Audemars Piguet

Luxury watches from Audemars Piguet are some of the best the world has to offer. The manufacturer is considered one of the "Big Three" of the Swiss watch industry, alongside Patek Philippe and Vacheron Constantin. Extremely complicated functions, such as the perpetual calendar and minute repeater, feature in many Audemars Piguet models. These timepieces are characterized by perfect craftsmanship and excellent finishes.

The Royal Oak is the Le Brassus-based brand's most famous model. Its arrival in 1972 turned the world of luxury watches on its head, as this distinct stainless steel piece cost just as much as a gold watch. At the time, its price came in at over 3,600 Swiss francs. This model established the luxury sports watch genre, which today includes the Patek Philippe Nautilus.

In 2018, Audemars Piguet made watchmaking history once again with the Royal Oak RD#2 . It is the world's flattest automatic watch with a perpetual calendar. The case is only 6.3 mm thick, making it 2 mm flatter than that of the classic Royal Oak "Jumbo" Extra-Thin with two hands.

The Royal Oak Offshore Tourbillon Chronograph is yet another highlight from AP, as fans tend to refer to the brand. Versions from 2018 with a skeletonized dial come in stainless steel or rose gold. They are especially rare, as each version is limited to 50 pieces. The power reserve of the in-house caliber 2947 is as impressive as the rest of this timepiece: It lasts seven days when fully wound.

A stainless steel Audemars Piguet Royal Oak costs about 29,100 USD in mint condition. Pre-owned versions of this 39-mm wristwatch are only slightly less expensive at 27,700 USD. Prices for never-worn and pre-owned models have been rising steadily over the last few years, making the Royal Oak ref. 15202 an especially safe investment. This reference number comes the closest to the original model from 1972.

Early examples from the 1970s are especially highly coveted among collectors. The first versions of the Royal Oak can be found under the reference number 5402. Prices for these watches come in at around 29,400. Prototypes in white gold are even rarer and therefore demand over 58,700 USD.

If a 39-mm case is too small for you, you may enjoy the 41-mm Royal Oak Selfwinding. This larger version is markedly more affordable than its smaller sister model: You can find mint-condition models for only 18,300 USD and pre-owned pieces for as little as 16,800 USD. Even so, it also makes a great investment, as it has experienced rising prices in recent years as well.

The chronograph is one of the most popular complications. The Royal Oak has also been available with a stopwatch function since the late 1990s. At around 23,600 USD, mint-condition stainless steel pieces are more affordable than the classic "Jumbo" with two hands. Pre-owned chronographs are slightly less expensive, costing around 22,900 USD. Variants in gold demand 50,500 USD new and about 45,300 USD pre-owned.

The perpetual calendar is one of the most intricate and expensive complications. This is why prices for a never-worn Royal Oak Perpetual Calendar in stainless steel exceed 58,700 USD. Even pre-owned pieces demand an impressive 56,400 USD. Rose gold variants go for almost 82,200 USD new and 74,000 USD pre-owned. Versions in yellow gold are even more expensive. New pieces cost around 86,600 USD, while pre-owned ones change hands for 78,400 USD.

The Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Grande Complication is one of AP's most complicated and expensive models. You'll need to have over 645,000 USD on hand to purchase one of these watches with minute repeater, a perpetual calendar, and a split-seconds chronograph.

Watches in the Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Concept series combine state-of-the-art technology with classic haute horlogerie. While their designs may be futuristic, these watches remain true to the typical porthole design of the Royal Oak. Top watches in this series feature a tourbillon and minute repeater. The Royal Oak Concept Supersonnerie costs over 563,000 USD in mint condition. A titanium Royal Oak Concept Tourbillon Chronograph goes for around 249,000 USD new.

Before Audemars Piguet released the Royal Oak in 1972, they were already producing classic wristwatches made of gold. These gold watches were especially thin or had intricate complications like a perpetual calendar. The legendary manual caliber 2003 was ultra-thin, with a thickness of only 1.64 mm. Audemars Piguet developed this movement together with LeCoultre in the 1940s.

Audemars Piguet also offers traditional wristwatches in addition to their sports models. The Jules Audemars line, named for one of the company's founders, contains elegant three-hand models with small or central seconds. However, there are also more intricate models with a chime, perpetual calendar, tourbillon, or minute repeater. The Grande Complication model is a true highlight in this collection. It features a perpetual calendar with a moon phase display, a chronograph function, and a minute repeater.

There are also elegant, Extra-Thin models with two hands for the hours and minutes in the Jules Audemars collection. With a thickness of only 6.7 mm, these watches fit under every shirt cuff. Just as classic and elegant are the watches in the Edward Piguet line, named for the other founder. The series, which has been discontinued, contains many rectangular watches.

Watches in the Millenary collection aren't just watches – they're gorgeous pieces of jewelry as well. The designs of these watches feature oval cases and decentralized dials, allowing a view of the movement. The calibers in this series are often skeletonized. Models in this series with a tourbillon and a diamond-set bezel, case, and dial, are true pieces of watchmaking art.

The Royal Oak is the most famous watch from Audemars Piguet. The Swiss manufacturer first introduced the watch in 1972, and its look revolutionized the watch industry. With the Royal Oak, Audemars Piguet ushered in a new era in luxury watches. Before then, stainless steel sports watches were not en vogue among the top luxury manufacturers. In the early 1970s, wristwatches from Patek Philippe, Jaeger-LeCoultre, and Vacheron Constantin were still predominantly made of gold and featured traditional designs.

The history of the Royal Oak began in 1971. At this time, Georges Golay was the general director at Audemars Piguet. The Italian distributor for Audemars Piguet, Carlo de Marchi, approached Golay and requested a wristwatch that you could wear while driving a sports car, during a weekend on a boat, at a fancy dinner, and celebrating at the country club. Steel was not excluded as a possible material for the case and band.

Gérald Genta , one of the most famous watch designers in the world, was commissioned by Audemars Piguet to design the Royal Oak. Four years later, Genta would design Patek Philippe's Nautilus. Thanks to the octagonal bezel, the Royal Oak's design is reminiscent of a ship's porthole . A characteristic feature of the Royal Oak is the set of eight hexagonal screws keeping the bezel screwed onto the case. In between the bezel and the case is a rubber seal. The slots in the screws are perfectly aligned, creating a harmonious circle. This is made possible by tightening the screws from below. The stainless steel bracelet is integrated into the case, and the links taper off the closer they get to the clasp.

At the beginning of its career, the Royal Oak wasn't particularly successful. Today, however, it's the most successful and beloved watch from Audemars Piguet.

The watches in Audemars Piguet's Millenary collection have a characteristic oval case . Just as distinctive are the decentralized dials on the newer models, which offer a view of the caliber. Audemars Piguet decorates their movements very intricately, making them a pleasure to look at. The Millenary series was first introduced in 1995.

There are currently many versions of the Millenary available. The case size ranges from 39.5 mm to 45 mm and all the way to 47 mm. Some models feature diamonds on the bezel, case, dial, and movement bridges. The highlights of this collection are watches including complications like a tourbillon, minute repeater, or semi-perpetual calendar. A semi-perpetual calendar only has to be manually corrected once every four years; it cannot account for February 29th in a leap year.