In the past 50 years, Audemars Piguet has transcended the watch industry in popularity, establishing itself in pop culture as a symbol of opulence and success globally. The 1970s Royal Oak undoubtedly played a critical role in AP’s story, yet the legacy of the brand does not hinge solely on the octagonal icon. AP’s history spans nearly 150 years since its founding by Jules Louis Audemars and Edward Auguste Piguet. In that time, Audemars Piguet has released a dizzying number of special editions and limited production pieces, and now offers a diverse collection of pieces that showcase different finishing techniques and appointments. Today we will highlight a few of the most notable and celebrated variants, and help to illustrate how Audemars Piguet has become such a foundational pillar of the industry.
Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Chronograph Frosted
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The Audemars Piguet Frosted Royal Oak Chronograph exemplifies the brand’s emphasis on finishing. The Royal Oak has a long standing reputation for exceptional finishing across the case and bracelet; this frosted variant, however, provides an entirely different perspective on case treatments. First introduced in 2016, AP’s frosted finish is achieved by hammering the surface of the gold with a diamond-tipped tool repeatedly. In effect, the watch is always catching light reflecting off the various valleys in the surface, providing a scintillating appearance that ostensibly suggests the presence of diamonds. One of the brand’s unique contributions, the frosted finish has become a favorite of AP enthusiasts, and remains as technically involved as it is visually beautiful.
Audemars Piguet Code 11.59 in White Gold
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First introduced in 2019 with much controversy, the Code 11.59 was the culmination of over half a decade of development. The Code 11.59 represented one of the rare truly new watch designs to emerge from the last 20 years, complex double curved crystal, an octagonal mid-case, pierced lugs, and a unique movement designed specifically for this piece. The Code 11.59’s beauty lies in the details, and the more time you spend analyzing the piece, the more you discover. Whether you like the watch or not, AP deserves a tremendous amount of respect for generating an unprecedented watch design that serves as the confluence of several independently impressive design features. In the modern era, brands often avoid risks when introducing new watches, yet AP unabashedly released the Code 11.59, and some may be surprised to see the piece’s popularity grow in the coming years.
Audemars Piguet Perpetual Calendar Royal Oak Reference 26574ST.OO.1220ST.02
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The Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Perpetual Calendar is nothing short of brilliant. The piece seamlessly merges the iconic Royal Oak design language with a perpetual calendar complication. Audemars Piguet’s roots lie in the high complications; the natural extension of the heritage of the brand to its modernist collection generates a piece that is simultaneously traditional and contemporary. A true perpetual calendar, after being set the first time, the piece only requires adjustment once in every 125 years and 317 days. The Royal Oak Perpetual Calendar serves as a reminder that AP has not forgotten its history and origins, and that the brand continues to be an expert of high horology watchmaking.
Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Tourbillon Chronograph Openworked for Material Good
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Since its introduction in 1972, the Royal Oak collection has expanded massively, incorporating new complications into the iconic octagonal case design. A great example of this progression of the Royal Oak collection is the Tourbillon Chronograph with open-worked dial. With floating chronograph sub-registers, a tourbillon at 6 o’clock, and the mainspring at 12, this piece is not only complicated, but also extremely well finished. The titanium contrasts with the gold tones of the dial’s carcass, and the movement is beautifully decorated with brushed graining, anglage, and black polished screws. In spite of the elegant movement treatments, the piece is massive at 44mm in diameter and 13.2mm in thickness. To top it all off, this piece is one of only 25 made in a special edition for retailer Material Good in NYC.
Audemars Piguet [Re]master01 Self Winding Chronograph
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Although AP is best known for the Royal Oak, arguably, some of the brand’s best and most interesting watches lie outside of the Royal Oak collection. The [Re]master01 Self Winding Chronograph, based on a 1941 chronograph design from the brand’s archives, is a nostalgic look back to a previous era of AP. With a retro champagne dial, oversized chronograph registers, art deco script, and teardrop lugs, the piece is closely influenced by the vintage aesthetics of the original, yet simultaneously has grown to 40mm. Making the watch larger required an exceptional amount of development on the movement side, which boasts a 70-hour power reserve and modern finishing. From the dial side, the watch looks vintage, yet through the sapphire case back, the watch looks like it was created yesterday. A truly fascinating AP reference, the [Re]master01 is yet another controversial AP release that deserves a second look.
Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Perpetual Calendar in Black Ceramic
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Within the holy trinity, AP has often been described as the hip sibling of the more prim and proper Patek Philippe and Vacheron Constantin. One manifestation of this relaxed approach to watchmaking is AP’s embrace of alternative materials such as ceramic. The AP Royal Oak Perpetual Calendar in Black Ceramic reference 26579CE.OO.1225CE.01 is one such example. Other than the screws, clasp, and caseback, the entirety of the piece is fashioned from black ceramic, which contributes a stealth, dark complexion to the Royal Oak collection. Partnered with an impeccably finished automatic winding perpetual calendar complication, this piece is as representative of modern AP as any other watch in their collection.
Audemars Piguet Star Wheel Reference 25720BA
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It is always fun to view how brands provide alternative timekeeping methods to the traditional three-handed watch of old. For AP, the Star Wheel from Audemars Piguet exploits a series of wheels with numbers distributed across the sapphire discs to help convey the time. The disc that points to the top minutes display represents the current hour; this complication is known as the wandering hour display. First invented by two Roman brothers in a clock designed for Pope Alexander XII in 1656, AP reinterpreted the complication for use in a wristwatch, yielding one of the most fascinating time-only APs ever made.
Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Offshore Chronograph LeBron James
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Audemars Piguet has created innumerable limited editions in partnership with some of the world’s greatest athletes. In the past, we have covered many, including the Shaquille O’Neal Limited Edition Chronograph and Arnold Schwarzenegger Offshore, however, today, I’d like to highlight the LeBron James Offshore. One of the more attractive Offshore models, the LeBron James edition combines a slate gray dial and strap with rose gold case, hour markers, and hands. At 44mm, the piece is certainly large, but for a sports watch, this edition of 600 examples is surprisingly elegant and refined in appearance. One of the chronograph pushers is ironically set with diamonds! The caseback features LeBron James’ autograph as well as a view of the utilitarian yet beautiful caliber 3126/3840.
Audemars Piguet Quantieme Perpetual Tuscan Dial
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A beautiful dialed limited edition, the AP Quantieme Perpetual Tuscan dial features a hand hammered finish. One of 37 examples made in platinum, the Quantieme Perpetual with Tuscan dial was produced in 1991, yet still feels contemporary with its blue dial and modest yet appropriate 36mm case diameter. Audemars Piguet used to be known for their perpetual calendar pieces, and this model serves as an homage to the early years of Audemars Piguet, reminding collectors that AP has never lost sight of their heritage and history.
Audemars Piguet Royal Oak QE II Cup
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While all (well most at least) AP pieces are deserving of praise, it is impossible to ignore the fact that the Royal Oak is the cornerstone of the Audemars Piguet collection. It is not for no reason that the piece has harbored so much love and admiration from the global collecting community. A beautifully proportioned and finished piece, the Royal Oak challenged the notion that a sports watch couldn’t be luxurious and started a revolution of integrated bracelet steel sports watches. The Royal Oak QE II Cup limited edition of 200 examples is one of the most under the radar limited productions of the Royal Oak, with a white dial, titanium case and highly polished platinum center links and bezel. On the surface, this piece could easily be mistaken for a stainless steel Royal Oak, yet this ambiguity is part of the allure of the piece. The QE II Cup commemorates the Queen Elizabeth II Challenge Cup horse race, sponsored by AP since 1999.