In praise of forged carbon

Audemars Piguet experimented with carbon watch parts in the 1980s and developed a keen sense for the material’s potential. Forged carbon is the registered brand of an aeronautical company in the region of Lyon, France. The idea of using carbon for the case or other elements of the watch originated in a meeting between the Swiss manufacturer and Vincent Duqueine, head of the French company.

To take advantage of this material, Audemars Piguet developed extensive know-how, from manufacturing to equipment, based on the forging method employed in aeronautics. “The  process utilized in aeronautics isn’t suitable for watchmaking because it is intended for very large pieces. We have kept the same philosophy but have modified the technique for heating and cooling the molds,” explains Yves Leuba, head of Audemars Piguet’s forged carbon department.  The first model featuring forged carbon, the Royal Oak Offshore Alinghi Team, came out in 2007.

Forged carbon has obvious qualities: it is very resistant, while remaining very light. From an aesthetic point of view, its marbled effect, satiny and soft to the touch, is particularly prized. “The Royal Oak Offshore Alinghi timepiece in gold weighs about 461 grams, whereas the model in forged carbon weighs no more than 92 grams,” explains Leuba. The specialist adds that each watch is unique because the carbon fibers are distributed in a random manner in the mold. “When the material is compressed under heating, it evolves in an unpredictable way.”

Based on this success, other models in forged carbon have followed, such as the Millenary Carbon One and the Royal Oak Offshore Grand Prix Chronograph, presented at the Salon International de la Haute Horlogerie in 2010.