A couple of weeks ago, we brought you our hands-on review of the new Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Chronograph 50th Anniversary ref. 26240ST in stainless steel and today, we bring you the rose gold version of it on a blue alligator strap and equipped with a Bleu Nuit, Nuage 50 hue —blue— dial. As mentioned before, the AP Royal Oak Chrono has seen many iterations and facelifts since its launch in 1997-1998 under reference 25860. Even after so many changes and upgrades, the Royal Oak Chrono was not equipped with an in-house column-wheel chronograph movement until March 2021 and then, it was only available in 18K pink gold.
Things to Know About the Watch
Along with a 38 mm Royal Oak Chronograph ref. 26715 line, a new 41 mm Royal Oak Chronograph ref. 26240 line has also been released to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Royal Oak. Although retaining the aesthetic codes of the original Royal Oak designed by Gérald Genta, these new references present slight evolutions in terms of the case, bracelet, and dial design. Additional models in 41 and 34 mm will be available in the second half of 2022 to continue the Royal Oak Jubilee. For now, the new models are in stainless steel or 18K pink gold like the one we have here.
Below is the new Royal Oak Chronograph 50th Anniversary ref. 26240OR.OO.D315CR.01 with its slightly redesigned case that makes the watch appear slightly wider and slender.
For this new iteration of the Royal Oak Chronograph reference 26240, Audemars Piguet has performed subtle changes to the watch case by enlarging the bevels —chamfers— to enhance the play of light between the satin-finished and polished surfaces, and making the watch appear slightly wider and more slender.
Additionally, the case back has been slightly more integrated into the case middle to sit more comfortably on the wrist. To accentuate the new case design, the first four links of the bracelet are now trapezoid-shaped to taper more. Lastly, the bracelet links are thinner throughout the bracelet, and therefore lighter, offering additional comfort and ergonomics. Unfortunately at the time of this review, we had no access to an 18K rose gold piece on a bracelet; however, you can see our review of the stainless steel Royal Oak Chrono ref. 26240ST on bracelet here. For the watch on the alligator strap, the clasp has been redesigned to wear more comfortably.
With regards to the dial, there are also a bunch of changes that have been made. The luminescent faceted hour markers have been standardized in terms of the size and width between the different models across the collection, regardless of their diameter or metal in order to be cohesive in terms of proportions. In addition to the markers, the usual applied ‘AP’ logo and ‘Audemars Piguet’ imprint at 12 o’clock has been replaced by a new applied ‘Audemars Piguet’ logo where each letter is interconnected with links approximately the size of a human hair.
This new logo on the Royal Oak 50th anniversary models follows the same design and construction of the logo that was first introduced for the Code 11.59 by Audemars Piguet. This logo is made of thin layers of 24K gold, that has been obtained through a chemical process akin to 3D printing known as galvanic growth. Lastly, the minute track, which was previously printed on the tapisserie, now appears on a flat external zone.
The Movement
The new Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Chronograph 50th Anniversary ref. 26240OR is powered by the automatic Calibre 4401, visible through the watch’s sapphire case back. This movement was first introduced in 2019 within the Code 11.59 collection and two years later it was presented powering the Royal Oak Chronograph ref. 26239OR.
This movement features a column wheel and a flyback function that enables to restart of the chronograph without stopping or resetting it first. The chrono pushers feel like butter when pressing them to activate the functions and there’s zero jerking of the hands.
Composed of 381 parts and 40 jewels, the automatic calibre 4401 provides a power reserve of 70 hours when fully wound while beating at a frequency of 28,800 vph. The movement features the special ‘50-years’ oscillating weight —which will be fitted to all watches during the year 2022— in 22K pink gold.
On the Wrist & Pricing
On the wrist, the new Royal Oak Chronograph 50th Anniversary ref. ref. 26240OR.OO.D315CR.01 wears true to its size and exactly like the previous reference 26239. Because of the redesigned clasp, the strap is much more comfortable and despite its heavyweight construction, the watch overall wears not too top-heavy. On the bracelet, it is definitely a different story.
Sticker Price $50,100 USD and $72,300 USD on the bracelet. For more info on Audemars Piguet click here.
