guarantee remarkable acoustic performance thanks to the Supersonnerie system unveiled by the Manufacture in 2015.
Developed by Audemars Piguet and launched in the Royal Oak Concept collection, the Supersonnerie mechanism gives these new Minute Repeater models a sonic power generally associated with pocket watches. This patented technology is the result of eight years of research in collaboration with the École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL). Inspired by the sound capacity of ancient repeating watches as well as the harmony of musical instruments, a panel of watchmakers, technicians, researchers and musicians reinvented the construction of the case to develop a new striking technology.
The acoustic power, sound quality and harmonic tones of the Supersonnerie are ensured by patented timbres and box architecture. The gongs are not fixed on the turntable, but on a new device acting as a soundboard which improves the transmission of vibrations and amplifies the intensity of the sound. Coupled with a solid caseback with multiple small side openings to let air escape, the titanium membrane allows the notes of the minute repeater to resonate perfectly when the watch is worn on the wrist, regardless of the materials used for the components of the room’s cladding.
Indeed, the acoustics of Supersonnerie technology are such that Audemars Piguet has been able to fit it into multiple varieties of materials throughout its collections, from titanium to 950 platinum, including white or pink gold. 18ct – each variation offering its own power and tone. This year, the Manufacture pushed its acoustic experiments even further by unveiling its very first Supersonnerie Minute Repeater models in black ceramic. Even the bottoms of the boxes, which play an essential acoustic role by acting as a resonance chamber with the Supersonnerie membrane, are made of black ceramic. Since the titanium membrane to which the gongs are attached amplifies the sound transmission of the ceramic, the result is a powerful, crystal-clear sound.
A contemporary homage to the past
Since its birth in 1875, Audemars Piguet has specialized in chiming watches by creating very complex Grande Sonnerie, Petite Sonnerie and Minute Repeater mechanisms. According to records, more than half of the 1,625 watches produced between 1882 and 1892 included a striking mechanism. This productivity can be explained by the remarkable skills of the craftsmen then working for the Manufacture in a dozen workshops spread across the Vallée de Joux.
While the production of striking pocket watches never stopped at Audemars Piguet, that of striking wristwatches became rarer during the 20th century. Between 1892 and 1957, the Manufacture produced 35 wristwatches equipped with a minute repeater. During the 1960s, striking mechanisms were only intended for pocket watches. It was not until the 1990s that chiming wristwatches reappeared within the Manufacture following the rebirth of other classic complications in the aftermath of the quartz crisis. Minute repeater movements made their debut in the Royal Oak collection in 1997 with the launch of the first Royal Oak Grande Complication bringing together a minute repeater, a perpetual calendar and a split-seconds chronograph.
Appearing in 2015 within a Royal Oak Concept, Supersonnerie technology was then gradually extended to the Royal Oak collection in 2019 with a Supersonnerie Minute Repeater entirely in titanium. Other variations in titanium, platinum or a combination of the two were then presented. Today, Audemars Piguet continues to push the boundaries of watchmaking further by combining centuries-old know-how and cutting-edge technology with uncompromising design, embodied by these two new black ceramic variations of the Royal Oak Minute Repeater Supersonnerie.
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