The history of the use of black ceramics by Audemars Piguet is quite extensive. The first external components honed from ceramics made their debut at Audemars Piguet in the late 1980s. In the early 2000s, new materials and alloys inspired by technical fields as diverse as aeronautics and automotive sports made their way into the watchmaking industry, the Royal Oak Offshore and Royal Oak Concept collections being perfect platforms to experiment with these high-tech materials. In 2006, the Manufacture released the Royal Oak Offshore Rubens Barrichello Chronograph II, the first Audemars Piguet watch to present a black ceramic bezel complemented with matching push-pieces and crown. In 2009, Audemars Piguet released a 37 mm Royal Oak Offshore for the smaller wrists featuring a forged carbon case, topped off with a black ceramic bezel set with diamonds for a more feminine touch.
In 2011, the Manufacture went a step further, presenting its first black ceramic case with the Royal Oak Offshore Arnold Schwarzenegger The Legacy Chronograph. With its 48 mm diameter, this extreme and ultra-resistant sports watch presented a bold, yet sophisticated style of its own. Then, black ceramics took on a more refined look when it made its appearance in the Royal Oak collection in 2017 with the first all-black ceramic Royal Oak Perpetual Calendar in a case diameter of 41 mm. For the first time in the Manufacture’s history, the watch also presented a bracelet fully crafted in black ceramics, enhancing the collection’s silhouette and hand-finishing techniques. This model was complemented with a white ceramic version a year later. Other Royal Oak complications dressed in black ceramics followed, including the Royal Oak Tourbillon Chronograph Openworked from 2018, the Royal Oak Perpetual Calendar Openworked from 2019, the Royal Oak Tourbillon Extra-Thin also from 2019, as well the Royal Oak Double Balance Wheel Openworked from last year 2020.
Today, a new 34 mm Royal Oak in black ceramic paves the way for multifaceted mechanical timepieces conceived for the slenderest wrists, combining high-tech materials with timeless chic. The Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Black Ceramic 34 mm ref. 77350CE.OO.1266CE.01 is the first Royal Oak for the smaller wrists fully crafted in black ceramics. The sleek aesthetics of this black model in 34 mm is enhanced with pink gold accents for a refined two-tone contrast. Timeless and versatile, the black hues will seamlessly complement the unique style of its wearer.
Black ceramics’ aesthetic beauty also lies in its technical complexity, each ceramic model requiring dedicated manufacturing and hand-finishing processes. Due to its 34 mm diameter, the composition and manufacturing of this unyielding material had to be adapted to the watch’s diminutive size, without compromising on the Royal Oak’s proportions, aesthetic codes and finishing techniques.
Zirconium Oxide —ZrO2— powder, mixed with dedicated binder content is transformed into ceramics through a complex industrial flow requiring different stages of high-precision machining. The exact composition of ceramics remains the secret of its manufacturers. Pigments of colors are added to the powder before the manufacturing process, making it an integral part of the material. The components achieve their final color only once they have been sintered —the process of coalescing a powdered material into a solid or porous mass by means of heating without liquefaction— at more than 1400 degrees Celsius. Reaching a homogeneous colour across all components represents an additional challenge as pigments are extremely sensitive to temperature variations.
Each ceramic component is pre-polished and pre-satin-brushed, before being finished by hand with the Manufacture’s trademarked alternation of satin-brushing and polished chamfers. This light, yet ultra-resistant and scratchproof material protects the movement like an armor, while the detailed hand finishing embellishes the case and bracelet with an ever-changing play of light.
The depth and intensity of black ceramics is illuminated by scintillating pink gold accents. Eight hexagonal screws, exceptionally crafted in 18-carat pink gold, secure the bezel to the case, while bringing a subtle touch of colour. Each has been meticulously finished by hand.
The dial’s guilloché design —one of the Royal Oak’s trademarks— is achieved following an in-house know-how no longer taught in horology school. Little squares are carved out on the dial’s thin metal plate by an engraving machine dating back to the 1970s that reproduces the motif of a pattern. Small diamond shapes are simultaneously cut out in the thin grooves separating the squares in a seamless weave that creates a tapestry appearance. This process requires utmost dexterity and precision.
Powering the new Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Black Ceramic 34 mm ref. 77350CE.OO.1266CE.01 is the AP automatic movement, calibre 5800 that has been conceived for the Royal Oak’s 34 mm line and which was unveiled last year. This calibre features 50 hours of power reserve and a pink gold oscillating weight. The movement is visible through the watch’s sapphire titanium caseback.
Sticker Price $45,200 USD. For more info on Audemars Piguet click here.
