Simply Abu Dhabi XXXI

1 1 6 S I M P LY A B U DH A B I 1 1 6 S I M P LY A B U DH A B I T he Royal Oak Concept range was launched by Audemars Piguet back in 2002 and it’s where the brand gets to flex its avant-garde muscles. As the famous brand slogan says, ‘To break the rules, you must first master them.’ The Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Concept Tourbillon GMT first emerged in 2011 and this is the natural evolution—and the Audemars Piguet’s first flying tourbillon—so called because the tourbillon is suspended from beneath without any bridges to obscure the view, meaning it has the appearance of floating. The proprietary calibre 2954 is the same as used in the preceding Royal Oak Concept Tourbillon GMTs but a significant difference is seen here with the central bridges. Whereas formerly they were made of ceramic, now we find sandblasted black titanium highlighted by pink gold-toned polished angles. Another difference is found with the HNR crown position indicator. The small hand used in previous models is replaced with a disc for better integration into the new movement aesthetics. The H, N and R found at 6 o’clock is French for 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 manual movement. The movement, which is comprised of 348 parts, is just visible through the dial in the subtlest skeletonized effect. Besides the time and the tourbillon at 9 o’clock, a second time zone is seen via a disc at 3 o’clock. There is also an impressive 10 days' power reserve. The overall aesthetic is that of arresting architecture: it’s evocative of ultra-modern skyscrapers, except in place of glass and steel we see sandblasted titanium and black ceramic. It is presented on a black rubber strap with sandblasted titaniumAP folding clasp and there’s also an additional black alligator strap included with the $172,500 price tag. AUdEMARS PIGUET ROYAL OAK CONCEPT F L Y I N G T O U R B I L L O N G M T