Some will tell you that Audemars Piguet have become the Royal Oak company. But why is this sole model so damn successful? How did one watch come to invent and subsequently take over a market segment? What are the models worth paying attention to and how are collections structured? This is the story of the Royal Oak, from two years before the 5402’s release straight through to ceramics and RD#2.

Links Mentioned:

AP Chronicle Early Years Story and Stats:

https://apchronicles.audemarspiguet.com/en/article/birth-of-an-icon

Integrated 2499:

https://www.hodinkee.com/articles/jay-z-patek-2499

5182 and 5179:

https://www.instagram.com/p/CzZbEHhJWSJ/

https://apchronicles.audemarspiguet.com/en/asset/7_5

Genta’s First Sketch:

https://www.sothebys.com/en/buy/auction/2022/gerald-genta-icon-of-time-3/original-prototype-design-of-the-audemars-piguet

Tapisserie and How It’s Made:

https://apchronicles.audemarspiguet.com/en/article/guillochage-tapisserie

Some Ads:

https://www.adpatina.com/products/1974-audemars-piguet-royal-oak-ref-5402-steel-at-price-of-gold-advertisement

A Series 5402 ‘AP Down’:

https://www.phillips.com/detail/audemars-piguet/CH080222/8

D Series 5402 ‘AP Up’:

https://www.sothebys.com/en/buy/auction/2022/important-watches-part-i/d-series-jumbo-royal-oak-ref-5402st-stainless

5402BC:

https://www.phillips.com/detail/audemars-piguet/CH080116/198

Midsized Evolution Guide:

https://www.watchbrotherslondon.com/articles/reference-talk-how-to-identify-royal-oak-ref-4100-14332-14486-14700-14790

14790 Guide:

https://www.acollectedman.com/blogs/journal/collectors-guide-audemars-piguet-14790

14802 Jumbo Royal Oak ‘Jubilee’:

https://apchronicles.audemarspiguet.com/en/model/14802-royal-oak-jubilee

25572 ‘The Owl’:

https://hairspring.com/blogs/finds/the-owl-25572ba-audemars-piguet-royal-oak-day-date

5548:

https://www.acollectedman.com/products/audemars-piguet-quantieme-perpetuel-5548-yellow-gold-1

Early Royal Oak QP History:

https://www.hodinkee.com/articles/early-audemars-piguet-royal-oak-perpetual-calendar-in-depth

https://apchronicles.audemarspiguet.com/en/article/Royal-Oak-Calendar-watches-1983-1996

https://www.adpatina.com/products/1994-audemars-piguet-royal-oak-perpetual-calendar-advertisement

Special Dials in the RO QP:

https://hairspring.com/products/25820pt-tuscan-dial-royal-oak-quantieme-perpetuel-platinum

https://www.phillips.com/detail/audemars-piguet/CH080222/17

https://apchronicles.audemarspiguet.com/en/model/royal-oak-25636

MoP Dual Time:

https://www.phillips.com/detail/audemars-piguet/CH080222/78

The Start of the Offshore:

https://apchronicles.audemarspiguet.com/en/article/birth-of-the-offshore

‘The Beast’:

https://hairspring.com/blogs/finds/a-very-tropical-early-offshore-25721st-the-beast

Kasparov:

https://hairspring.com/products/25860st-tropical-dial-kasparov-royal-oak-chronograph-steel

15002:

https://www.phillips.com/detail/audemars-piguet/CH080222/82

15202 Generational Differences:

https://www.watchprosite.com/audemars-piguet/first-gen-15202-royal-oak-jumbo/3.1554086.15251221/

16202:

https://www.hodinkee.com/articles/the-audemars-piguet-royal-oak-reference-16202-jumbo

56175TT:

https://www.tickingtimehomme.com/about/1990s-audemars-piguet-royal-oak-championship

25829TR:

https://www.gioielleriabonanno.it/en/audemars-piguet-il-tantalio-conquista-il-royal-oak-perpetual-calendar-ref-25829tr/

Frosted Gold:

https://www.hodinkee.com/articles/audemars-piguet-royal-oak-frosted-gold-hands-on

RD#2:

https://www.hodinkee.com/articles/audemars-piguet-rd2-royal-oak-perpetual-calendar-ultra-thin-hands-on

https://revolutionwatch.com/walking-the-ultra-thin-line-the-audemars-piguet-rd2/

Only Wrist:

https://www.instagram.com/p/DL4dfvBT0fD/

https://hairspring.com/products/ur-100v-p-02-titanium-steel

(The only Urwerk calendar is a pocket watch, it turns out)

https://www.urwerk.com/collections/historical-pieces/ur-1001