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Audemars Piguet launches limited edition watch with fashion designer Tamara Ralph
By Shivani Dubey | 24 January 2024 | Design, Style, Wealth
The Swiss luxury watchmaker unveiled this collaboration with haute couture designer Tamara Ralph at the Spring/Summer 2024 Haute Couture Fashion Week
Audemars Piguet has unveiled the Royal Oak Concept Flying Tourbillon, a brand new limited edition collaboration with haute couture designer Tamara Ralph. This partnership was unveiled at Tamara’s runway show at the Shangri-La Palace for the Spring/Summer 2024 Haute Couture fashion week in Paris.
This limited edition watch comes in 18-carat pink gold adorned with a ‘frosted gold’ technique and takes on a unique palette of graded hues ranging from brown and bronze to golden tones. The frosted gold technique is rooted in an ancient gold hammering technique used by jewellery designer Carolina Bucci and adapted by Audemars Piguet artisans in 2016 to decorate the brand’s timepieces. Tiny indentations are created by hand on the gold surface with a diamond-tipped tool, giving a sparkle effect similar to that of precious stones.
The visuals are accentuated by a polished bevel outlining the octagonal bezel, while the case’s satin-brushed flanks provide added contrast, resulting in a juxtaposition of finishing techniques. This is a meticulous operation that requires perfect precision between each surface.
The caseback’s glareproofed sapphire crystal is held in place by an 18-carat pink gold octagonal frame, finished with satin brushing and polished chamfers and engraved with the words ‘Royal Oak Concept Limited Edition.’
The Royal Oak collection is one of the hallmark designs of Audemars Piguet. Founded by Jules Audemars and Edward Piguet in Switzerland in 1875, the luxury watch brand launched the first Royal Oak watch in 1972, pushing the boundaries of watchmaking with its distinctive octagonal shape, exposed screws reminiscent of a diver’s helmet, and meticulously crafted integrated bracelet.
The brand’s new partnership with Tamara marks a new phase of collaboration between the pair, who first began working together in 2020. Tamara, former creative director and co-founder of haute couture brand Ralph & Russo, marked her 2021 prêt-à-porter collection by pairing each design with an Audemar Piguet watch. The fashion doyenne launched her new eponymous label Tamara Ralph in 2023.