wE LOVE

aUDEmaRs PigUET

Royal Oak "Jumbo" Extra-Plat 39mm

Sharmila Bertin

The Royal Oak, imagined in just one night in 1972 by the designer genius Gérald Genta (1931-2011), is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year. This watch, considered as out-of-the-ordinary even subversive when it was created, epitomizes the definition of watch icon to a T, an object of desire that catches aficionados and collectors’ eyes. To celebrate this half century of success, Audemars Piguet proposes a new Royal Oak “Jumbo” Extra-Thin, in its original diameter (39 mm, deemed too “big” back in the days, reason for its Jumbo nickname, yet just perfect for our times) as well as in its original material (steel). Even though there appears to be no change in its silhouette when compared with the Seventies version, certain elements are nonetheless totally in tune with the 21st century. Its new automatic movement for one, the Calibre 7121, which replaces the legendary 2121 and features a large barrel for enhanced accuracy as well as a patented date mechanism that is more energy-efficient. This high-performing motor vibrates at a frequency of 4 Hz, delivers a power reserve of 55 hours and boasts a special “50th anniversary” oscillating weight crafted in rhodium-plated 22-carat gold. The dial, covered with the chequered Petite Tapisserie pattern, keeps its famous “Night Blue, Cloud 50” hue, which was historically made using dip plating and now obtained through PVD coating. The applique indexes and central hands fashioned in white gold, filled with luminescent material, are baignoire-style, i.e. a very elongated and hollow oval shape, and the date is displayed in white at 3 o’clock.

UlyssE nardin

Blast moonstruck

Dan Diaconu

Change your outlook, scrap conventions! This upgrade of Ulysse Nardin’s Moonstruck Worldtimer indulges in a never-imagined-before encounter between the Sun and the Moon. On a fascinating starry aventurine dial, our two stylized stars make their respective elliptical revolution around a domeshaped rendering of the northern hemisphere. The base of this embodiment is encircled by a 1-to-31-graduated rose gold scale marked by a discreet luminescent triangle. Our relief-type Sun fashioned in bronzite and our satellite unveiling its phases in an aperture move at their real speed as observed from our planet. The data that is highlighted along their paths invites to discover the lunar cycles and coefficients of the tides. The UN-106 calibre, equipped with a silicon escapement and balance spring, and driving the data ever-so accurately, nestles inside the 45 mm-diameter case sculpted in black DLC titanium and ceramic. This self-winding movement, assembled using some 335 components, delivers a power reserve of 50 hours. In addition to traditional time information, it also synchronizes world time. As such, the flange features the 24 reference cities of our planet’s time zones. The solar disc animates a 24h scale displaying a day/ night indicator. Two pushers, perfectly integrated in the caseband, make adjustment wonderfully easy. With the Blast Moonstruck, fruit of a partnership with the watchmaker Ludwig Oechslin, the man behind the Freak model and other astronomical timepieces, a new Space Odyssey hits the stage!