When it comes to watches, manufactures are realising that bigger isn’t always better. Proof that good things really do come in small packages, Audemars Piguet has released a new trio of Mini Royal Oaks. Clocking in at a diminutive 23mm, each timepiece is executed in either yellow, white, or rose gold and boasts a frosted finish. The release is self-referential in nature, drawing from the archives and offering a contemporary interpretation of the 20mm Mini Royal Oak launched in 1997.
Designed by Gérald Genta in 1972, the Audemars Piguet Royal Oak signalled the dawn of the luxury steel sports watch category. Characterised by its screwed-down octagonal bezel, integrated bracelet, and steel construction, the Royal Oak set the tone for luxury sports watches to come and continues to hold an indomitable influence over the category as a whole to this day. While the debut Royal Oak measured in at 39mm—a case size considered unusually large for wristwatches of the time—the Swiss manufacture swiftly began introducing sized-down versions of the style, beginning with the self-winding 8636 in a 29mm case in 1976 (designed by one of the first female watch designers, Jacqueline Dimier, it was the smallest mechanical Royal Oak ever made) and culminating in the aforementioned quartz 20mm Mini Royal Oak of 1997.
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Ideally suited for more slender wrists, the new Audemars Piguet Mini Royal Oak is laden with jewellery codes. Inspired by an ancient Florentine jewellery technique, the frosted gold finish was revisited by jewellery designer Carolina Bucci and adapted by Audemars Piguet artisans in 2016. The visually striking effect is achieved by making indentations on the gold surface using a diamond-tipped tool, resulting in a sparky effect that resembled that of precious stones.
The frosted gold effect is complemented by the a gold-toned dial featuring the signature petite tapisserie pattern employed across the Royal Oak line, with stick hour indices and hour and minute hands also executed in gold.
Each timepiece is kept ticking by a calibre 2730, a quartz movement with a battery life of over seven years. Notably, the movement is equipped with a ‘switch’ wherein by pulling on the crown, the wearer can temporarily deactivate the battery, keeping it from being drained when not in use. Despite the closed caseback, Audemars Piguet assures us that the movement has been decorated with refined finishings.
“These mini creations pay tribute not only to Audemars Piguet’s long tradition of miniature and jewellery watches,” said Illaria Resta, CEO at Audemars Piguet, “but also to the women who have left their mark on the history of the brand, including Jacqueline Dimier to whom we owe the first Royal Oak for women, and Carolina Bucci, the mastermind behind the frosted gold finish.”
While historically, gender-bending in the watch world has been a one-way street—with women donning oversized watches marketed towards men—there has been a surge in male and female consumers investing in smaller women’s watches. It’s a sentiment that’s made its way to the red carpet, with the likes of Timothée Chalamet, Bad Bunny, The Weeknd, Jaden Smith and Tyler, the Creator sporting timepieces from the women’s side of the catalogue. It’s not just a matter of size, with many of these timepieces featuring the gendered design codes often derided with the ‘shrink it and pink it’ term; think gem-set bezels, precious materials, and—gasp!—quartz movements.
So, while the marketing material for the new Audemars Piguet Mini Royal Oak takes a decidedly feminine approach, it’s quite likely that we’ll see them gracing the wrists of the next lineup of slender limbed ‘internet boyfriends’—and their girlfriends—in the coming months.
Price: $30,000CHF (approx. $50,100AUD)
Model: Royal Oak Mini Frosted Gold Quartz 67630BA.GG.1312BA.01 (yellow gold); 67630OR.GG.1312OR.01 (rose gold); 67630BC.GG.1312BC.01 (white gold)
Case size: 23mm
Movement: Calibre 2370 (quartz)
Water resistance: 5ATM
Functions: hours, minutes
Power reserve: 94 months
The Mini Royal Oak is available via appointment via the Audemars Piguet webstore.
Words by T. Angel