Video: Unboxing the Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Concept CFT Carbon 26650FO
The Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Concept Split-Seconds Chronograph GMT Large Date (Ref. 26650FO.OO.D353CA.01) is the watch that introduced AP's CFT carbon to the Royal Oak Concept line. CFT stands for Chroma Forged Technology, a patented process that colors the carbon fibres themselves rather than the resin around them, and the fibres in this case carry blue luminescent pigment. In daylight the case reads as a swirled black and blue composite. Charge it up and put it in the dark and those pale fibres glow blue. Underneath that case sits the integrated caliber 4407, which stacks a split-seconds flyback chronograph, a GMT and a large date into one movement. We think it is one of the most aggressive things AP builds, and this video walks through the whole piece.
Watch the full unboxing
The CFT carbon case and black ceramic bezel over the openworked dial.
Table of Contents
What Comes in the Box
The 26650FO arrives in the standard Audemars Piguet presentation box, and the piece we are showing here comes with its original box and papers. AP includes two interchangeable rubber straps with this reference, so you get the blue-accented strap seen throughout this video plus a second one, and both attach to a titanium AP folding clasp.
The Audemars Piguet outer box before opening.
The watch seated in the box on the blue-accented rubber strap.
CFT Carbon and What Makes It Different
Forged carbon is not new to watchmaking, and AP has used carbon before. What Chroma Forged Technology changes is where the color lives. Conventional colored carbon gets its tint from the resin binding the fibres together. CFT colors the fibres themselves with pigment before they are cured, which lets AP arrange the colored fibres deliberately inside the block. The process is patented, and once the carbon block is cured it goes through six to eight hours of machining to become a Royal Oak Concept case.
The pigment AP chose for this reference is a blue luminescent compound. The visible result in daylight is the marbled blue-on-black pattern you can see running through the case middle in the shot below. Because the pigment is luminescent, the paler fibres charge under light and glow blue in the dark. Every case comes out of the block differently, so the pattern on any given 26650FO is specific to that watch.
Blue luminescent fibres running through the forged carbon case middle.
The bezel, crown, pushpieces and caseback surround are black ceramic, which gives the watch a matte black frame around the mottled carbon. The crystal and the caseback window are both glareproofed sapphire.
The Openworked Dial and Large Date
The dial is openworked, so you are looking through the movement architecture instead of at a solid plate. AP outlined the three counters and the inner chapter ring in blue to match the case, and printed a BASE 1000 tachymeter scale around the flange. The applied markers and the hands are filled with luminous material.
The openworked dial with blue-outlined counters and the BASE 1000 tachymeter scale.
The large date sits at 12 o'clock and uses two skeletonized discs rotating over luminous platforms. Because the discs are cut away rather than solid, the numerals read as outlines with light coming through behind them. A separate register carries the GMT indication with a day and night display.
The skeletonized large date discs above the GMT register with day and night indication.
The chronograph counters and luminous-filled hands over the openworked movement.
How the Split-Seconds, Flyback and GMT Work
Three things get bundled together here, and they are easy to confuse, so it is worth separating them.
Split-seconds (rattrapante). There are two chronograph seconds hands stacked on top of each other. They run together until you press the pusher at 9 o'clock, which stops one of them so you can read an intermediate time while the other keeps running. Press again and the stopped hand jumps forward to catch up with the one still going. That is how you time two things that started together but finish at different moments.
Flyback. On a normal chronograph you stop, reset, then start again, which is three presses. A flyback lets you reset and restart in a single press while the chronograph is still running.
GMT. A second time zone shown on its own register, with a day and night indication so you can tell which half of the day you are reading.
Caliber 4407
All of that runs on the caliber 4407, an in-house selfwinding movement built from 638 parts, including 73 jewels. It beats at 28,800 vibrations per hour, which is 4 Hz, and holds 70 hours of power reserve. Seventy hours on a movement carrying a split-seconds chronograph, a GMT and a large date is a genuinely useful number, because it means the watch survives a weekend off the wrist and is still running Monday morning.
The sapphire caseback over the openworked caliber 4407 and its skeletonized rotor.
Case Size, Strap and Clasp
The case is 43mm across and 17.4mm thick. That thickness is what a split-seconds chronograph with a GMT and a large date costs you in height, and the watch does not hide it. What makes it wearable is the material. Carbon and titanium weigh far less than steel or gold at the same dimensions, so the 26650FO feels lighter in the hand than a 43mm case this tall has any right to.
The titanium pusher guard and the layered case flank.
The ceramic bezel, carbon case middle and blue-accented rubber strap in profile.
The strap curves down sharply from the case, which helps a tall watch sit closer than it otherwise would. Water resistance is 50 metres.
How the 43mm carbon case and blue dial read when worn.
The GMT register with day and night indication beneath the tachymeter flange.
Full Specifications
| Reference | 26650FO.OO.D353CA.01 |
| Case diameter | 43mm |
| Case thickness | 17.4mm |
| Case material | CFT (Chroma Forged Technology) carbon with titanium elements |
| Bezel, crown and pushpieces | Black ceramic |
| Crystal and caseback | Glareproofed sapphire crystal; sapphire display caseback in a black ceramic surround |
| Dial | Openworked with blue accents, luminous markers and hands |
| Movement | Caliber 4407, in-house selfwinding |
| Parts and jewels | 638 parts, 73 jewels |
| Frequency | 28,800 vph (4 Hz) |
| Power reserve | 70 hours |
| Functions | Hours, minutes, small seconds, large date, split-seconds flyback chronograph, GMT |
| Water resistance | 50 metres |
| Strap and clasp | Two interchangeable rubber straps, titanium AP folding clasp |
Frequently Asked Questions
What does CFT stand for?
Chroma Forged Technology. It is AP's patented method for coloring the carbon fibres themselves rather than the resin that binds them, which lets the fibres be arranged deliberately inside the block. On the 26650FO the pigment is blue and luminescent.
Does the case actually glow?
Yes. The luminescent pigment sits in the fibres, so the paler fibres charge under light and give off a blue glow in the dark. The lume on the hands and markers works the same way, so the whole watch lights up, not just the dial.
What is the difference between split-seconds and flyback?
Split-seconds gives you a second chronograph hand that can be stopped on its own to read an intermediate time while the main hand keeps running. Flyback lets you reset and restart the running chronograph with one press instead of three. The 4407 does both.
Is 43mm and 17.4mm too big to wear?
It is a large watch and it does not pretend otherwise. The carbon and titanium construction keeps the weight down, and the strap curves away from the case sharply, so it sits better than the numbers suggest. It still wears big, and 17.4mm of height is something you want to try on before you commit.
How many straps come with it?
Two interchangeable rubber straps, both on a titanium AP folding clasp.
What is the water resistance?
50 metres. Fine for handwashing and rain, not a swimming watch.
Where It Sits in the Lineup
Royal Oak Concept is where AP puts the material experiments and the complicated movements that would look out of place on a standard Royal Oak. The 26650FO is the reference that brought CFT carbon into that line, and it pairs the new material with one of the more complicated movements AP builds.
Shaka's line in the video is that this is for someone who wants a bold, masculine watch that is not an RM. Every Concept piece is its own thing, and what pulls someone toward this one over a Flying Tourbillon comes down to what clicks.
We have this exact reference available, unworn and unused, with its original box and papers. If you want to see more of it or talk numbers, the listing is here, or browse the full Royal Oak Concept collection.