Audemars Piguet raises the bar for gem-setting and gender-fluidity

A capsule collection of Royal Oak Concept Flying Tourbillon models addresses the rising interest in complications among female watch collectors

From jewelled timepieces worn as pendants or brooches (let’s not forget the miniature minute repeaters from the 1890s) to the Royal Oak Concept Flying Tourbillon in 2018, Audemars Piguet has given women due attention. So this tidy collection of six new Royal Oak Concept Flying Tourbillon models shouldn’t come as a surprise. The flying tourbillon addresses the effect of gravity and ensures accuracy, but this time the brand brings in haute joaillerie as well.

Brilliant- or baguette-cut gemstones are to be expected — four models make the most of graded blue sapphires, while two of them check the rainbow box that most luxury (and fashion) watch manufactures seem to favour these days. The latter, with around 3.5 carats of gems, include rubies, tsavorites, emeralds, topaz, tanzanites and amethysts. The invisible gem setting for each of the two timepieces with 208 baguette-cut graded blue sapphires amounted to 150 hours!