Posts Tagged ‘Royal Oak’
‘Flat Grey’ Dial 25820ST Audemars Piguet Royal Oak
Where the Royal Oak market has been shuffling its feet for the last year or two, the Royal Oak QP seems like it might be having a moment. It was, in 1984, category making. Sporting watch, high complication. That’s taken for granted, but it truly had never been done. In fact, the early 80s, the…
Read MoreSalmon Dial 14790ST Audemars Piguet Royal Oak
Around the late 80s, AP got wildly experimental with the mid-sized Royal Oak. Many speculate that the mid-sized case was utilized the testing ground to gauge demand for what might make sense to incorporate into the Jumbo RO, AP’s flagship. Day-Dates, Dual Times, and Annual Calendars flourished. Further, the some rather unusual colors made a…
Read MorePeach Dial 14800BA Audemars Piguet Royal Oak
If I were to ask a reader at random, ‘What is a Royal Oak?’ Most would answer something like this, ‘A luxury, steel sports watch where the case is integrated to the bracelet with an octagonal bezel and monocoque case.’ This 14800BA is, well gold. And you’ll note, it’s on a strap. So what gives?…
Read More25686BA Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Quantième Perpétuel
This was the RM of its day, just with more substance; AP invented the combination high complication with sporting ambition in the 1984 ref. 5554. This is, and to ours will likely forever remain, the apex of Royal Oak collecting. Maybe not this precise iteration, but the pre-leap year QP as a category, of which…
Read More5402BA Audemars Piguet Royal Oak
In the below image, I would happily wear the watch on the left every day for the rest of my life. The watch on the right, not so much. To the untrained eye, they are the same watch. To us, they are as different as Macallan is to Budweiser, despite both being brown drinks. The…
Read More26586IP Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Perpetual Calendar RD2
This is not a normal Royal Oak QP. It’s the RD2, very possibly the last watchmaking-first complicated Royal Oak from Audemars Piguet which placed emphasis on their technical ability rather than their marketing ability. It looks like a Royal Oak that’s picked up intermittent fasting as a hobby, still 41mm in footprint but an unbelievable…
Read More‘Yves Klein’ Dial 25820ST Audemars Piguet Royal Oak QP
There is something fantastic about pairing high complication with vibrant color. Somehow, complication and the effort required to create it tends to bring about the serious side of aesthetics and design, almost as a way of saying ‘you should take this seriously’. This is the other philosophy. Most collectors tend to prefer pre-leap year indication…
Read More25820SP Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Perpetual Calendar
Any Royal Oak without brushing on the top of its bezel is serious business. At a glance, it almost looks wrong to have a fully mirror-finished bezel. But it isn’t wrong, it’s platinum. And it’s very likely to be a vintage QP. The evolution of the Royal Oak QP is quite a complex and nuanced…
Read More‘Mini Jumbo’ 4332SA Audemars Piguet Royal Oak
In the time the very first 36mm Royal Oak, the 4332, was released, bimetal was the most desirable. The Royal Oak was introduced to elevate steel beyond its initial tool watch remit. But almost as soon as the ink from Genta’s pen had dried, it was introduced in precious metal. This was the 80s. Stockbrokers…
Read More25730ST Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Dual Time
Although AP might’ve been first to the integrated bracelet, they were a good 3-4 decades behind on the travel watch (depending on your definition). In fairness, it took VC an extra decade. This is the Royal Oak Dual Time; AP don’t make it anymore, discontinued almost a decade, but it’s one of the most usable…
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