Description

The ‘Royal Oak’ overturned the prevailing codes in 1972 during a period of existential crisis for the watch industry due to the boom of the cheap Quartz watches made in Asia. The company had to come with a bold, solid stainless sports steel luxury watch, they gave the mission to Gerald Genta to design it.

He got the inspiration from a deep-sea-diving helmet, the result was an octagonal bezel, visible mounting screws, a large case of 39mm with an integrated bracelet, a very futuristic design for the seventies. Within 2-3 years they sold about 1000 watches establishing a new segment within the industry and pioneered the popularity and desirability of the steel sports luxury watch.

The first model released was the reference 5402 known today as the “Royal Oak A series”, with a thin automatic calibre 2121 movement that is still made today. Since they treated steel as gold, the level of finishing was remarkable and so was the retail price, for comparison purpose a similar Rolex sport watch was 10x cheaper.

Today, Audemars Piguet still produces a range of Royal Oaks in different sizes (33 to 41mm) for ladies and men, from titanium, rose gold, yellow gold and platinum metals, various dial colours and with different complications. 

Elevate your timekeeping experience with the Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Perpetual Calendar with Diamonds – reference 26625BC.ZZ.1223BC.02. This timepiece is a majestic testament to AP’s unrivaled craftsmanship, blending the mechanical wonders of horology with the breathtaking allure of diamonds.

The case and bracelet, both masterfully crafted from 18K white gold, become a canvas for a dazzling array of diamonds. Every facet captures light, reflecting and refracting it, mirroring the timeless journey of the cosmos which the watch encapsulates. The iconic octagonal bezel, replete with its hallmark hexagonal screws, is adorned with a brilliant row of meticulously set diamonds, exemplifying luxury in its most radiant form.

The dial, in a silver tone, hosts an intricate dance of the perpetual calendar’s functions. With displays for the day, date, highly detailed astronomical moon phases, month, and leap year, the watch is a symphony of precise timekeeping that requires no adjustment for centuries. Each function is laid out with elegance, ensuring clarity and beauty. The white gold applied hour-markers and Royal Oak hands, paired with luminescent coating, offer an added touch of refinement and functionality.

Powering this timepiece is the intricate Calibre 5134, a selfwinding mechanism visible through the glareproofed sapphire crystal caseback. The movement, a marvel of horological engineering, ensures that the perpetual calendar remains as accurate as the passage of celestial time itself.

The Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Perpetual Calendar with Diamonds 26625BC.ZZ.1223BC.02 isn’t just a watch; it’s an ode to the wonders of time, both on Earth and in the heavens. It is, in every sense, a piece of art that belongs to the wrist of the discerning few.

Audemars Piguet – bio

Audemars Piguet is a Swiss manufacturer of mechanical watches founded in 1875. They began in the Vallée de Joux. Jules Louis Audemars formed a partnership with Edward Auguste Piguet. Audemars created complicated blank watch movements for other manufactures to use. Piguet specialized in the final regulation of watches. They then split responsibilities when they began their own company. Audemars was in charge of production and technical aspects while Piguet focused on sales and management. One of their first achievements was creating the first repeater wristwatch in 1892 and in 1972 the iconic steel “Royal Oak”.