At the end of December 2021 we brought you the news that Gerald Genta’s very own Royal Oak would be offered for sale at Sotheby’s through three dedicated ‘Gérald Genta: Icon of Time’ auctions starting February 2022. Along with his very own Royal Oak, approximately 30 original Royal Oak design drawings will be offered in each of the sales.
Posts filed under Audemars Piguet
Insider: Audemars Piguet Royal Oak 37 mm ref. 15550 50th Anniversary. Our Hands-on Review with Live Pics.
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.
Insider: Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Chronograph 50th Anniversary ref. 26240ST with Live Photos
The Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Chronograph has seen many iterations and facelifts since its launch in 1997-1998 under reference 25860. Perhaps the most significant up until now took place in 2016 when the Royal Oak Chrono reference 26300 went from a 39 mm case to a 41 mm as reference 26320. Then in 2017, its dial was redesigned and reference 26331 replaced reference 26320. Back then, the hour and minute chrono registers were enlarged, the running seconds subdial was scaled down, shorter and wider applied markers were added and the typeface and transfers on the chronograph totalizers were updated.
Insider: Audemars Piguet Royal Oak 'Jumbo' 50th Anniversary ref. 16202PT Platinum with Live Photos
Last week Audemars Piguet dropped the new watches to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Royal Oak ‘Jumbo’ and the new reference 16202 replaces the Royal Oak ‘Jumbo’ Extra-Thin reference 15202. Among the new watches, an exclusive platinum Royal Oak that is exclusively sold at the AP Houses was presented —a similar watch reference 15202PT was released at the end of March of 2021— and we finally got to review it and photograph it last week.
Introducing: Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Flying Tourbillon ref. 26730. Three New Models to Celebrate the 50th Anniversary.
Continuing with our coverage of the new models celebrating the 50th anniversary of the Royal Oak, we bring you the three new models of its 41 mm Royal Oak Automatic Flying Tourbillon. Available in stainless steel, titanium, and in 18K pink gold, these new models add to the first three unveiled in 2020 and present the design evolution developed for this jubilee year. All three are equipped with the calibre 2950, an automatic movement combining a flying tourbillon with a central rotor.
Introducing: Audemars Piguet Royal Oak 'Jumbo' 50th Anniversary ref. 16202
Today January 26, 2022, Audemars Piguet decided to drop the new watches to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Royal Oak ‘Jumbo’. The new Audemars Piguet Royal Oak 'Jumbo' 50th Anniversary ref. 16202 replaces the Royal Oak ‘Jumbo’ Extra-Thin reference 15202 with a brand new automatic in-house calibre. The new calibre 7121 —which took five years to develop— replaces the legendary calibre 2121 that had been used for 50 years in the Royal Oak ‘Jumbo’.
From the Editor: Audemars Piguet Royal Oaks Hit an All-Time High and Why I Decided to Take the Plunge for a Safe Queen from the Grey Market
This New Year 2022 marks the 50th anniversary of the Audemars Piguet Royal Oak and the price for any Royal Oak has hit an all-time high like I never imagined it ever would. Furthermore, when you hover over the pricing information for any watch on Audemars Piguet’s website, you get the following disclaimer: “Non-binding recommended public price in the USA”. This literally means that AP is not obligated to sell you any watch at the price that appears on their website and potentially establish the ‘sale price’ according to the basic laws of supply and demand.
Experience: Merry Christmas with Audemars Piguet's Tree Ornaments
Since most people outside of the U.S. in Europe, Asia and Latin America celebrate Christmas on Christmas Eve and we happen to also do the same, we have decided to prepare a small collection of Christmas inspired images for today. This beautiful Audemars Piguet tree ornaments along with an Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Extra-Thin ref. 15202OR will for sure wish each and everyone of you a very Merry Christmas.
From the Editor: Gérald Genta's Very Own Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Jumbo ref. 5402 and Original Drawings Up For Sale
The grail of all Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Jumbos ever produced is for sure Gerald Genta’s very own Royal Oak. A very unique stainless steel AP Royal Oak Jumbo ref. 5402ST fitted with a yellow gold bezel never intended to become a two-tone Royal Oak. Since Genta was a genius, wearing such a unique-looking watch was yet another proof of his character and incredible personality, and way of thinking.
From the Editor: My Visit to The Musée Atelier Audemars Piguet in Le Brassus
Almost a month ago while I was in Geneva attending the GPHG, I finally visited the new Audemars Piguet museum ‘Musée Atelier’. After many visits to Le Brassus and the ‘old Audemars Piguet Museum’, every trip to Le Brassus has its touch of magic and a special charm that is sometimes hard for me to describe. Back in 2013, right after I had just launched WCL, I visited the AP Museum for the very first time. A year later, Audemars Piguet decided to expand the original museum and the idea to create the Musée Atelier Audemars Piguet was born.
News: Audemars Piguet Builds Two New Modular Buildings. Manufacture des Saignoles in Le Locle and The Arc Project in Le Brassus.
Audemars Piguet invests in the future with two contemporary and modular production sites able to adapt to the company’s evolving needs. While the Manufacture des Saignoles recently welcomed its employees in Le Locle after three years of construction work, Audemars Piguet just laid the first stone of its new building, named the “Arc”, adjacent to the Manufacture des Forges in Le Brassus.
Introducing: Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Concept Flying Tourbillon Gemset
Audemars Piguet presents a small series of six new Royal Oak Concept Flying Tourbillon models in white or pink gold glittering with an array of graded colored gemstones and diamonds, each offering unexpected and variegated plays of light. Haute Horlogerie meets Haute Joaillerie in these complex timepieces blending traditional techniques with avant-garde design. With their unique characters and surprising contrasts, these multifaceted pieces will be true statements when worn on the wrist.
From the Editor: What Made the Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Jumbo so Iconic? About to Turn 50 Years Old.
Today, we are on the eve of the 50th anniversary of the AP Royal Oak and I couldn’t think of a better time to talk about this watch and what made it so iconic. When the Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Jumbo was launched on April 15th, 1972, AP decided to be as bold with the marketing strategy to present the watch as they were by hiring genius designer Gérald Charles Genta to design a luxury watch that would be an all-around watch and that would break all the rules in watchmaking.
Rare Bird: Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Offshore Alinghi Team Forged Carbon. The Watch that Marked Many 'Firsts' for AP and the Watch Industry.
One of our favorites discontinued limited edition watches and truly a rare bird is the Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Offshore Alinghi Team in Forged Carbon. The Alinghi Team is a Swiss sailing team that was created by Ernesto Bertarelli and is revered for bringing the America’s Cup trophy to Europe for the first time in 132 years. The Team Alinghi’s victory at the America's Cup in 2003 inspired Audemars Piguet to design and present in 2005 the Royal Oak Offshore Alinghi Polaris ref. 26040ST —limited edition of 2,000 pieces— with an innovative special new movement featuring a regatta flyback chronograph function.
From the Editor: Celebrate Mexican Independence Day with my Favorite AP Royal Oak Offshore. The 'Pride of Mexico'.
Today, along with all my fellow Mexican watch collectors, I celebrate Mexican Independence Day and there’s no better watch that I would like to talk about for the occasion than the ultra elusive Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Offshore 'Pride of Mexico'.
Introducing: Five New Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Offshore Chronos 42 mm ref. 26238
Today, Audemars Piguet presents five new iterations of the Royal Oak Offshore Selfwinding Chronograph models in 42 mm equipped with the latest integrated flyback chronograph movement, calibre 4404. The new five models include versions in titanium, stainless steel, and 18K rose gold. The first three models mirror the look of the original Royal Oak Offshore ref. 25721ST ‘The Beast’ which you can read all about it here.
Introducing: Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Perpetual Calendar Titanium Salmon Dial
Joining the other limited editions of the Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Perpetual Calendar comes now a 300-piece limited edition in titanium with a salmon dial. Some of the other limited edition pieces include the 50-piece limited edition in platinum with ice blue dial for Switzerland, the 100-piece in pink gold with pink-toned dial for Latin America, the 50-piece in stainless steel with a green dial for Hong Kong…
Introducing: Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Chronograph Amethyst ref. 26319OR
Audemars Piguet is delighted to unveil its new Royal Oak Chronograph in 38 mm that will be available solely in Audemars Piguet boutiques. For the first time, the Manufacture is offering a solid 18K pink gold timepiece with a bezel that has been set with an array of 32 baguette-cut amethysts. These purple gemstones surround and match the tones of the timepiece’s purple dial to perfection. Developed by the Manufacture’s artisans, the timepiece’s dial displays a range of purple hues that dance and change color in the light.
Introducing: Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Black Ceramic
The history of the use of black ceramics by Audemars Piguet is quite extensive. The first external components honed from ceramics made their debut at Audemars Piguet in the late 1980s. In the early 2000s, new materials and alloys inspired by technical fields as diverse as aeronautics and automotive sports made their way into the watchmaking industry, the Royal Oak Offshore and Royal Oak Concept collections being perfect platforms to experiment with these high-tech materials.
Introducing: Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Jumbo Extra-Thin ref. 15202XT 'ONLY Watch' Unique Piece
Audemars Piguet presents its Royal Oak “Jumbo” Extra-Thin Only Watch unique piece. This dedicated timepiece is the last unique 15202 reference powered by Calibre 2121, the thinnest automatic movement with central rotor and date indication of its time, first introduced on the Royal Oak in 1972. Reference 15202 and Calibre 2121 will officially retire at the end of 2021, making way for the new generation. While offering new grey hues, the “Petite Tapisserie” dial of this unique watch has retained the original Royal Oak’s typography for the signature and AP monogram as introduced with the 5402 A series.
