Audemars Piguet’s latest watch carries on a tradition that’s half a century old. The Royal Oak RD#3 carries the tradition strongly, with the 39mm case that distinguished the first generation, but also features more contemporary design elements that will appeal to the present-day horological enthusiast, most notably an automatic flying tourbillon.

The Royal Oak RD#3’s Calibre 2968 has a 50-hour power reserve, and is a very thin mechanical contrivance: it measures just 3.4mm, which gave Audemars Piguet the ability to bring the whole case in at a thickness of 8.1mm. The ‘RD’ indicates the firm’s research and development department. The Royal Oak RD#3 also features a crystal caseback, which reveals the phrase ’50 Years’ at the bottom of the watch.

Audemars Piguet hasn’t revealed a price for the Royal Oak RD#3, but the watch is presently available at dealers.