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Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Selfwinding Flying Tourbillon Extra-Thin RD#3: What Makes It Different?

The 39 mm steel Royal Oak RD#3 fits a self-winding flying tourbillon into an 8.1 mm Jumbo case. Here are its Calibre 2968 specifications and design details.
Estimate3–4 min Catalogued SpecialistWatchRanker Team
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The 39 mm stainless-steel Audemars Piguet Royal Oak RD#3 pairs the familiar thin Jumbo format with a self-winding flying tourbillon. Its 8.1 mm case houses Calibre 2968, while an opening at 6 o’clock puts the tourbillon on view from the dial side. The reference is 26670ST.OO.1240ST.01. This guide examines the watch’s dimensions, movement and design; it does not claim firsthand wear or testing.

What is the Royal Oak RD#3?

RD#3 is the name used for the 2022 39 mm steel Royal Oak Selfwinding Flying Tourbillon Extra-Thin, reference 26670ST.OO.1240ST.01. It brings a flying tourbillon into the proportions of the Royal Oak Jumbo rather than using a visibly larger or thicker case. The watch displays hours and minutes, with the tourbillon visible through an aperture at 6 o’clock.

Audemars Piguet’s launch specifications, reproduced by Europa Star in April 2022, list a 39 mm diameter, 8.1 mm thickness and 50 m water resistance. Those are the manufacturer’s published specifications, not an independent water-resistance test.

How thin is the RD#3, and what are its specifications?

The case is 8.1 mm thick. Inside, self-winding Calibre 2968 is 3.4 mm thick and 29.6 mm in diameter. AP’s launch specifications describe a minimum guaranteed power reserve of 50 hours and a frequency of 3 Hz, or 21,600 vibrations per hour.

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Specification RD#3 steel, reference 26670ST.OO.1240ST.01
Case diameter 39 mm (AP launch specification, 2022)
Case thickness 8.1 mm (AP launch specification, 2022)
Water resistance 50 m (AP launch specification, 2022)
Functions Hours, minutes, flying tourbillon
Movement Self-winding Calibre 2968
Movement dimensions 29.6 mm diameter; 3.4 mm thick (AP launch specification, 2022)
Movement construction 226 parts; 33 jewels (AP launch specification, 2022)
Power reserve 50 hours minimum guaranteed (AP launch specification, 2022)
Frequency 3 Hz / 21,600 vibrations per hour (AP launch specification, 2022)

What makes Calibre 2968 different?

AP says it spent five years developing Calibre 2968 to fit the complication into the smaller-volume Jumbo case. The design response was not simply to add a tourbillon to an existing movement: the manufacturer says it repositioned components and reworked the architecture to reduce the space the complication requires and improve the view of it from the dial.

A lighter, peripherally driven cage

The tourbillon cage is made of titanium and uses a peripheral drive. According to AP’s launch account, the arrangement was intended to make energy distribution more fluid while keeping the regulating assembly lighter and more refined. These are the manufacturer’s descriptions of the design, rather than independently established performance comparisons.

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A dial-side view of a flying tourbillon

The flying tourbillon is supported from below rather than by a bridge crossing over it, leaving the cage more open to view at 6 o’clock. AP says the movement architecture and escapement were redesigned to expose more of the mechanism. A sapphire caseback also reveals the movement and its dedicated oscillating weight.

Hodinkee’s 2022 coverage places the RD#3 in the context of AP’s automatic tourbillons and distinguishes its full rotor from Bulgari’s thinner peripheral-rotor movement. The available sources therefore do not establish that the RD#3 is the world’s thinnest automatic tourbillon.

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How does the design stay true to the Royal Oak?

The watch retains familiar Jumbo cues: a stainless-steel case and bracelet with satin-brushed and polished surfaces, and a blue Bleu Nuit, Nuage 50 Petite Tapisserie dial. The launch specification identifies the dial color as PVD. White-gold applied hour markers and Royal Oak hands with luminescent coating provide the time display; the opening at 6 o’clock creates the visual contrast of the exposed tourbillon against the patterned dial.

The bracelet is steel and closes with an AP folding clasp. The sapphire caseback shifts the view to the movement and dedicated rotor, so the watch presents its complication from both the dial and caseback sides.

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  • Compatibility & Size: Sapphire Watch Crystal, compatible with Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Offshore (27.30 x 1.70mm).
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How does the 39 mm steel RD#3 compare with the later 37 mm version?

They are distinct iterations, not alternate descriptions of the same watch. The title’s RD#3 is the 39 mm stainless-steel model. AP’s May 22, 2024 video description concerns a later 37 mm white-gold version with a smocked blue dial set with 32 baguette-cut diamonds.

Model Case size and material Dial detail
RD#3, reference 26670ST.OO.1240ST.01 (2022) 39 mm stainless steel Blue Petite Tapisserie
Later white-gold iteration (AP video, 2024) 37 mm white gold Smocked blue dial with 32 baguette-cut diamonds
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What did the RD#3 cost, and is that price current?

Monochrome Watches reported a price of CHF 157,500 before taxes in its March 1, 2023 hands-on coverage. That is a historical reported retail figure, not a current official price. Current pricing, availability and secondary-market value are not established by the cited sources.

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Who is the RD#3 for?

The RD#3’s central appeal is the combination of a restrained 39 mm, 8.1 mm-thick Jumbo case with a complication that is plainly visible from the front. The steel bracelet, blue Petite Tapisserie dial and familiar Royal Oak finishing preserve the line’s established design language; the open area at 6 o’clock makes the movement the main departure. Whether that balance is preferable to a more traditional uninterrupted dial is a matter of taste, not a specification.

Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.

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