Royal Oak Carbon Concept Tourbillon and Chronograph A date with the future! A pioneer in the use of new materials, the Manufacture Audemars Piguet once again blazes a new trail with its Royal Oak Carbon Concept Tourbillon and Chronograph. Already the first and only watch company to master forged carbon technology, the Manufacture in Le Brassus is taking a further step by presenting the first watch equipped with both a case and movement in carbon. Lightness and sturdiness are the keynotes of this exceptional timepiece, since along with carbon, forged carbon and the amorphous carbon coating, its materials also include ceramics, titanium and eloxed aluminium. In terms of its display, this model features an entirely original linear chronograph minute counter. The Royal Oak Carbon Concept Tourbillon and Chronograph doubtless prefigures the future of watchmaking. Always one step ahead In 2002, for the 30th anniversary of the Royal Oak collection, Audemars Piguet presented a concept watch, the Royal Oak Concept, which caused a sensation. Today, the Manufacture in Le Brassus goes one step further and unveils the Royal Oak Carbon Concept Tourbillon and Chronograph. This ultra-light timepiece is the first to combine a carbon case and movement – and to incorporate the intrinsic complexity of the 384-part Calibre 2895 tourbillon chronograph movement.
The exterior of the Royal Oak Carbon Concept Tourbillon and Chronograph reflects the scope of the developments implied in this project. Forged carbon was chosen to clothe the case middle of this concept edition. While this material is widely used in the aviation industry for large-sized components, Audemars Piguet is the first company to have adapted it to the diminutive size of watch parts, as well as to the aesthetic demands of Haute Horlogerie. The Royal Oak signature bezel is crafted in ceramics, as are the pushpieces and the crown. The latter is enhanced with the AP initials and features the distinctive characteristic of systematically positioning these two letters horizontally when it is fully locked. Meanwhile, the ring surrounding the caseback is secured by eight screws with an exclusive design and made from PVD blackened titanium. Nor is the movement to be outdone when it comes to materials. The mainplate is made of carbon and the central bridge from green eloxed aluminium. On the caseback side, the bridges are black PVD-coated, while the control and coupling levers are black PVD-coated in relief and embellished with a hand-drawn metal-coloured rim. The two power-reserve cones are clad in an amorphous carbon coating, as are the inserts decorating the openworked zones at 6 and 12 o’clock. Meanwhile, the tourbillon carriage with its unusual design – composed of more than 70 parts weighing just 0.45 grams – is treated to a two-tone black PVD and steel finish. The sheer complexity of Calibre 2895 The exclusive hand-wound Audemars Piguet Calibre 2895 is composed of 384 parts. Housed within its futuristic “coachwork”, it combines a tourbillon, a chronograph and a twin-barrel system ensuring a 237-hour power reserve. It features central hour and minute hands, a power-reserve indicator at 12 o’clock, a selection indicator at 6 o’clock, a central chronograph sweep seconds hand, and a linear chronograph minute counter. Ingenuity is the hallmark of Calibre 2895 Calibre 2895 incorporates a rapid-rotation twin-barrel system – with a number of turns restricted to 19.75 – guaranteeing constant force throughout the 237 hours of autonomy and thus enhancing its timekeeping qualities. In actual fact, the full power reserve available thanks to the two series-coupled barrels amounts to around 290 hours. However, an ingenious locking system – in the low and high winding-level zones – concentrates the running time on a 237-hour period, thereby ensuring optimal operation. The 19.75 winding turns of each barrel – a well above-average number – are made possible by the use of a particularly thin spring.
The power-reserve display at 12 o’clock benefits from two other developments that guarantee reliable and accurate display thanks to perfect adjustment. The power-reserve indication with transmission via an inverted double cone was developed by Audemars Piguet in 1885. The Manufacture adapted this system to the wristwatch, thus enabling extremely accurate adjustment of the amplitude of the indicator hand. A beryllium copper cone coated in amorphous carbon moves up and down the barrel-arbor according to the degree of winding of the watch; when the position is low, the barrel is fully wound, and vice versa. In contact with this mobile cone, a second cone, also coated in amorphous carbon, picks up this information to transmit it to the power-reserve indicator hand at 12 o’clock. The amorphous carbon coating on both cones guarantees the finest tribological properties between the two. In order to ensure a precise indication of the power reserve and perfect security in case of sudden impacts or movements, an unprecedented double rack-and-pinion system guarantees permanent winding of the hand, and thus its precision. Finally, Calibre 2895 also features a selection indicator mechanism. According to the position of the winding stem, the hand positioned on the dial at 6 o’clock indicates the function selected. The H, N and R indications correspond to the three positions of the winding stem, meaning neutral (N), winding (R) and time-setting (H). Avant-garde design and linear counter While Haute Horlogerie generally seeks to unveil as much as possible of the mechanism and its gears, the Royal Oak Carbon Concept Tourbillon and Chronograph prides itself first and foremost on the avant-garde design of its materials. It reveals only the key components of the movement: the tourbillon carriage and the nerve centre of the chronograph, the column wheel. In keeping with this spirit, the absence of dial provides a spectacular view of the carbon mainplate, itself enlivened by the double symmetry of the tourbillon bridges and minute counter on the one hand (at 9 and 3 o’clock), the power-reserve and selection indicator “dial-bridges” on the other (at 12 and 6 o’clock). The same geometry is revealed through the openworked bridges on the caseback side, providing a glimpse of the tourbillon and chronograph mechanisms as well as the column wheel. The striking contrast between the green colour of the central bridge and the black of the baseplate, as well as the bridges, also deserves to be underscored. In addition to the magic of the constantly moving tourbillon, the Royal Oak Carbon Concept Tourbillon and Chronograph is distinguished by its linear chronograph minute counter. Specially developed by Audemars Piguet, this unprecedented 30-minute chronograph counter consists of a double vertical scale (tens of minutes from 1 to 2; minute units from 0 to 9). The elapsed minutes in the chronograph mode are read off through dedicated openings on the counter bridge. The elapsed time is indicated by these openings shifting from white to black. The dominating overall impression is that of an ultra-modern design combining technical sophistication and resistance, once again reflecting the extreme daring of the Manufacture. A spirit clearly reminiscent of Audemars Piguet’s world-first use of steel in a high-end watch. That was back in 1972 and the newcomer was none other than the Royal Oak! Press release | 
Technical specifications Royal Oak Carbon Concept
Tourbillon and Chronograph Reference
26265FO.OO.D002CR.01 Movement
Calibre: 2895, hand-wound with tourbillon
Total diameter: 151/3 lignes (34.60 mm)
Casing-diameter: 33.80 mm
Thickness: 12.01 mm
34 jewels
384 parts
Power reserve: 237 hours
Cadence of the balance:
21,600 vibrations per hour
Finishing: hand-polished bevelling, sides
hand-drawn with a file, matt surface, sapphire-blasted
Carbon mainplate, eloxed aluminium bridges Case
Forged carbon
Ceramic bezel
Caseback ring in black PVD-coated titanium
Diameter: 44 mm
Total thickness: 15.85 mm
Sapphire crystal caseback
Water-resistance: 100 m Display
Integrated onto the movement
Graduated dial ring with luminescent hour-markers
and white minute markers
Openworked luminescent hour and minute hands Strap
Hand-sewn alligator leather with large square scales,
AP folding clasp in titanium Functions
Hours and minutes
Linear chronograph minute counter with
central sweep seconds hand
Power-reserve indication
Selection indicator |
