Audemars Piguet

Audemars Piguet’s Royal Oak Concept (CW1) was released in 2002 for the 30th anniversary of the legendary Royal Oak model – an exploration of what the brand believed the Royal Oak could look like in the future, and it was made in only 150 examples.

The Royal Oak Concept watch’s 44mm case is made from Alacrite 602, an innovative and resilient alloy consisting of cobalt, chrome, tungsten, and traces of carbon, silicon, and iron, with purposes in the aerospace industry and medical applications. To date, it appears that Alacrite was only used for this model, never again used for any other watch from any other brand.

The movement, caliber 2896, was developed for Audemars by the esteemed movement makers Renaud & Papi, with base plates and bridges made from titanium, and features a tourbillon escapement positioned to the left displayed through a semi-skeletonized dial. The dial has, at 12 o’clock, its ‘dynamograph display’, which indicates the quality of the torque in the mainspring, and at three is the linear power reserve indicator. At 6 o’clock is the function selector display – “R” for remontoir (winding), “N” for neutre (neutral), and “H” for heures (hours, or time-setting). The button in the case at four activates the function selector; the crown does not need to be pulled to adjust the time, and at nine is the tourbillon with its eye-catching tourbillon bridge in spark-eroded titanium.