Royal Oak Mini Frosted Gold Quartz (Rose Gold)

The Royal Oak Mini line goes back to 1998, when AP shrank Gérald Genta's octagonal sports icon down for the women collectors the brand had spent two decades treating as an afterthought. The frosted finish on this one is not an AP house technique at all, it is a diamond-hammering trick from jewellery designer Carolina Bucci, licensed and adapted by the manufacture starting in 2016, a rare admission from a storied watchmaker that someone outside the industry does texture better than they do.

This Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Mini wears a 23mm rose gold case in the frosted finish with a salmon Petite Tapisserie dial. Quartz Calibre 2730 inside, on its own integrated frosted rose gold bracelet.

Fun fact: the frosted texture is struck by hand with a diamond-tipped tool thousands of times per case, raising a diffuse, sandpaper-like sparkle instead of a polish, the same method Carolina Bucci uses on her own jewellery.