Two weeks ago Audemars Piguet dropped the new watches to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Royal Oak. Among the new releases, a new 37 mm Royal Oak ref. 15550 50th anniversary made its appearance and here we bring you our hands-on review with live pictures. While we’ve never been the biggest fans of the face lifted ref. 15500 missing the ‘Automatic’ writing on its dial, at a significantly smaller size —4 mm smaller in diameter— the new 37 mm Royal Oak looks quite fine.
Posts tagged #Royal Oak
Experience: Smythson Greenwich Holdall Bag. The Attention Grabber While Attending the SIHH in Geneva.
After receiving dozens of compliments about this bag during our time attending the Salon International de la Haute Horlogerie Genève last month, we decided to do a feature on it and tell you everything about it. At the end of the day, we know you come to WCL for the extensive watch content but also because of the good life and the occasional Paella recipe on our Instagram stories —no pun intended. As we travel the world in search for new luxury items to fall in love with, bags are one of our biggest weaknesses here at WCL and Smythson of Bond Street along with Faure Le Page are among the top of our list due to their exclusivity and understated look, very much like wearing a stainless steel Audemars Piguet Royal Oak ref. 15400ST with ruthenium toned dial.
SIHH 2019: Audemars Piguet Royal Oak ref. 15500. Live Pictures, Pricing and Detailed Explanation of Nuances.
With the release of the new Audemars Piguet Royal Oak ref. 15500 with a 41 mm case, the 41 mm Royal Oak reference 15400 is now officially discontinued. While many felt that the reference 15400 was not perfect, to us it was a very well balanced Royal Oak in terms of overall proportions and design. When the Royal Oak reference 15400 first came out in 2012, collectors of the brand were critical about the fact that the AP calibre 3120 seemed relatively too small for a 41 mm case size —as it was originally launched for the 39 mm reference 15300—, and that due to that, the date aperture was positioned too far to the left needing a small hash marker to its right.
News: Introducing the Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Frosted Gold 41 mm ref. 15410BC. A 200-Piece Limited Edition.
Following the success of the ladies' Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Frosted Gold in 18K rose gold and 18K white gold, Audemars Piguet just announced the new Men's Royal Oak Frosted Gold in a limited edition of only 200 pieces in 18K white gold with a stunning 'grande tapisserie' blue dial under ref. 15410BC.GG.1224BC.01. This watch like the previous models was created in collaboration with Florentine jewellery designer, Carolina Bucci. The new AP Royal Oak Frosted Gold 41 mm was a highly expected release after we spotted this watch on the wrist of Audemars Piguet's CEO François-Henry Bennahmias during the SIHH 2017 and many AP collectors were wondering when this men's 41 mm size would be released.
Insider: Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Frosted Gold ref. 15454 and 67653. Hands-on with the Perfect Valentine's Day Gift.
Just because it's Valentine's Day, we bring you a very special women's watch that could be the dream gift for that special lady in your life. The new Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Frosted Gold is available in two sizes —33 mm and 37 mm— and in 18K rose gold or 18K white gold. Officially presented at the SIHH 2017 to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the release of the ladies Royal Oak —Jacqueline Dimier transferred Genta's design to a ladies version—, this is a shining reinvention of an iconic design.
News: Pre-SIHH 2017 New Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Extra-Thin in 18K Yellow Gold ref. 15202BA. Two Different Dials Available.
When the original Royal Oak first appeared in 1972, it was notable for several reasons and it was available only in stainless steel. However, in 1977 the first 18K yellow gold 39 mm Royal Oak was launched, bringing a whole new character to what would soon be regarded as an iconic design. In 2016, classic 18K yellow gold returned to Audemars Piguet’s product portfolio and was presented in a select group of Royal Oak models including the Royal Oak Chronograph ref. 26320BA at the SIHH 2016 as we reported here.
Insider: Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Two-Tone Sells for $41,000 USD at the Phillips Geneva Watch Auction FOUR to Set a Record for Two-Tone Royal Oaks.
Setting a new high for any Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Two-Tone sold at auction, yesterday Sunday November 13, 2016, a highly attractive Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Two-Tone —18K yellow gold and stainless steel— reference 25402SA sold for $41,000 USD —including buyer's premium— at the Phillips Geneva Watch Auction FOUR.
News: Presenting the New Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Frosted Gold for Ladies. Unveiled at the Palazzo Vecchio in Florence.
As the women’s Royal Oak celebrates its 40th anniversary, Audemars Piguet unveiled the new Royal Oak Frosted Gold ref. 15454OR.GG.1259OR.01 in 18K rose gold and the ref. 15454BC.GG.1259BC.01 in 18K white gold at a very exclusive event at the Palazzo Vecchio in Florence on November 9th, 2016. A shining reinvention of an iconic design, this contemporary timepiece has been created in collaboration with Florentine jewellery designer, Carolina Bucci.
Audemars Piguet celebrated the unveiling with a gala dinner at Palazzo Vecchio in the presence of actress and brand ambassador Freida Pinto, jewellery designer Carolina Bucci and watch designer Jacqueline Dimier, who created the first Royal Oak for women in 1976.
Insider: Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Extra-Thin ref. 15202OR. Hands-on with a Grail of All Grails.
For many, owning an Audemars Piguet Royal Oak 'Jumbo' in stainless steel is a milestone in their watch collecting life; however, for those of us that off-that, adding the 18K rose gold model to the collection is simply acquiring the grail of all grails. The Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Extra-Thin ref. 15202 is the closest one can get to owning a Royal Oak Jumbo ref. 5402ST from 1972 in terms of wearability, size and looks.
Macros: Audemars Piguet Calibre 3120. One of the Greatest Movements Ever Made.
The Audemars Piguet calibre 3120 is now considered one of the greatest automatic movements ever made. Fitted on several models across the Royal Oak collection— including the discontinued ref. 15300, the recently launched ref. 15400 and the Royal Oak Offshore Diver amongst others—, calibre 3120 is a work of art and truly one of the nicest movements you can find out there. Not to mention that is also extremely accurate.
This beautiful and precise calibre, is fully decorated with Côtes de Genève on all bridges and comes with a stunning bi-directional 22k gold rotor. The rotor features the coats of arms for the Audemars and Piguet families, all done with immaculate attention to detail.
Insider: Audemars Piguet Royal Oak ref. 15300ST. As Good as it Gets.
We have reviewed, owned and perused several Royal Oaks ref. 5402 "Jumbo". As you know, the ref. 5402 "Jumbo" was the first Royal Oak to be launched in 1972 fitted with an ultra-thin calibre 2121 —a masterpiece of 'haute horlogerie'— that changed the world of sports luxury watches forever.
Royal Oak purists tend to never considered buying a Royal Oak ref. 15300 as they feel they are betraying their true love for the ref. 5402 "Jumbo". However, we feel that the ref. 15300 is pure perfection and a robust Royal Oak with a quick-set calendar feature that makes it very desirable. The ref. 15300 is fitted with calibre 3120 which is called by some AP enthusiasts as "one of the greatest automatic movements ever made".
The case diameter is 39mm like on the "Jumbo", however, the ref. 15300 is thicker —than its predecessor— at 9.4mm. The watch wears a little bit smaller than the "Jumbo" as the proportions of the case and bezel are different, regardless that the case size is the same.
This watch just like any other Audemars Piguet Royal Oak is fitted with a beautiful solid link integrated bracelet. The bracelet has the unmistakeable AP grainy brushed finish with some polished areas at the end of the links and around the top and bottom of the center links. The bracelet is very solid and comfortable, however, the clasp is not my favorite part of this bracelet. The clasp is a double push button double folding clasp with AP shape blades on both ends of the interior of the clasp. We personally prefer the old school ref. 5402 blade clasp with fliplock, that happens to feel more sturdy and more comfortable.
The dial in this watch is a "Grande Tapisserie" (waffle pattern) in deep blue with white fonts. Depending on lighting conditions, it will almost look charcoal gray. The dial comes with white gold applied baton hour-markers and white gold Royal Oak hands with luminescent coating. The luminova is not very powerful and since the coated area in the hands and markers is very thin you don't get much brightness. Additionally, the luminova will wear out within a few hours after you go to bed. Not a big deal, just wanted to documented for those 'luminova lovers'. The calendar wheel is 'off-white' almost a very light ivory with all the numbers in the newer AP font with serifs opposed to the old school font in the 5402 and the 15202.
The movement is just gorgeous and quite accurate. This one has only lost 3 to 4 seconds a day —which is still under COSC specs— during the first week of daily wear.
Since this watch comes with a sapphire crystal case back you can admire the calibre 3120 through it. It's just gorgeous! The movement thickness with module is 4.26mm and a total diameter of 11¾ lignes. Frequency of balance wheel 3,00 (=21’600 alternances/hour) Hz, Bi-directional automatic winding with a 22K gold monobloc rotor fully decorated with the crest of the Audemars and Piguet families, 40 jewels, 60-hour power reserve and 280 parts, which IMHO is pretty impressive!
The Royal Oak ref. 15300 is actually more comfortable than the original Jumbo ref. 5402 and a perfect watch that matches all types of
outfits—dressed down or suited up. Something else worth mentioning about the Royal Oak, is that
is very understated and most of the time it flies under the radar unless you are near a serious watch lifestyler. Another clear advantage of the ref. 15300 over the ref. 5402 or the ref. 15202, is the quick-set calendar feature fitted on calibre 3120.
For those of you that always wonder whether the Royal Oak is suited for water activites, we can confidently say that there is nothing classier than relaxing in the pool with a Royal Oak and Vilebrequins.
Experience: Color Combos with Audemars Piguet
In case you were wondering how well checkered shirts go with Audemars Piguet Royal Oak and Royal Oak Offshore watches. Some of our favorite combos.
Experience: Making of an Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Case
One of the most fascinating industry videos by Audemars Piguet. As you will see in the video it takes talent, passion, precision and extreme quality control to create the iconic Royal Oak case. Making a Royal Oak case is a subtle dance between accuracy of modern machinery and the expertise of meticulous hands and sharp eyes.
