Recent Articles
Royal Oak
Lucky 88 for Audemars Piguet Royal Oak timepiece
Recently, at the Antiquirium auction, one extremely lucky person went home with the coveted Audemars Piguet Royal Oak timepiece for 40,000 CHF ($42,500 including buyer’s premium). What made this timepiece so special is because this is one of the original A-series Royal Oak that had the AP logo above the 6 o’clock position. Read more
The Making of the 40th Anniversary of the Royal Oak
Since 1972, the Royal Oak has been the epitome of luxury sports watch industry. In fact, it revolutionizes the whole sports watch industry and raise it up to the standards of luxury. Inventing a whole new category of fine wristwatches. It was a feat so incredible that even the likes of Patek Philippe went ahead with their own version of the said piece. Read more
40th Anniversary Edition of Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Jumbo
The original Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Jumbo has always been the watch that has defined the luxury sports watch of today. A watch so iconic that it was the watch that made what Audemars Piguet is today. Without the Royal Oak Jumbo, Audemars Piguet would have cease to exist. Released back in 1972, the Royal Oak receive several criticisms from skeptics and aficionados alike before its released. But with the ingenious design by the late Gerald Genta, the Royal Oak has became one of the most sought after watch in the horological industry today. Audemars Piguet will celebrate its 40th anniversary at the Salon International de la Haute Horlogerie 2012 in Geneva, by simply going back to its roots. A deserving successor is born, introducing the new Royal Oak ref. 15202ST.
The current Royal Oak ref. 15202ST (via Audemars Piguet).
Fans of the Jumbo would easily spot that subtle changes can be seen from the front of the watch. A change that has been called upon by enthusiasts everywhere. As you can see, the picture above is the current model of the Royal Oak 15202ST. The new version took the watch way back to the original Royal Oak in 1972. They were called the A-series, one of the rarest Royal Oaks ever, sporting the company's logo "AP" in the 6 o'clock position. The new Royal Oak did just that, but not only did they moved the logo down to the 6 o'clock, they also painted the date dial black instead of white, and removed the white frame around the date dial altogether. Additionally, a slightly smaller tapisserie can be seen in the dial and a longer hour marker by removing the arabic numerals at each marker. The size of the piece remains the same, and the movement is still the 2121 Caliber from AP that was derived from Jaeger-LeCoultre legendary ultra thin movement 920 (A movement still used by Patek Philippe and Vacheron Constantin today).
The subtle changes from the exterior is quite a game changer for watch fans. Not only is the new watch slicker by eliminating unnecessary marks on the dial, but it also bring back the piece to its glory days of the original, just like what Jaeger-LeCoultre did with their Reverso last year. A truly impressive watch that would remain a favorite for decades to come, perhaps til the next decade, the 50th year of the Royal Oak.
