The 12 o’clock moonphase of the new Audemars Piguet SIHH 2018 Royal RD#2 Perpetual Calendar Ultra-Thin pays homage to the Le Brassus manufacture’s first perpetual calendar wristwatch released in 1955.

For SIHH 2018 Audemars Piguet unveils the Royal Oak RD#2 Perpetual Calendar Ultra-Thin, the world’s thinnest self-winding perpetual calendar. At just 6.30 mm thick, the Audemars Piguet Royal RD#2 marks a new watchmaking record, the latest in a long line of world firsts for the Le Brassus watchmaker.

SIHH 2018 Audemars Piguet Royal RD#2 Perpetual Calendar Ultra-Thin

January 2017, Audemars Piguet celebrated the 40th anniversary of the first yellow gold Royal Oak with the release of a new Royal Oak Ultra-Thin Ref. 15202 “Jumbo” in the same material. With a case thickness of 8.1mm, the Royal Oak Ultra-Thin Ref. 15202 with AP caliber 2121 (originally a JLC 920 modified for use in the ref. 5402 from 1972; eventually, intellectual property rights became wholly owned by AP and the calibre 2121 officially became an in-house movement). We mention this for context because manufacture’s calibre 2121 with central winding rotor was a mere 3.05mm thick and for SIHH 2018 Audemars Piguet has busted its record for both an ultra-thin model and icing-on-cake, the addition of a high complication in it.

Thinnest ever, but no compromise on quality: 40-hour power reserve, and same frequency (2.75 Hz / 19’800 vibrations per hour) as calibre 5134

Introducing the Audemars Piguet ultra-thin 5133 calibre with perpetual calendar

The Royal Oak RD#2 Perpetual Calendar Ultra-Thin joins the maison’s penchant for high horology and ultra-thin movement with a movement of entirely their own design and manufacture – the new  ultra-thin 5133 calibre with perpetual calendar.

Taking years to develop and re-engineer, the AP calibre 5133 essentially takes a three-storey movement with basic time and a multi indication perpetual calendar and then ingeniously alters movement architecture to fit all the components found within a single level, making it ultra-thin while combining and re-arranging functions to boost ergonomy, efficiency and robustness.

As a result, the Audemars Piguet Royal Oak RD#2 Perpetual Calendar Ultra-Thin calibre 5133 now features a patented system features a record- shattering 2.89 mm central rotor, 0.26mm thinner as compared to the calibre 2121; and in terms of case size, the Royal Oak RD#2 Perpetual Calendar Ultra-Thin is just 6.30 mm, shaving almost 2 mm off the Royal Oak Extra-Thin Jumbo, making the new Audemars Piguet SIHH 2018 novelty the thinnest self-winding perpetual calendar on the market today.

Audemars Piguet Royal Oak RD#2 Perpetual Calendar Ultra-Thin Price and Specs

Case 950 platinum case with 20 metres water resistance
Movement Automatic self-winding manufacture Calibre 5133 with 40 hours power reserve
Strap 950 platinum bracelet with AP folding clasp
Price TBA at Press Presentation. Updates to follow.