Introducing: Introducing The Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Concept GMT Tourbillon (Pre-SIHH 2014)

November 26, 2013

It's getting to be that time of year again - SIHH is just around the corner. That means you're about to see a veritable bevy of the new hotness hit on the 'Dinkee.? We'll start with a new one from Audemars Piguet - the new Royal Oak Concept GMT with a dose of remarkable white ceramic.? And that's not just on the case, either.? The Royal Oak Concept line is something of a skunk-works line within Audemars Piguet, pushing design and materials further than you'll see in traditional products.? Launched in 2008, the Concept has taken on a life of its own within the collecting world, and this latest addition will certainly get a few hard-core AP guys' juices flowing.? The Concept GMT Tourbillon for 2014 not only features a twin-barrel, manually wound, completely in-house movement with tourbillon and GMT, but for the first time, a white ceramic upper plate, in addition to bezel, crown, and pushers.?The white ceramic is almost totally scratchproof and requires special diamond-tipped machines to cut.? In fact, it takes over 8 hours to create this ceramic bezel, while a normal steel bezel would take around 45 minutes.? The 44mm case is made of titanium, which is then hardened by anodisation.?? The 10-day movement is just remarkable to look at, and this new AP Concept again displays their strength in materials engineering.More on this one here.