Audemars Piguet Code 11.59 Replica, Audemars Piguet Replica, Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Offshore Replica, Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Replica, Perfect Watches Replica

Luxury UK Fake Audemars Piguet’s New Royal Oaks And Other Cool Watches For 2023

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February is upon us, and with it, Audemars Piguet has dropped new replica watches for sale for 2023 ranging from some of its most affordable (well, relatively speaking) to some of its most complicated and, shall we say, far-from-affordable. Though best known for the classic hype watch, the Royal Oak, collectors also know the brand (“AP”) for its high-end watchmaking. That’s all on display among the new releases, and it’s the aggressively sporty Royal Oak Offshore’s 30th anniversary, too.

The brand recently also announced it will be following the likes of Rolex and other established brands and opening a certified pre-owned program. As for new high quality fake watches, though, here are the most notable releases from Audemars Piguet for the first half of 2023.

Replica Audemars Piguet Code 11.59 Watches in Steel

The Audemars Piguet Code 11.59 copy watches wholesale, introduced in 2019, now comes in versions that appear conceived as a relatively accessible, entry-level option — not “affordable” for most people, mind you, but relatively so within the brand’s catalog. We’re talking 41mm models with automatic movements, three with simple time-only functionality and three chronographs.

For the first time in the collection, four of those models are produced entirely in steel (the faceted case middles of two more are in ceramic). They also feature a new, stamped dial texture which, like the AAA UK replica Audemars Piguet Royal Oak watches’ “tapisserie” dial, will be a distinguishing feature of the collection going forward.

Diameter: 41mm

Complications:

Price: $25,300-$37,400

Fake Audemars Piguet Code 11.59 Ultra-Complication Universelle Watches

That’s how many things this new version of the 11.59 can do. With a chronograph, multiple chiming mechanisms, a flying tourbillon and more, it’s the most complicated best replica watches AP has ever made, with the movement inside comprising no fewer than 1,155 tiny, hand-finished components.

23 of those features count as horological complications (listed out below), but suffice it to say this is how one of the most respected and prestigious Swiss watchmakers flexes its muscles. Impressive as all that micro engineering is, it’s almost equally so that they fit it all inside a 42mm-wide, 15.5mm-thick case — and that they made an effort for it to be easy to use, without the need of any tools for adjustments. Though very modern in its design, it takes inspiration from a pocket watch from 1899.

Diameter: 42mm

Complications: Chronograph, split seconds, minutes counters, hours counters, flyback function, minute repeater, grande sonnerie, petite sonnerie, silence, quarters silence, locking of automatic and manual activation when the barrel is insufficiently wound, automatic winding of the grande sonnerie barrel, Supersonnerie, perpetual calendar, date display, day display, month display, moonphase, year display, semi-Gregorian, accurate astronomical moon, tourbillon, automatic winding

Price: 1,450,000-1,600,000 CHF

New Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Replica Watches

No AP SKU dump would be complete without some new Royal Oak collection additions — and despite all the newness, this is what a lot of people will still get excited about. There’s new perfect super clone Audemars Piguet Royal Oak “Jumbo” Extra-Thin watches with a grainy dial and white gold case, an ultra-thin perpetual calendar — and the one that visually stands out most, to us: the Selfwinding show above with a yellow gold case and turquoise dial.

Diameter: 37mm

Complications: Date

Price: $61,500

Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Offshore Selfwinding Chronograph Fake Watches

It’s the Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Offshore 30th anniversary replica watches for men this year, so expect that this is only the beginning of this years releases celebrating it. Originally launched in 1993, this is inspired by the original, but with some modern upgrades — and a fully ceramic case and bracelet. In addition to this historical tribute, AP also introduced even more technical and edgy models in its Offshore Concept collection such as a Split Second Chronograph GMT in titanium with a large date.

Diameter: 42mm

Complications: Chronograph

Price: $70,000

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We’ve Seen The Blue Ceramic UK Perfect Fake Audemars Piguet Royal Oak IRL Watches – And Here’s What We Think

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We should be really honest with ourselves upfront on this one: a blue ceramic Royal Oak (fully blue!) is a crazy thing. Like, it’s not normal, and it wouldn’t be normal to wear one. But since when is AAA UK replica watches enthusiasm a normal activity? We don’t call ourselves nerds and geeks for nothing. Those monikers are badges of honor, the kind of thing that keeps us from lusting after the same steel sports watch over and over again.

Of course, today we’re looking at a six-figure, integrated bracelet watch from Audemars Piguet that amounts to unobtanium to anyone not named John Mayer, Kevin Hart, Draymond Green, or LeBron James. To some people, that represents everything that’s wrong with this hobby – to me, it represents the beauty of it. We can pine for this best fake watches from afar without any delusions that we might someday own one, in the same way we would for a Francis Bacon painting or all the vintage Porsches we showed you just yesterday. If one of you readers should be so lucky as to have one of these new QPs, send me a wrist shot on Instagram (@glassofmilt) – you’ll make my day and I’ll genuinely be so happy for you.

Enough small talk, let’s get into a hyper-complicated piece of haute horology housed in fully blue, brushed, ceramic in a form factor that shocked the watch world upon its release in the early 1970s: The Swiss made replica Audemars Piguet Perpetual Calendar watches in blue ceramic.

In 2017, AP released a QP in black ceramic based on a 2015 release in full steel. In 2019, it upped the ante with a boutique-exclusive variation on the theme in white ceramic. We loved both, and we love blue. So when luxury Audemars Piguet copy watches announced yet another colorway into the ceramic QP family in blue, we got excited. The HODINKEE Slack channel was abuzz, the phone lines were lit up, we instituted a new company holiday and people took the day off.

But only one HODINKEE staffer had a chance to go hands-on with the piece, and you’re reading his article right now. I remember it like it was only two weeks ago, being handed small 1:1 replica Audemars Piguet leather watches case, unfastening it, and seeing this blue beauty in front of me.

This new piece is like the movie Pleasantville, when Tobey Maguire and Reese Witherspoon turn their black-and-white world into Technicolor madness. After putting this cheap super clone watches on my wrist, I can assure you that wearing a vibrant blue ceramic timepiece is quite different from the standard ceramic offerings of black and white.

And I mean this in the best way. If you’re comfortable with something as loud as this on your wrist, you’re going to find that it’s extremely comfortable. Let’s start with how miraculously light it is. Picking this piece up, I anticipated something with serious heft, but instead had replica watches for sale that gave off strong titanium vibes (a case material AP also uses very well).

The next thing that really stood out to me was the level of finishing on the case. Creating a brushed ceramic surface is not an easy feat, but this watch makes it look that way. For one thing, ceramic is always going to give off a bit of a sheen, and especially when dealing with high quality fake watches with this loud a monochromatic color scheme, the brushed surfaces help to mute the noise.

You notice all of the hallmarks of Royal Oak design on this one, from the dial texture to the bracelet design to the bezel to the clasp. It’s a Royal Oak just turned all the way up. At 41mm, the replica watches wholesale and dial surface are just large enough to give breathing room to the rather complicated dial display with sub-registers for the month, day, date, and phase of the moon. That moonphase indicator is a design cue that I think plays really nicely against the full blue aesthetic. It’s like the night sky blends into the blue dial which then blends into the case. Who needs contrast?

I was also surprised at the way the bracelet really drapes around the wrist. In my mind, ceramic is stiff, unforgiving. In practice, the fluidity of the links is just as pronounced as it would be in steel, titanium, or any precious metal. And it all comes together with the discreet butterfly-enclosed clasp construction.

Seeing as this is a color update on an existing model, the movement inside remains the caliber 5134 with its 40 hours of power reserve. You can see through the caseback, which is where you’ll also see the only portion of the best quality fake watches (save for the clasp) that is not made from blue ceramic. Consider it like taking a break from all the blue and instead gazing at 374 components of quantum perpetual.

Deep down, I know this watch isn’t for me, but I can also recognize that it’s cool, that it’s a hot watch, that it’ll end up on the wrists of celebrities whose net worth and buying power could end global hunger and the climate crisis. I also can admit that in the hour or so I had the chance to see it, I came to really understand it. With a watch like this, AP is showing its ability to thread its design language into modern materials and modern watchmaking. This replica watches shop site is executing on a high level because it’s bringing a serious complication into an unabashedly flashy exterior.

But at the same time, we are dealing with a general design object – the 2022 fake Audemars Piguet Royal Oak watches, itself – that generates a lot of feelings from the broader watch world. Whether the frustration is RO fatigue, or the inability to buy one at retail, one can’t help but notice that this model has a certain horological power. It’s safe to assume that those who don’t like it are going to absolutely hate this one. And I get it, but I also think it’s worth applauding the manufacturer for creating a stunt piece that also has real watchmaking chops.

If it were easy to create all-ceramic everything, then every brand would do it. If it were cheap to create high-end perpetual calendars at scale, then everyone would do that, too. But both take serious investment, not to mention technical know-how. Which explains the $100k-plus price point.

When the top replica watches was taken back from my hands, ready to be returned to AP, I’ll admit, I wasn’t ready to give it up. If they’d given me another 30 minutes I would have completed the creation of an entirely new persona. You’d be looking at a new Danny, the Danny who wears BC QPs. People would say, “Wow, that watch really brings out the blue in your eyes.” And I would say, “I know,” before heading to my private jet with my new friend Draymond. A guy can dream.

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The Best Quality UK Fake Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Watches Supposedly Worn By Chanel Designer And Goth Lord Karl Lagerfeld

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What’s the first thing you think of when you hear the name Karl Lagerfeld?

Is it his decades-long tenure as the creative director of Fendi and Chanel? Or perhaps his powder-white hair, black-out sunglasses, and iconic starched collars? Maybe it’s Choupette, his beloved cat (and potential heiress?) who has more more than 110,000 Instagram followers. For me, the first thing that always comes to mind is the late designer’s absolute dedication to the color black.

It’s present not just on his sunglasses, but on his jackets, his gloves, and – most importantly, for our purposes – his watch. Lagerfeld has long been associated with very unusual high quality replica Audemars Piguet Royal Oak watches, one coated in black PVD, which he began wearing shortly after the Gérald Genta creation debuted in 1972.

This Friday in Geneva, Phillips will hold a thematic auction commemorating the 50th anniversary of the Royal Oak – and on the block will be one of those blacked-out perfect fake watches believed to have been originally owned by the German fashion designer, creative, and cultural icon. I was recently able to view the watch in person and speak about it with Alexandre Ghotbi, head of Continental Europe and Middle East for the Phillips Watch Department. Here’s the full story.

Lagerfeld And The Royal Oak

Karl Lagerfeld was once asked in an issue of Architectural Digest whether he was particularly obsessed with any design objects. His answer, as translated in this 2019 thread on WatchProSite, cited the Royal Oak as a “fetish object” for him and the watch he’s “worn for 35 years.” (For what it’s worth, it appears the top replica watches highlighted in the WatchProSite thread linked above is identical to the one Phillips is auctioning off; they have identical bracelet numbers.)

During those 35 years, we know that Lagerfeld wore at least two iterations and references of the Royal Oak, as determined by the placement of the AP logo at either six (earlier) or 12 o’clock (later) on the dial. He can be seen wearing it in countless images from the 1970s onward and on video, most memorably during certain scenes of his 2007 documentary, Lagerfeld Confidential. Lagerfeld only ever wore blacked-out iterations of the Audemars Piguet Royal Oak copy watches for sale, always completed after-market. It’s also believed Lagerfeld would occasionally hand his Royal Oaks out as gifts.

The final lot (88) in the Phillips sale this Friday, May 6, dates to 1973, and is an A-series 5402ST with serial number 1254 (as noted on the caseback). It’s the first time a Royal Oak believed to be from Lagerfeld’s collection has made it to auction, and it carries with it a significant level of research completed by the consignor, Audemars Piguet archivist, and Phillips itself that ties it to Lagerfeld.

So How Do We Know This Was Actually Lagerfeld’s Watch?

We don’t. There’s no conclusive, 100-percent confirmation that it was owned by the designer. There’s no signed letter from his heirs that tie the watch to Lagerfeld himself. But what we do have are a lot of corresponding factors that lead Phillips and cheap Audemars Piguet replica watches to believe it was once his.

First, we know thanks to the case and movement numbers that the watch was built in 1973 and sent to a retailer in Italy, where it soon sold. Guess who was working in Rome at the time? Lagerfeld. We’re also only aware of two individuals who preferred to wear black-PVD Royal Oaks in the early/mid 1970s: Karl Lagerfeld was one, and the other was Juan Carlos I, the former King of Spain. This was the infancy of PVD Swiss made fake watches, just a year after Porsche Design brought the first example to market, so it’s not something that was available to your average watch collector. Over the past five decades, Phillips and Audemars Piguet believe the watch only changed hands a total of three times.

“We believe [Lagerfeld] gave it as a gift to one of his friends, who sold it to a dealer who sold it to somebody who then sold it to the consigner,” Ghotbi says. “The way the watch has been worn, the wear and tear, basically show that the watch has not been, let’s say, blacked-out anytime in the past five or six years. The condition of the replica watches shop site, the place it was sold, the chain of owners, and the AP archives lead us to heavily believe it is Lagerfeld’s watch.”

So, What’s It Like On The Wrist?

The Royal Oak has been the it watch of the past decade-plus, if not longer. The mysterious nature of the Karl Lagerfeld provenance and black PVD coating just adds to the overall intrigue and bleeding cool nature of lot 88.

“The Royal Oak was such a cutting edge and forward-thinking 2022 super clone watches when it came out, and for someone like Lagerfeld to choose such a watch and then take it one step further, it makes complete sense,” Ghotbi says. “He wanted a black watch to wear on the cuff of his white shirt, and I think it’s a story of an era. It’s the story of a genius designer and a genius design meeting up.”

You have to approach a vintage watch like this a bit differently than you would a new one. It’s close to 50 years old, so it’s not going to have the same weight or luster as a brand-new watch. It also has a hefty bit of cultural gravitas that you wouldn’t normally see with any old vintage 5402. The patina the luxury replica watches has earned through decades of wear gives it a sense of character that’s just not possible with a new watch. Every scratch on the bezel feels like it’s evidence of a life lived to the very fullest.

If you’ve never handled an early Royal Oak before, you might be surprised by how subtle the experience is. A lot of the appeal of the Royal Oak in the Instagram era is built around its off-kilter octagonal form factor. It’s easy to forget sometimes just how sleek the 1:1 wholesale fake Audemars Piguet Royal Oak watches was designed to be in the first place.

I walked into my appointment at the Phillips office in Geneva unsure of whether the coating of black PVD would make the watch stand out more or less on the wrist. I donned my best black turtleneck for the occasion while our photographer humored me with a few wrist shots. I was surprised by how it seemed to immediately sink into my wrist, like it was my own personal AAA online replica watches. (I was one second away from adopting Choupette!) The scratches on the bezel picked up the light in an interesting manner, adding a clear contrast to the matte black surface of the rest of the watch.

Most importantly, the fake watches store online feels like a vintage Royal Oak, through and through. It’s easy to forget, given the success of the model today, but the Royal Oak wasn’t an immediate success. Karl Lagerfeld went against the grain when he started wearing his Royal Oak in the early 1970s. But today, with all the cultural momentum behind the Royal Oak as a wristwatch and a design object it’s easy to understand why it initially attracted the iconoclastic designer and convinced him to make it one of his signatures.

Will It Break Any Records?

The current record for both a Royal Oak and an Audemars Piguet at auction stands at $5.2 million, a figure achieved last spring when AP auctioned off a one-of-a-kind version of its Royal Oak Concept Black Panther Flying Tourbillon for charity. As the final lot in Friday’s auction, the Lagerfeld lot will also come after another potential record-breaking watch is auctioned off, the A2, the second Royal Oak ever built, which we’ll be taking a closer look at tomorrow.

However, what the A2 has in history, the Lagerfeld watch has in cultural weight. It’s no surprise that the Phillips team has already received quite a bit of interest from both collectors and press.

“We’ve had a lot of questions, especially from the press who are normally not interested in Swiss movements replica watches or don’t cover auctions,” says Ghotbi. “Lagerfeld, Chanel, Fendi – I think all those names are bigger than Audemars Piguet. No disrespect to Audemars Piguet, but Lagerfeld is just such a bigger-than-life character. It’s getting a lot of, let’s say, curiosity. But will this curiosity reflect in the sale price? We’ll figure that out on Friday evening, after the sale.”

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The 88 Rarest UK Top Swiss Replica Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Watches — Up For Sale At “The Royal Oak 50th” Auction By Phillips

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The Royal Oak just turned 50. Yes, 50! But hey, if there is any field in which getting old is revered, it’s horology. At the Basel watch fair in 1972, Audemars Piguet’s Royal Oak marked the beginning of a new genre for the watch market. It was the birth of an integrated-bracelet luxury sports replica watches online in steel that nowadays cost as much or more than its gold contemporaries.

Audemars Piguet did not miss a beat in celebrating this big year, having launched a whole slew of new Royal Oaks. Our editors enthusiastically shared their thoughts on the releases last week in celebration of the 50th anniversary. Check out our series of articles on the topic right here. And you know who else has joined in the fun to throw a themed party?

Phillips has!

For this golden jubilee, Phillips has curated a tight selection of the finest, rarest, and best-preserved 1:1 wholesale fake Audemars Piguet Royal Oak wristwatches in the world. The auction house is offering 88 examples at “The Royal Oak 50th”, a themed sale dedicated to Audemars Piguet’s iconic model on May 6th, 2022 in Geneva. The team says, “To our knowledge, we have never seen or heard of such assembly of so many historically significant, rare and, in some cases, unique Royal Oak models brought together in one place or shown to the public.”

At Fratello, we don’t regurgitate press releases. I literally looked through the whole catalog to bring you my personal highlights. And boy, did I fall into a rabbit hole… I warn you, you don’t need to be a watch nerd for the catalog to suck you in. Once you start reading about each piece’s provenance, you form a labyrinth of life stories in your head, and you get (wonderfully) lost. It is fascinating to have a glimpse of how the Royal Oak has touched so many of us in the world across so many different space-time bubbles.

Starting from one single reference — the 5402 in 1972 — AAA UK Audemars Piguet replica watches created not only a genre but also a design language that it continued to develop liberally, experimenting with sizes, metals, dial treatments, and complications. So it is quite a treat for us to see this ensemble of highly collectible Royal Oak examples. Hats off to Phillips.

The collectability of these high quality copy watches reflects in the estimates. Out of the 88 lots, 33 of them come with six-figure starting estimates, the rest of them with five-figure expected minimums. The star of the sale is a historically important reference 5402ST bearing number A2. First, let’s take a look at that model, and then we’ll check out some of my other picks, ordered by lot number.

LOT 8: Ref. 5402ST A2

This one blows my mind. It is the earliest-number reference 5402 to ever appear at auction, and it has never been worn other than for photography purposes. It bears the number A2, making it the second Royal Oak ever made. Can you imagine seeing such a historically important timepiece in pristine condition after five decades?

The A2 was one of the four Royal Oak examples that AP presented to the press and public at the opening of the Basel watch fair in 1972. Its journey later continued to the unveiling of the Royal Oak in Sardinia and to its final stopover with its collector. Now, fifty years later, it has resurfaced at this auction. The estimate for this piece is €197,000–394,000.

LOT 10: Ref. 14802PT Jubilee Tuscan in platinum

The ref. 14802 debuted for the Royal Oak’s 20th anniversary in 1992, presenting the same proportions and profile as the original Royal Oak from 1972. The model was in production until 2002, with Audemars Piguet producing 691 examples in steel, 286 in yellow gold, and 20 in platinum.

Among the ultra-exclusive run of 20 platinum pieces, a very low number featured the beautiful blue “Tuscan” dial. You can appreciate it in this macro close-up. This dial gives the Swiss made replica watches a completely different character from the traditional Royal Oak, which typically features a Tapisserie dial. The estimate for this watch is €246,000–493,000.

LOT 22: Ref. 14802ST Jubilee Salmon in stainless steel

I am including the 14802ST in stainless steel here because it was the first Royal Oak with a salmon-colored dial. Of the 691 stainless steel examples of this reference, only a few featured this rare beige-salmon dial. This one came out of the 1994 release, and it has an estimate of €98,600–197,000.

LOT 52: Ref. 5402ST “Khanjar” for the Sultanate of Oman

In my first browse through the sales lots, I instantly spotted something different on the dial of this one. What made it stand out was the “Khanjar” daggers — the emblem of Oman — on the lower part of the dial. This is reference 5402ST, which remained in the perfect fake Audemars Piguet watches catalog for 25 years. The brand produced 6,050 examples over four different series — A, B, C, and D. With each series, small design details changed, distinguishing each generation from the others.

This bespoke design is from a batch of six A-series pieces commissioned in the spring of 1973 by The Sultan of Oman, His Majesty Sultan Qaboos bin Said al Said. The dial is different from the regular production models. It is black with elegant diamond markers, as opposed to the standard blue/gray Tapisserie dial. This lot carries an estimate of €147,000–295,000.

LOT 70: Ref. 14700ST No.1

This is reference 14700ST from 1990. It is a 36mm example that Audemars Piguet presented when continuing to test new case sizes for the Royal Oak. As you see in the heading, this timepiece is not just any 14700ST, but the very first example to see the light of day. Discontinued in 1998, the model was in production for less than a decade, adding to its overall implied scarcity and collectability. Remaining in sublime condition, this particular example seems to have come out of a time capsule. Phillips has given this best replica watches an estimate of  €29,500–58,900.

LOT 88: Ref. 5402ST – Karl Lagerfeld black PVD-coated A-series

Last but not least, this black PVD-coated reference 5402ST is believed to have been worn by the late fashion icon Karl Lagerfeld. He was a legend for his work as creative director at the helm of fashion powerhouses Chanel and Fendi. Lagerfeld was often seen wearing black PVD-coated Royal Oak models of different sizes, which he would then gift to friends and collaborators. He likely bought this piece in Italy while living there in early 1974. It came back to the market in 1995 and remained in the same collection for over two decades. There are period photos showing Lagerfeld wearing a black PVD ref. 5402. The place of delivery of this super clone watches for sale and the amount of wear lead Phillips’ watch specialists to believe that it watch belonged to Lagerfeld himself. It has an estimate of €98,200–196,000.

The Royal Oak 50th

From just a few examples, you get a sense of how diverse and far-reaching the Royal Oak’s footprints are. Today, these pieces represent the epitome of luxury stainless steel sports replica watches shop site. To think that the Royal Oak was not well-received upon its release is almost ludicrous. The fact is, it took Audemars Piguet three years to sell the first 1,000 pieces (it has been well-documented, and we’ve also written about it here). It’s anyone’s guess how these pieces will perform in the upcoming auction. I think it’s fair to say, however, that the audience is now far more receptive.

“The Royal Oak 50th” auction will be hosted by Phillips in Geneva on May 6th, 2022. The auctions will also be live-streamed online. On the day of the sale, a box will appear in the upper-right corner of the Phillips homepage with a link to watch the auctions. You can also watch live via the Phillips app.

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Celebrating 50 Years Of The Best Luxury UK Replica Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Watches — The “Jumbo” Journey

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The story of the Royal Oak didn’t start in 1972. Rather, it began two years before, right before the Basel watch exhibition of 1970. At the time Audemars Piguet produced about 6,000 1:1 UK replica watches per year. They were mainly small dress watches, some jewelry pieces, some extraordinary watches with complications, and of course, a lot of extra-thin AAA Swiss fake watches. At the time, Audemars Piguet had around 70 employees.

But the future of the brand was about to change, and in ways that few back then would have probably thought possible. The Royal Oak would alter top Audemars Piguet replica watches’ destiny forever, becoming an icon in the truest sense of the overused word. This year, the Royal Oak turns 50 years old, so I’d like to take you back through its illustrious history. I hope you enjoy this tribute to one of the all-time greats.

How the Royal Oak came to life

As strange as it may sound, the roots of the cheap fake Audemars Piguet Royal Oak watches can be found in Italy. Italy was — and still is — at the forefront of fashion and trends. At the time, there was already a huge interest in sports Swiss made copy watches. Italian watch distributor Carlo de Marchi wanted a versatile sports watch. It would need to be one that could be worn during board meetings, when sailing, when visiting a club, and even when going to a formal dinner. Georges Golay, general manager of Audemars Piguet at the time, received this request from De Marchi and a few others. Just before the Basel exhibition in 1970 opened its doors, he gave Gérald Genta a phone call. Until now, many believed it was in 1971, but Georges Golay explained in an early 1980s interview it was actually in 1970.

Genta, who was responsible for a number of 1950s and 1960s watch designs for Omega and Universal Geneve, for example, started his own company in 1969, instead of being on the payroll for just one brand. Golay explained to Genta what he needed for his Italian client, a design for a stylish — and water-resistant! —  sports watch in stainless steel. And he needed the design by the very the next day.

An overnight design by Gérald Genta

Gérald Genta, with very limited time to pull off a new design for a big client, used the inspiration of a diving helmet he saw as a young kid. It was a diving helmet with eight bolts and a rubber gasket. Without the use of today’s computer-aided design technology, Genta designed an ultra-thin sports watch with an eight-sided bezel with eight hex bolts that mount to the stainless steel monobloc case. Attached to the case was an integrated bracelet that would play with the light, with a brushed finish and polished angles all around (not only the sides). The cobalt blue dial had a tapisserie motif and featured the AP monogram at 6 o’clock. That was first for Audemars Piguet replica watches for sale.

It’s interesting to note that the watch did not have a name at this stage. So the story about the ship HMS Royal Oak — or the “Royal” oak tree where King Charles II hid in September 1651 to escape from the Roundheads after the Battle of Worcester — was not a topic at all at this point.

The Safari watch

The next day, the watch was presented by Golay to the distributors of the Italian and Swiss market, De Marchi and Beauty. Genta was not present during this presentation, but according to AP’s general manager, it was an instant hit with the distributors. So Gérald Genta sold his design to Audemars Piguet fake watches online shop to please the (mainly) Italian market. The nameless watch then needed to be developed for the Basel exhibition in 1972. Internally, AP started to use the name “Safari” for this watch, as it conjured up images of adventure. You might know that a few decades later, this name did make a comeback to one of the Royal Oak Offshore models. But at the time, the Safari name was never used outside the premises of Audemars Piguet.

Prototypes in gold

Meanwhile, Audemars Piguet started to develop the watch, ordering prototype cases and bracelets from suppliers. For these, they used white gold, as it was cheaper to manufacture and process than stainless steel was at the time. There were other sports replica watches store site in steel, of course, but the way AP wanted the Royal Oak to be finished was new, and it was cheaper and easier to play “trial and error” with gold. However, the concept was to deliver this as a stainless steel watch to the market. The initial idea was to limit the production of this new stainless steel luxury sports watch to 1000 pieces. There would be 400 for Italy, 400 for Switzerland, and the remaining 200 for the rest of the world.

AP Caliber 2121

This Royal Oak was powered by an ultra-thin self-winding caliber 2121. This movement is an evolution of caliber 2120, originally designed by Audemars Piguet, Patek Philippe, and Jaeger-LeCoultre, and based on the latter’s caliber 920. This movement was already on the market in 1967, but JLC never produced this movement for its own use. It would only be for Audemars Piguet, Patek Philippe, and Vacheron Constantin. The holy trinity, so to speak. Later on, Audemars Piguet super clone watches paypal manufactured this movement in-house and still does today. In fact, all the “Jumbo” and later “Extra-Thin” models have been using this exact same caliber 2121.

The Audemars Piguet Royal Oak 5402 is here

During the Basel fair in 1972, Audemars Piguet introduced the Royal Oak with reference 5402. With a 39mm case diameter, the watch was large at the time, hence the “Jumbo” designation it received from the crowd. The “Jumbo” nickname was not an AP creation. This Royal Oak 5402 was as thin as a dress watch but as large as a sports watch. The name Royal Oak was an idea by the Italian distributor Carlo de Marchi.

The very first leaflets contained the battleship and King Charles’s story to explain the name Royal Oak to the customers. Today, we are used to the idea that a steel watch can be more expensive than a gold watch. IN 1972, however, this certainly wasn’t the case. Audemars Piguet priced its new “tryout” at CHF 3,300. It was an amount that would enable you to purchase a number of steel best quality replica watches from other brands. For example, a Rolex Submariner at the time was priced at $230 in the US (approximately CHF 875 at the time).

A tough sell, or not?

It took Audemars Piguet a couple of years to sell 400 Royal Oak fake watches for men. At first, it was probably not the success that Golay, De Marchi, and Beauty had hoped for. The price might not have been the only reason though. At the time, most (Italian) men are still in favor of smaller China knockoff watches. And 39mm was far from small in the early 1970s. Especially due to the shape and integrated bracelet design, the watch appeared even larger than 39mm. But, as always, it takes just a special moment or special wearer to change the popularity of a watch. Another point is that the slow start may have been the case in Italy. Remember, there were only a few pieces for the rest of the world. In 1973, however, Golay already indicated that the demand from Audemars Piguet’s customers had changed and that the Royal Oak was doing well.

Agnelli as an influencer

Then AP’s designer, Jacqueline Dimier, came up with some smaller versions of the Royal Oak in 1974. These included some gold models, and consequently, the demand for the Royal Oak went berserk, even in Italy. But there was more. In 1974, FIAT CEO and style icon Gianni Agnelli apparently wore the Royal Oak. Along with that of some other notable Royal Oak owners, Agnelli’s influence was a game-changer for this watch. From then on, AP produced more than the initial 1,000 Royal Oak reference 5402 replica watches wholesale. It also became available in gold and bi-color materials. At some point during the production of the Royal Oak 5402, the AP logo was relocated from 6 o’clock to 12 o’clock.

The Rise of the Royal Oaks

During the following nearly 50 years, the popularity of the Royal Oak only grew. Even during the quartz era, the Royal Oak was dominating the Audemars Piguet catalog, available in both mechanical and quartz versions. Ladies’ models were added, as well as smaller 36mm versions for men. At some point, the 36mm reference 14700 and 14790 fake watches UK were more popular than their 39mm big brother.

Also, in terms of materials, the Royal Oak became available in gold, bi-color, and later, in more exotic materials too. The Royal Oak became Audemars Piguet, and as we know now, it is tough — and in my opinion totally unnecessary — to change that image. In 1986, AP added a chronograph to the Royal Oak collection and other complications followed as well. In 1984, AP introduced the Royal Oak Perpetual Calendar, using the self-winding caliber 2120/2800. Caliber 2120 is the base movement, and 2800 is the add-on module with the calendar complication. It’s interesting to note that Audemars Piguet had already used a number of these complications, or movements, in non-Royal Oak replica watches shop before.

In 1990, Audemars Piguet stopped the production of the original Royal Oak reference 5402. But fans of the OG watch did not have to wait very long.

1992 — 20th Anniversary Royal Oak 14802 Jubilee

Two years later, in 1992, AP celebrated the 20th anniversary of the Royal Oak with a special Jubilee edition of the watch, reference 14802 (we covered it here). A specially decorated rotor marks the anniversary celebration, and only 1000 pieces were made.

There were 700 pieces in steel, 280 in gold, and 20 in platinum. A number of the Swiss movements fake Audemars Piguet Royal Oak ref. 14802 watches come with a salmon dial, which is extremely sought-after.

Royal Oak Offshore introduction

In 1993, Audemars Piguet introduces a new additional collection designed by Emmanuel Gueit for a younger audience — the Royal Oak Offshore. It was even bigger than the 39mm Royal Oak, with a diameter of 42mm and a height of approximately 15mm. According to designer Gueit in an interview, Gérald Genta was not amused by the introduction of the Offshore. We did an in-depth story on the Offshore “The Beast” 25th anniversary here. Just like the “Jumbo”, the nickname “The Beast” wasn’t given to the watch by AP, but by its clients and admirers.

We’re not sure if Genta always felt as unamused with the Offshore as he was upon introduction in 1993. For a long time, however, in the 2000s and 2010s, the Offshore was more popular than the regular Royal Oak models.

New “Jumbo” references

After AP discontinued the 5402 in 1990 and had its 14802 “Jubilee” piece in 1992, it decided to bring back the “Jumbo” with reference 15002ST. It was a very short-lived reference from 1996 to 1997 and was succeeded by the Royal Oak 15202ST around 1999. This Royal Oak 15202 was available in two dial colors, with both charcoal and white dials (we covered the 15202 here). The 15202 was also available in gold. The AP caliber 2121 is visible through the sapphire crystal on the backside, just like it was on the 1992 Jubilee version. The monobloc case remained as well, unlike with Patek’s Nautilus or the other Royal Oak references.

Unpopular for a while

It was in these years that I developed my interest and love for mechanical top quality replica watches, and the Royal Oak was something I simply adored. I felt alone in this journey though, as not many people shared the same thoughts and appreciation for this watch. The majority still thought it was an overly expensive watch that offered basically no complications (not even a second’s hand). My collecting friends were rather interested in the RO Offshore in those days.

AP starting a new era with the Royal Oak 15300

In 2002, Audemars Piguet introduced a new in-house developed movement, caliber 3120. In 2005, the Royal Oak (Date) debuted, and it was the first to use the 3120 movement. Just like the Royal Oak “Jumbo” 15202, the Royal Oak 15300 had a 39mm case. But with a height of 9.4mm, it was nearly 2mm thicker than the original Royal Oak. The same applied to the bracelet, which was also much thicker than the one on the 15202 and its predecessors. After the 15300, Audemars Piguet introduced a larger version in 41mm, the 15400. Since then, new variations of the steel Royal Oak with a seconds hand have been added. In the past, I  purchased a 15300, a 15202, and later, a 26300 (Chronograph). The 15202, however, was simply unparalleled.

In those years, the demand for the classic stainless steel Royal Oak was low, and it was rumored that only a few Royal Oak 15202 references were produced each year. The high demand was for the RO Offshore collection, a sportier collection aimed at a younger audience. The Offshore Diver was introduced, as well as even larger and more spectacular Offshore models.

2012 — 40th Anniversary of the Royal Oak

That changed in 2012 when Audemars Piguet celebrated the 40th anniversary of the Royal Oak. The 15202 received a long-due update. While retaining the iconic 2121 movement, the dial changed to something more like those first dials of the early 5402 references, and the logo moved back to the 6 o’clock position. The bracelet also received an update, and it became a little thicker with a double-folding clasp instead of a single-folding one. The reference number 15202 remained, but Audemars Piguet started to refer to this model as “Extra-Thin”. The “Jumbo” designation didn’t make much sense anymore in an era of larger and even oversized AAA best fake watches. The introduction price of the new 15202 was €17,900 at the time.

Royal Oak 15202 on the rise (again)

I almost can’t believe that a decade has passed since the introduction of the 15202 “Extra-Thin”. In this last decade, the demand for the Royal Oak has skyrocketed. Not only did the retail price go up quite steeply in the last 10 years, but the market prices are also simply beyond imagination. The demand for the Royal Oak is far higher than Audemars Piguet is able to supply with its production of around 40,000 1:1 quality replica watches per year in total. In these last few years, the Royal Oak 15202 has reached rockstar status, given the six-digit prices some stainless steel versions command.

2022 — New beginnings for the Royal Oak Jumbo?

Whether the watch has that value is up to you, the buyer. From my own experience, I find that the 15202 has been undervalued for a very long time, even though the price was never low. The design, the finishing of the case and bracelet, the hand-finished movement, and the comfort on the wrist all classify the AP Royal Oak 15202 as a piece of Haute Horlogerie. I’ve tried many RO Offshore models, as well as many of the regular Royal Oaks, but the comfort of the 15202 is unmatched.

Audemars Piguet has announced the discontinuation of the 15202 “Extra-Thin” as of 2022. Le Roi est mort, vive le roi! I am sure Audemars Piguet will come up with a fitting replacement for the future, and that might be sooner than later.

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