What is a tapisserie dial?
The grid of tiny square pyramids on the dial of Audemars Piguet's Royal Oak. It's a guilloché pattern, made in three sizes.
What it is
Tapisserie, French for tapestry, is a pattern of small raised squares separated by fine grooves, engraved on a guilloché machine. Audemars Piguet's first Royal Oak in 1972 used the Petite Tapisserie, and it has become one of the most recognisable dials in watchmaking.
AP now makes three sizes: Petite Tapisserie on the 'Jumbo' and some smaller models, Grande Tapisserie on most Royal Oaks, and Méga Tapisserie on the Royal Oak Offshore. The bigger the squares, the bolder the look.
Similar patterns
Many integrated-bracelet sports watches inspired by the Royal Oak use grid or waffle dials, from Tissot's PRX to microbrand designs. They're usually stamped rather than engraved, but the effect is similar.
Tapisserie dials in our catalog
3 current watches in our catalog have a dial described this way, least expensive first:
- Audemars Piguet Royal Oak "Jumbo" Extra-Thin 16202ST.OO.1240ST.01—
- Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Selfwinding 41 15510ST.OO.1320ST.06—
- Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Offshore Selfwinding Chronograph 43 26420SO.OO.A002CA.01—
Current watches in our catalog, which is weighted to popular enthusiast models.
Questions
- Is tapisserie the same as clous de Paris?
- They're close relatives. Clous de Paris is a grid of pointed pyramids; tapisserie has flatter, squarer tops, and AP uses the name for its own versions.