If you are someone who loves a watch with classic elegance, a piece that is truly timeless then you will be thrilled with the Audemars Piquet Royal Oak Chronograph. Celebrating 40 years of excellence, the design first produced in 1972, the first to use steel rather than gold or silver for the case and band, and of course the continued mechanical genius that powers this beauty.
There have been changes throughout the two decades for this chronograph but they have been small in comparison to this iteration. When you work to simplify perfection it has to start with the dial, and really work to bring back the visual beauty that made this watch such a remarkable piece to start with. Slight changes to the registers, the 6 and 9 sub-dials enlarged so they are more legible, and removing the Arabic numerals which has presented a cleaner timepiece, one that is aesthetically beautiful.
When the Audemars Piquet Royal Oak Chronograph was re-engineered the goal was to modernize the style without losing the understated elegance of the piece. But while the defined style has shifted somewhat, it still resulted in the 41mm size, still fitted with the Caliber 2385, powered by the column wheel chronograph movement retaining the essence of the orginal but capturing the sportier feel, without the look that has been reserved for more of the nautical offshore timepieces.
The history of the brands exemplary finishing is still intact with this design. That eight-stage process that showcases the exquisite hand crafting that goes into the cutting, lapping, sandblasting, polishing and varnishing is apparent in the final product. The century-old pantograph machine is still used to cut the “Grand Tapisserie” waffle dial. Proving consistent with the overall look and wearing experience the new designs are still a pleasure for the wearer. The most significant change that fans will notice is the ‘panda’ look which is exciting and should prove to be very popular. The AudemarsPiquet will be available in black, blue or the stunning silver dial and each with contrasting registers and completed with the steel bracelet. For the discerning fan, the Royal Oak will also be crafted in solid rose gold, with brown or blue dial options and finished with a solid gold bracelet or matching alligator strap.
Exquisite and spectacular, there are so many looks with this piece, casual to dressy, and sweat to sweet, the wearer needs to have an appreciation for luxury and be able to respond to all the attention, because this showstopper will have everyone wanting to take a look, and it will not be to check the time.
