Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Ultra Thin Tourbillon

The Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Selfwinding Flying Tourbillon Extra-Thin RD#3, reference 26670ST.OO.1240ST.01 (if you can keep 20-character alphanumeric reference numbers in short- and long-term memory, bless you, because I can’t) landed with maybe a little less impact than it deserved when it launched last April. There are probably several reasons why. First of all, I think a lot of us were still suffering from a bit of Royal Oak overload from the announcement of the ref. 16202 Jumbo when it launched in January, along with several other models (including a non-Jumbo flying tourbillon). Secondly, the Jumbo Tourbillon RD#3 appeared in the context of a larger world in which Bulgari more or less owns the community mindshare of ultra-thin self-winding tourbillons.
The Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Selfwinding Flying Tourbillon Extra-Thin RD#3, reference 26670ST.OO.1240ST.01 (if you can keep 20-character alphanumeric reference numbers in short- and long-term memory, bless you, because I can’t) landed with maybe a little less impact than it deserved when it launched last April. There are probably several reasons why. First of all, I think a lot of us were still suffering from a bit of Royal Oak overload from the announcement of the ref. 16202 Jumbo when it launched in January, along with several other models (including a non-Jumbo flying tourbillon). Secondly, the Jumbo Tourbillon RD#3 appeared in the context of a larger world in which Bulgari more or less owns the community mindshare of ultra-thin self-winding tourbillons.
Officially only the third ever ceramic Royal Oak, the new Royal Oak Tourbillon Extra-Thin follows 2017’s Perpetual Calendar and the wild Tourbillon Chronograph Openworked in offering that iconic Royal Oak form in a modern material like ceramic. Sized to 41mm just like the ceramic QP, this new hand-wound model rocks a large tourbillon cut into the six o’clock position of the “Tapisserie Evolutive” dial pattern.
Most of you are well aware that the Royal Oak, Audemars Piguet’s emblematic and (probably) most crucial watch ever, celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2022. An array of new models were launched for the occasion, with the star of the show being the new Jumbo Extra-Thin 16202ST. Another watch, launched a couple of months later, didn’t really get the attention it deserved… Maybe it was the overload of new RO watches at the beginning of the year? However, the Royal Oak Selfwinding Flying Tourbillon Extra-Thin RD#3 is a watch with a lot of interest. Why? Because it’s everything we love about a classic Royal Oak Jumbo, but fitted with a tourbillon. And it also shows that AP can be discreet, elegant, and technical and still has a word or two to say when it comes to extra-thin watchmaking.