Audemars Piguet’s “tapisserie” pattern dial, with its straight horizontal and vertical lines, is as distinctive as its octagonal case.

And while the case material has been offered in many variations beyond stainless steel — including gold, platinum, titanium, and ceramic — the dial and even the machines that make them, have largely remained the same.

In 2019, the company introduced a sunburst tapisserie pattern dial Royal Oak, which looks like the original but with a unique alignment that goes outward in every direction from the tourbillon opening at 6’clock, and that gets larger as it gets further away from the opening. Then in 2021, a non-tapisserie dial Royal Oak with a smooth metallic green-colored sunburst pattern was offered.

Now, for 2023, Audemars Piguet has strayed even further from its original tapisserie pattern with the introduction of a “dimpled” dial that’s reminiscent of the cover of a golf ball, executed in a luxurious way.

Adding further distinction to this limited edition variation is a frosted bezel, which utilizes the same technique seen on the case, bezel, and bracelet from this Royal Oak timepiece that debuted in 2017 and requires a skilled artisan to hand hammer the micro indentations that result in the frosted texture.

The Royal Oak Flying Tourbillon “Dimpled Dial” is offered in the standard size 41 mm x 10.6 mm case in 18K white gold and is powered by the 65-hour automatic caliber 2950 which measures 31.5 mm x 6.2 mm, beats at 3Hz, has 27 jewels, and a total of 270 components.

Audemars Piguet’s limited edition Royal Oak Flying Tourbillon “Dimpled Dial” (Ref. 26730BC.GG.1320BC.01) blue dimpled dial is highlighted by white gold applied hour markers, Royal Oak hour and minutes hands, and a 60-second flying tourbillon that’s visible at 6 o’clock. The retail price is unlisted but you can expect it to be in excess of six figures.

 

Photos by Audemars Piguet.