The Audemars Piguet Royal Oak has become a cult timepiece. This watch has been around for a long time, but there is not even a moment when its richness and classicism do not surprise us. The most striking aspect of the Audemars Piguet Royal Oak is its design. This highly regarded geometric design not only revolutionized luxury watchmaking as it was known at the time, but also created a chain reaction that broke the mold.
Over the course of four years, the world learned about what would eventually become two of the most remarkable watch designs ever created, the Royal Oak and the Nautilus.Gerald Genta, the creator of this watch, not only created what may have been the world’s first watch design in just one day, he made sure his design transcended time.Watches like the IWC Ingenieur and the Bvlgari Octo prove this point.
Audemars Piguet Celebrates The Royal Oak’s 50th Anniversary
This is clearly an important occasion. The big boss of the luxury watch industry is celebrating the golden jubilee of one of its greatest creations. Watch lovers around the world wanted a grand gesture, and the watch brand responded. Audemars Piguet has released a new Royal Oak for this milestone event.
Importantly, the new reference does not imply a drastic change. The sleek, 39 mm, self-winding Royal Oak is an icon, and the thing about icons is that you don’t mess with them. You keep them as they are, with the goal of making them better at the same time.
Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Ref. 16202 Jumbo
Audemars Piguet is releasing four brand new references of the 39 mm wide ‘Jumbo’. The Royal Oak ‘Jumbo’ timepieces will be denoted by the numbers 16202.
The first one is Ref. 16202ST.OO.1240ST.01 – The timepiece comes in stainless steel and comes fitted with a steel bracelet. The special anniversary blue dial is a bonus.
The second in line is Ref. 16202OR.OO.1240OR.01 – The timepiece comes in pink gold on a pink gold bracelet along with a “smoked grey” dial.
The third timepiece is Ref. 16202BA.OO.1240BA.01 which comes fitted with yellow gold on a yellow gold bracelet and gets an attractive smoked gold dial.
Last but not least, we have the Ref. 16202PT.OO.1240PT.01 presented neatly in platinum on a platinum bracelet and with a smoked green dial.
A key highlight here is the new movement 7121. The Royal Oak Jumbo has used 2121 for ages and finally, it has received a new calibre. The new movement offers 55 hours of power reserve at a frequency of 28,800 vph.
Voila! There you have it. Four brand new and exquisite references of the heart-breaker of luxury steel watches, the Royal Oak.
Audemars Piguet Royal Oak 37 mm ref. 15550 50th Anniversary
While the world of watchmaking goes gaga over the 50th anniversary of the legendary Royal Oak, why not we take a closer look at the newly launched timepiece and its variations. The Royal Oak 37 mm Ref. 15550ST, although 4 mm smaller than the standard 41 mm and also lacks the ‘Automatic’ on the dial, is a fantastic watch to look at.
The slightly redesigned case of the new 50th anniversary Royal Oak makes the watch appear slightly wider and slender. To accentuate the new case design, the first four links of the bracelet are now trapezoid-shaped giving the watch a more tapering look. The bracelet links are also thinner making the bracelet lighter and more ergonomic.
Unlike the previous models, the ‘Audemars Piguet’ logo at the 12 o’clock position in this watch has interconnected letters. This is similar to the timepieces in the CODE 11.59 collection. The logo is made out of 24-carat gold via a process known as galvanic growth.
Royal Oak Jumbo Extra-Thin Openworked Ref. 16204
The Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Jumbo Extra-Thin Openworked Ref. 16204 is presented in a skeletonized version of the standard Ref. 16202. After all, what is a better way to show off the brand’s latest calibre at work than to take away its entire dial and put on display the entirety of the movement.
Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Flying Tourbillon Openworked Ref. 26735
The flying tourbillon movement used in this timepiece was first used Code 11.59 collection. Audemars Piguet has given the movement a similar treatment to other of its open-worked timepieces, with very articulate and three-dimensional open bridge construction.
The entire structure might look busy as a bee, but the elegant monochromatic interpretation lets go of any gold or brass accents in the mechanism barring the few screws on the balance wheel. This leads to a completely different aesthetic.
Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Chronographs Ref. 26240
You would have thought that was it. The Swiss watchmaking giant launched a new 37 mm model, a revamped Ref. 16202, and two open-worked models with one of them possessing a flying tourbillon. However, that is not where this extravagant tale ends. The brand is also planning to release Royal Oak chronographs.
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