Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Tantalum 18K

Diameter: 36mm
Glass: Saphire Crystal
Case Material: Solid Tantalum
Bezel Material: 18ct. Solid Rosé Gold
Case Back Material: Solid Tantalum

Dial Color: Grey
Features: Date
Indexes: Print and Applied
Dial Handstyle: Paddle Hands

Movement Type: Automatic Movement
Caliber: AP 2131
Base Caliber: Frédéric Piguet 951
Power Reserve: 38h
Number of Stones: 19
Frequency: 21.600A/h

Strap Material: Audemars Piguet Solid Tantalum and 18ct. Solid Rosé Gold
Clasp Type: Fold Over Clasp
Clasp Material: Audemars Piguet Stainless Steel, Solid Tantalum and Solid 18ct. Solid Rosé Gold

About the Watch

In 1971 Audemars Piguet realized that, without a disruptive change, a financial collapse was inevitable. Elaborating some feedback that they received from the Italian market about possible interest for a steel luxury watch, the management of the manufacture decided it was time to introduce something totally new, a sporty yet elegant timepiece as never seen before. The designer of choice for this task was a designer born in Geneva in 1931 from an Italian father and a Swiss mother: Gerald Genta. Not a new designer, rather one of the most famous watch designer at that time, having created successful watches for Universal Genève (Polerouter Microtors, White Shadow, Golden Shadow), Omega (Constellation) and Patek Philippe (Golden Ellipse).

The Royal Oak was originally released as a steel watch, filling a niche as a luxury sport watch that had not previously existed. Thus, from Day 1 the Royal Oak put the focus on the case material and made it an integral part of the overall design and a guiding principle. Crafted from tantalum—a rare, dark grey metal with subtle blue hues—this smaller sized model comes in a 36mm case and draws its name from Tantalus’s torment in Greek mythology. Known for its exceptional hardness and challenging workability (melting at 3016°C with a density of 16.65 g/cm³), tantalum is rarely used in watchmaking. Its exceptional resistance to corrosion and wear, along with its biocompatibility, make it a prized material in high-end horology.

This model comes as a full set, featuring an Audemars Piguet certificate of origin, manual instruction and original box.

About the Brand

The Manufacture was established in 1875 in Le Brassus, a village at the heart of La Vallée-de-Joux in the Swiss Jura, by Jules-Louis Audemars and Edward-Auguste Piguet, two enterprising young men who combined their talent to develop and produce watches featuring rare complications. Already in these early days, an Audemars-Piguet watch was prized by admirers of fine mechanical timepieces. Through determination, imagination and discipline, they inscribed their name on the wider history of watchmaking. The company they established has never left the hands of the founding families.