This Ultra-Collectible Watch Marries High Fashion with High-Complication Watchmaking
Audemars Piguet is known for taking risks while also being a torchbearer of traditional haute horlogerie. Since the introduction of the Royal Oak in 1972, the Swiss brand continued to push boundaries with its collaborations. (These days, any version of the Gérald Genta–designed piece of wrist iconography is so desirable yet so scarce it’s oft referred to by some Avatar-obsessed collectors as “Unobtanium”.) For a charter member of the so-called “Holy Trinity”, it’s perhaps to be expected. And the latest iteration on the octagonal-bezeled sport watch, the Royal Oak Concept Flying Tourbillon “Tamara Ralph” is proof of that.
Australian fashion designer Tamara Ralph partnered with Audemars Piguet in 2020 and has created a visually arresting Royal Oak concept that marries high fashion with high-complication watchmaking. Limited to 102 pieces, its 38.5mm, 18-karat frosted pink-gold case houses a flying tourbillon and a sculptural stepped dial with satin-finished brown, bronze, and gold discs.
Despite its glamo-futuristic aesthetic, under the hood, the piece is powered by the manually wound cal. 2964, a serious piece of handmade hardware which has a 72-hour power reserve. The tourbillon cage shimmers at six o'clock, thanks to an array of 19 white pavé diamonds. Ralph’s version of the Royal Oak, while sharing the same DNA of its 51-year-old, already stands alone, an icon unto itself.
Royal Oak Concept Flying Tourbillon “Tamara Ralph”, reference 26630OR.GG.D626CR.01
Material: 18k pink gold
Limited edition: 102 pieces
Caliber: 2964
Case Diameter: 38.5mm
Thickness: 11.9mm
Strap: Alligator strap with 18k gold folding clasp
audemarspiguet.com; price upon request.
Styled by Sonia Rentsch
This story originally appeared in the Summer 2024 issue of ELLE DECOR. SUBSCRIBE
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