KIH provides an exclusive first-hand account of the Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Concept RD#1 at SIHH 2015, a groundbreaking minute repeater developed over eight years of acoustic research. His report, including a video, captures the impressive sound quality and innovative engineering of this prototype, which aims to redefine the volume and clarity of chiming watches.
Audemar Piguet Royal Oak Concept RD#1 - we heard a lot about this as pre-SIHH release, but had no idea what it was or how it would be. But seeing, no, hearing is believing. Without much detailed information available (still some patents applying), Audemars Piguet's SIHH booth has futuristic sound room where we were able to hear the sound of the prototype of this Royal Oak Concept RD#1. Simply impressive.
According to the press release:
A High-Definition Acoustic Masterpiece
Engineered within Audemars Piguet's acoustic research lab, this new Royal Oak Concept is the first chiming watch so acoustically considered as to become a sound concpt in its own right. It has been sonically developed through an ongoing acoustic study programme in collaboration with the EPFL (Ecole Polytechnique Federale de Lausanne) and it took three years to transfer that technological study into a watch concept. The result is scientifically defined sonic targets for watchmakers to measure and attain the "perfect" minute repeater sound at a volume level never achieved before.......
From the inception of this project, it actually took EIGHT years, if I may add.
This is it! This was as close as I could get - only in the "chamber" below.
The "chamber" set in the corner of the booth - need to get the reservation, which itself was tough to enter. They call this "Acoustic Lab".
And the sound of it....
It is truly the combination of the good parts of the 19th century pocket watch, 1920's wrist watch minute repeater, and 1990's wrist watch minute repeater - loud, beautiful and clean sound, yet practical (20m water resistant).
There are so much we don't know yet about this model - but Audemars Piguet seems to be determined to make this on production as soon as possible.
Great innovation!
To be continued.....
That's it for today.
Ken
This message has been edited by KIH on 2015-01-20 14:13:14
