As the women’s Royal Oak celebrates its 40th anniversary, Audemars Piguet unveils the Royal Oak Frosted Gold. A collaboration with jewellery designer Carolina Bucci, this contemporary timepiece is rooted in an ancient Florentine technique.
The Royal Oak Frosted Gold enriches Audemars Piguet’s tradition of experimenting with jewellery techniques. It embodies a singular, elegant design while retaining the bold character of the Royal Oak.
You have added nothing to the watch, nor subtracted anything – just altered the surface of the gold to make it sparkle when catching the light.
The defining feature of this watch is its shimmer, which comes from a process rooted in ancient gold hammering, known as the Florentine technique. Beating the gold with a diamond tipped tool creates tiny indentations on the surface, giving a sparkle effect similar to that of precious stones, like diamond dust.
It took great effort and months of trial and error to alter the surface of the gold in such a way that it sparkles when catching the light, while retaining the soft, clean lines that define the Royal Oak’s form. Such a delicate balance is difficult to achieve: nothing is added, nothing is removed, yet the watch is transformed.
