“Better not call the law, get no blood on my Audemar” is just one of the many moments when Audemars Piguet is name-dropped by the likes of J. Cole and Jay-Z (this time, in ‘Mr Nice Watch’). More than a decade later, Dave and Stormzy's banger ‘Clash’ arrived to prove that Audemars Piguet – alongside Rolex – continues to fly the flag for haute horology and influence watch culture outside of its inner Swiss circles.
While The Crown remains the outright king of the watch world in most people's eyes – both culturally and by numbers – AP continues to enhance its reputation as one of the most sought-after grails in the game. But which models should you thirst after the most?
Here, Dimepiece gives us a definitive heads up of the difference between all the various Audemars Piguet Royal Oaks, as well as calling out the future classism of the Code 11.59.
Royal Oak
Name-dropped by rappers and finance bros alike, Audemars Piguet’s Royal Oak would by now have reached peak ubiquity if it weren’t for its transcendent design. The oft-recited story of the watch’s origin is near mythical: Legend has it that, on the eve of 1970’s Swiss Watch Show, an AP exec called up the visionary Swiss watch designer Gérald Genta to present a watch strong enough to tip the scale back into the brand’s favour.
It’s difficult to imagine a time when Audemars Piguet was out of style, but the maison, along with the mechanical watchmaking industry as a whole, was facing an existential crisis. Changing social tides and the emergence of the affordable, quartz-powered watch (the Casios and Swatches of the world) painted a picture of high-end mechanical watches as luxury items edging on irrelevancy.
But in comes Gérald Genta (or “GG”, affectionately) with his sketch for the Royal Oak, a sports watch ditching the traditional round shape characterising contemporary timepieces and dismissing public expectation. GG’s octagonal bezel, inspired by a deep-sea diver’s helmet, was sharp-edged and bold, complemented by a dynamic “petite tapisserie” blue dial and a painstakingly constructed integrated bracelet oozing sporty, masculine elegance.
Debuting in 1972, haughtily, as “The costliest stainless steel watch in the world,” this iconoclastic timepiece reached icon status with time, appealing to a base yearning for irreverent, rule-breaking luxury. We see it now on the wrists of everyone from LeBron James to those rich and powerful enough to watch him play court side (DJ Khaled, high-powered sports agents, Silicon Valley billionaires, etc). Mark Ronson, one of AP’s brand ambassadors, cites Jay-Z as an early inspiration for his decade-plus loyalty to the Royal Oak, validating the watch’s deep roots in the music community. Hova is just one of the few founding fathers of its ever-relevant cultural significance; and that first-ever, 1972 Royal Oak itself is a founding father of more models, which you can read about next.
Royal Oak Jumbo Extra-thin
The Royal Oak “Jumbo” Extra-Thins are the closest descendents of GG’s OG 1972 Royal Oak. That initial RO – reference 5402, for the heads – clocked in at 39mm, considered jumbo at the time when smaller dress watches reigned. It was also extra thin, deploying a self-winding calibre 2121 movement, an evolution of a Jaeger-LeCoultre movement that was also used in Vacheron Constantin and Patek Philippe watches. Eventually, AP manufactured this movement in-house and was, up until quite recently, the go-to for all “Jumbo”, “Extra-Thin” models.
So… what about those watches? Since its introduction, the Royal Oak inspired a number of models in varying metals and dial colours – with the OG phased out in 1990 – and in 2000, the 15202 was the fourth Royal Oak to claim the name of “Jumbo.” Fitting for a time when everyone thought the world would end at the dawn of the new millennium, this particular “Jumbo” was futuristic with its sapphire caseback and silver-coloured Grande Tapisserie dial and a few other adjustments. But then this reference went back to its ‘70s roots in 2012, with the return of the blue dial, the Petite Tapisserie dial and the AP monogram at 6 o’clock (its rightful place).
Fast-forward to last year, as the Royal Oak celebrated its 50th anniversary and the Jumbo Extra-Thin evolved to the 16202 reference class fitted with a new movement, the calibre 7121.These newer iterations of the original are now favoured by certified watch dudes, Kevin Hart and John Mayer, and fetch six figures on the secondary market.
Royal Oak Perpetual Calendar
If you talk to any Royal Oak enthusiast, you may hear them throw around the term “QP” with reverence and awe. QP stands for Quantieme Perpetual, which of course means perpetual calendar in French.
But first, what is a perpetual calendar? Watch nerds, you can skip this part. A perpetual calendar watch (or “QP” if you’re AP… you’re getting this, right?) is equipped with a mechanical memory, mapping time cycles of 48 months. It automatically factors the varying number of days per each month (30 or 31), while adjusting the number of days in February during leap years. If this sounds complicated, it’s because it is. A perpetual calendar is one of the most sought after, high-end (literal) complications on the market – and the most important thing you need to know is that, if set and worn properly, it only needs manual adjustment every 100 years. No need to remember if August has 30 or 31 days like a chump. This watch will do it for you.
So, back to Audemars Piguet: In 1948, AP created its first-ever perpetual calendar wristwatch. This was not a Royal Oak, but rather a round, dressy reference 5516 whose layout of its four “registers” (moonphase, month, day and date) was eventually mirrored in the early Royal Oak QPs. Fast forward four decades – many reference numbers and QP evolutions later, including 1978’s introduction of the world's thinnest automatic perpetual calendar movement, the 2120/2800 – Audemars Piguet debuts the first Royal Oak Perpetual Calendar in 1984 (designed by Jacqueline Dimier, who also designed the 29mm ladies Royal Oak 4 years after Genta’s).
By the ‘80s, nearly half of the Royal Oak watches were quartz (a proportion that would go on to decline), but the QP positioned the Royal Oak as a central player in the revival of classic complications. Limited in quantity and cosmetically similar in construction to the OG RO, this watch was thin (thanks to that record-breaking movement) and made of steel. Simple in appearance, intricately complicated inside, super rare – an elegant watch apt for the “greed is good” Reagan-era of excess and unabashed luxury.
By the early ‘90s, the Royal Oakshore dropped (more on that later) and other watches were capturing the public imagination. But the Royal Oak QPs continued to evolve, and a couple of them eventually found themselves on the hallowed wrist of Pharrell Williams, who was terribly ahead of his time appreciating these ultra-rare, ultra-complicated watches. I mean, Pharrell accessorised his QPs with his y2k-era “Skateboard P” looks before anyone knew how to pronounce “Audemars Piguet.”
In 2018, the Royal Oak Selfwinding Perpetual Calendar Ultra-Thin became the thinnest automatic perpetual calendar wristwatch of its time, putting it even more on the map. And now it seems every famous, rich guy has some iteration of a Royal Oak Perpetual Calendar (this is an exaggeration, they’re still quite limited), with the hot item these days being the new-ish blue ceramic QP.
Royal Oak Tourbillon
The first Royal Oak Tourbillon watch was presented in 1997 in celebration of the collection’s 25th anniversary. Featuring an octagonal opening at 6 o’clock, delightfully symmetric to the bezel, it clocked in at 40mm, that extra millimetre offset by the fact that it did not have a visible crown on the side of the case.
But first (and, again, watch nerds – please skip): what is a tourbillon? French for “whirlwind” and invented by Breguet in 1795, a tourbillon is a mechanism ingeniously designed to counter the effect of Earth’s gravity on the inner-workings of a sedentary timepiece. It achieves this with a balance wheel, balance spring and escapement rhythmically, constantly rotating (hence “whirlwind”) while the movement is running. If you’re going cross-eyed reading this, you’re not alone. Just know that a tourbillon defies gravity, but is a relatively controversial feature… when Breguet invented this, it was to course-correct clocks that did not enjoy any constant, free movement. But if you wear a watch, it should move around enough that you don’t necessarily need an oscillating tourbillon. This is all to say that, in 2023, owning a tourbillon is an (expensive) flex, boasted by everyone from LA Laker Anthony Davis to his teammate LeBron, to the other famous watch guys we’ve come to know and love: John Mayer, Kevin Hart and Ed Sheeran.
OK, back to AP. As with the QP, the tourbillon feature had been previously used in Audemars Piguet watches – namely in the world's first self-winding tourbillon wristwatch in 1986, also designed by Jacqueline Dimier, who creatively placed the tourbillon on the dial side (why hide it?).
But this fancy feature did not find its way in a Royal Oak until the ‘90s. It was released in a limited edition of 25 pieces and was, at the time, the world’s most expensive steel watch. Many iterations later, 2020 brought forth the Royal Oak’s first-ever automatic flying tourbillon. A flying tourbillon, by the way, is the ultimate flex, existing for purely aesthetic purposes. It provides a view of the tourbillon unobstructed by the “bridge”, connected to the movement, rather, from underneath. So you’re therefore able to watch the tourbillon in its mesmerising glory without any metal getting in the way. (AP’s flying tourbillon was not introduced until 2018, notably in the “Concept” – more on that later).
Anyway, now we’re enjoying even more high-tech iterations of the tourbillon, with Audemars Piguet constantly pushing the industry forward with their extensive R&D (“research and development”, for those unfamiliar with corporate acronyms). As part of the 50th anniversary lineup last year, the Royal Oak Selfwinding Flying Tourbillon Extra-Thin RD#3 was the first "Jumbo" cased-movement with a self-winding flying tourbillon. Remember the Jumbo? That 39mm classic? Squeezing a tourbillon into that proved to be challenging, but well worth it as AP continues to enjoy its moment in the sun.
Royal Oak Offshore
Although we often think back on the ‘90s as a decade sartorially defined by Calvin Klein’s minimalism and “heroin chic”, this was also the time that AP introduced the hulky, bulky Royal Oak Offshore. Born 30 years ago at the hand of Emmanuel Gueit in 1993, this watch was designed to attract a younger audience. Coming in hot with a 42mm case size and an extra thick 15mm height, you can imagine why this watch – debuting before the oversized, Panerai-induced y2k watch wave – was nicknamed “The Beast.” Rumour has it that darling Gérald Genta was not pleased with the Beast, and indeed, it ruffled some feathers (Gstaad Guy likes to joke that the Royal Oak should remain “onshore”).
As a chronograph, it already has some presence – its rubber-clad pushers and crown weighing down the right-hand side of the case. The rubber, its size, those curvalicious lugs… here you had yourself a sporty, controversial timepiece decidedly veering from GG’s sleek design language but satisfying a hunger amongst “the youth” for sport and adventure. The ‘90s, after all, brought us the X-Games, baggy pants and grunge. It also brought us 1999’s End of Days, starring Arnold Schwarzenegger wearing – you guessed it – an Offshore (he certainly has the guns to pull off The Beast).
The Offshore has emerged as a bit of a niche favourite over its three decades of life, beloved by those who perhaps remember Jay-Z’s limited-edition Offshore in 2005 and the fact that AP was (and still remains) one of the few Swiss watch brands cool enough to officially align themselves with – and acknowledge – hip hop’s enduring influence on the watch world’s cultural cache. So cheers to the Offshore. Happy 30th. Nothing was the same.
Royal Oak Concept Flying Tourbillon
I like to think that the Royal Oak “Offshore” walked so that the Royal Oak “Concept” could run. The latter, launched in 2002 to celebrate the Royal Oak’s 30th anniversary, audaciously strayed even further away from Gérald Genta’s 1972 creation, helping pave the way for what we now know as the modern hyperwatch (preceded just a year earlier by Richard Mille’s RM001).
The first Concept (CW1) had the Royal Oak’s signature exposed screws, octagonal bezel and crown – but the similarities (other than its name) stop there. Its metal, brand new to the world of watchmaking, is a “super-alloy” which had previously, exclusively been used in aerospace in medical industries. Of course, now, the watch world’s use of scientifically engineered metals is such a common stunt that it’s almost meme-worthy, but 2002 didn’t see it coming.
Ultra light and durable, the CW1’s big-ass 44mm case protected its tech-y manual-wind calibre 2896 movement, featuring a tourbillon, a hearty 70-hour power reserve, and two novel complications that I even have a hard time understanding. Offered on a kevlar strap (a strong, heat-resistant synthetic fibre), this watch might be a good choice for those who want to… skydive! Fight fires! Competitively jet-ski with Drake and DJ Khaled!
It makes sense, then, why the Concept was the medium on which Audemars Piguet’s Marvel collaborations occurred. This year marked the introduction of the Royal Oak Concept ‘Spider-Man” tourbillon, and 2021’s Royal Oak Concept “Black Panther” boasts a flying tourbillon (which actually debuted in a Concept in 2018). Fit for superheroes, the Concept combines ultra-modern technical precision with cutting-edge micro-mechanics, and has provided a platform for AP’s experimentation for 21 years and counting.
Code 11.59 and Code 11.59 Grande Sonnerie
By now you’re probably thinking, does Audemars Piguet do anything but the Royal Oak?! Yes, of course, and many of them precede the Royal Oak, like their first QP or tourbillon (and, still, many of them remained under-hyped and under-valued, like the vintage ladies watch Bad Bunny wore at this year’s Grammy Awards).
But Audemars Piguet is constantly forward-thinking, breaking rules, pushing boundaries… and in 2019, it launched the Code 11.59, declared a “new page in the Manufacture’s history.” A new page, indeed! It looks nothing like the Royal Oak (although it does have octagonal nods to its more famous family member) and is considered by the brand to be a contemporary evolution of a classic round watch. With its multifaceted, curved architecture, the polarising Code represents Audemars Piguet’s third attempt at changing the game (as it had with the Offshore and, of course, the 1972 Royal Oak).
Guns blazing, AP initially released the Code in an eye-watering 13 versions, with three new movements across six watch types, including a perpetual calendar, automatic flying tourbillon and the impressive chiming ‘Supersonnerie’. The design itself differed from anything else out on the market, let alone the Royal Oak, and its curved sapphire presents a “unique optic experience” for the wearer, changing with his vantage point. Presented mainly in precious metals – with a whole lot of other design features that I am too tired to even get into – it received lukewarm reception, with watch nerds and collectors alike snidely sceptical of AP’s ability to successfully position itself as more than a one-collection watch brand.
But, as history has taught us, both the Royal Oak and the Offshore weren’t super-hits at first. And now… who’s laughing? The Code 11.59 is still on its journey, and this year’s updated releases, with its simpler design and stainless steel construction making for (relatively) more affordable versions, could point towards a more optimistic fate. Time will tell, so set your watch and pay attention.
