Limited Edition: The Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Carolina Bucci
With the 50th anniversary of the flagship model of Audemars Piguet, the Royal Oak, the Swiss luxury watch manufacturer, launched the Royal Oak Carolina Bucci. Although Audemars Piguet released plenty of watches this year, including the highly awaited anniversary Jumbo, nothing comes close to the all black ceramic Royal Oak Audemars Piguet produced in collaboration with the Italian jewelry designer Carolina Bucci. With the launch of the Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Carolina Bucci Ref. 77350CE.OO.1266CE.02.A, Carolina Bucci made her third collaboration with Audemars Piguet. Carolina Bucci is famous among the Audemars Piguet fans for her sparkling frosted gold cases. For this watch, the Italian designer transformed the iconic "Guilloché Tapisserie" design that Gerald Genta used when Audemars Piguet first launched the Royal Oak back in 1972. Bucci used an ever-changing iridescent rainbow dial, and here we have the all-new Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Carolina Bucci. Let us now discuss the new limited edition watch in detail.
Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Carolina Bucci Ref. 77350CE.OO.1266CE.02.A
From Stainless Steel To Frosted Gold And Rainbows:
Since it first launched in 1972, the Royal Oak became the precursor for other luxury sports watches in the industry. Although the Royal Oak has seen changes with changing times, it has never lost its soul with its octagonal bezel, exposed screws, steel bracelet, and a tapisserie guilloché dial. Over the years, the Royal Oak has been revisited in different case materials; for example, in 2021, AP launched an all black ceramic Royal Oak. In 2016, with the 40th anniversary of the women's Royal Oak, Carolina Bucci created a frosted gold case. Since then, the frosted gold has become a desired part of the Royal Oak inventory.
The Dial:
With the Ref. 77350CE.OO.1266CE.02.A, Carolina Bucci interpreted the tapisserie of Gerald Genta's original Royal Oak design in 1972 in a more contemporary way. The Italian designer used a modern technique to engrave small squares on a sapphire disc. Then the small squares were coated with a thin film of gold by metallization. The sapphire disc with the tapisserie pattern is placed on a black brass plate. The sapphire disc then acts like a prism and creates a spectrum of constantly-changing colors of the rainbow by refracting light.
Moreover, the dial features applied pink gold indices and hands. The brand name "Audemars Piguet" is engraved on the sapphire plate and filled with white lacquer. Further, both the pink gold hour markers and hands are coated with lume.
Another remarkable fact about the dial is that each design is unique as the pattern of iridescent colors varies from dial to dial.
Black Ceramic Case And Bracelet:
The ever-changing colors of the dial added with the black ceramic case and bracelet add to the personality of this watch. The 34 mm case is slim with a thickness of 9 mm. There are eight pink gold screws on the bezel and a pink gold insert in the crown.
The bracelet has also seen changes as the pins that connect the links to the studs are integrated directly into the studs and are no longer visible from the side. The black ceramic bracelet has an Audemars Piguet folding clasp.
The Movement:
The Ref. 77350CE.OO.1266CE.02.A features Calibre 5800, which is produced by high-end movement manufacturer, Vaucher. This Calibre can be seen from the sapphire opening on the titanium caseback of this watch. The Calibre 5800 is an automatic ultra-slim movement with a power reserve of circa 50 hours. The titanium section of the caseback has "Limited Edition Carolina Bucci" engraved on it.
This Audemars Piguet watch is limited to only 300 pieces. You can purchase this watch for a price of more than $120,000.
Conclusion:
The Ref. 77350CE.OO.1266CE.02.A is a stunningly exciting timepiece. It revisits a famous recent Royal Oak and also interprets the style and design of the Royal Oak in an innovative yet beautiful way. Although it has a contemporary vibe, it still does not lose the soul of the Royal Oak Gerald Genta, initially designed in 1972. Further, the partnership of Audemars Piguet and Carolina Bucci is a sign of more women entering the luxury watchmaking industry. The increasing number of women in the luxury watchmaking industry would lead to an expansion in creativity, innovation, and design. It would ultimately lead to more such pieces entering the industry we love.
