Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Skeleton Perpetual Calendar watch

The Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Skeleton Perpetual Calendar watch is a visually enticing timepiece whose artistry and horological technique represent the highest echelon of the watchmaking arts. Within the classic form of the Royal Oak watch, which since 1972 has come to represent the finest example of the luxury sports category, Audemars Piguet offers a stunning perpetual calendar whose movement has been entirely skeletonized and hand engraved. Since its founding in 1875, exceptional complicated watches have been a calling card of the house of Audemars Piguet, with the perpetual calendar being a particular speciality. This complicated mechanism indicates day of the week, date, month, and the leap year cycle, automatically taking into account the varying length of months, as well as the 4-year cycle of February leap years.

In addition, a rotating moonphase disc shows the proper position of the moon as it waxes and wanes throughout the course of the 29.5 day cycle. The Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Skeleton Perpetual Calendar watch is animated by the distinguished AP 2120 caliber. This legendary movement, which first debuted in 1967, represented the thinnest movement ever created (2.45mm thick) with a central winding rotor. Displaying many remarkable features such as a ruby-roller borne ring to support the rotor, and a unique winding system which disengaged the auto-wind mechanism during hand winding to prevent wear, this caliber has built an extraordinary reputation for extremely fine quality.

Under the experienced hands of a master Audemars Piguet artisan, all excess metal in this fine movement gradually disappears, as it is reduced to only what is necessary to bear the complex structure of wheels, pinions, pawls, cams, and levers. After this, the remaining structure is finely polished, each edge being chamfered using the age-old technique of anglage. The countersunk screw and jewel settings are all painstakingly chamfered and the screws themselves display polish on both the top and sides. The winding rotor, which is also completely skeletonized, displays the Audemars Piguet initials in relief, and is extensively hand engraved with intricate patterns; it bears an engraved 21K gold segment on its outer edge which contributes to winding efficiency.

The Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Skeleton Perpetual Calendar watch displays the remarkable finishing that has long made the Royal Oak watch icon of horological luxury. Its case, bezel and bracelet together present well over 100 individual facets, each of which is carefully refined and finished by hand to present the unique contrast of brushed and polished surfaces. The eight-sided bezel, reminiscent of a ship's porthole encircles the wonderful transparent sapphire dial, and displays the characteristic white gold hexagonal screws, whose slots form a perfect circle. Audemars Piguet presents the Royal Oak Skeleton Perpetual Calendar watch in stainless steel, 950 platinum, or 18K gold (white, rose, and yellow). This stunning Royal Oak timepiece is a testament to the rare skills cultivated in the Audemars Piguet workshop in Le Brassus, Switzerland, and is sure to delight the most passionate aficionados of fine watchmaking.