For us, and probably for many other people as well, the Royal Oak is the most iconic model of Audemars Piguet, and the reasons for this are countless. Beginning its journey in the 1970s, thanks to the light hand of Gérald Genta, this series has gone through numerous editions, but several things have never changed – the octagonal case, the “waffle” dial, the design of the lugs, and so on.
The first Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Chronograph was launched only in 1997, in a 39 mm version. 15 years later, namely in 2012, a 41 mm version of the model was presented for the first time and, as you can imagine, it immediately became very popular and sought after. There are many reasons for this – first, despite the larger size, the version turned out to be more balanced and comfortable to wear; second, this size better matched the public’s interest in larger watches. Initially, two steel versions were presented – with black and silver dials, and 5 years later 3 new dials were launched, the so-called “Panda” versions with black, silver and blue as the main colours – they received a new reference, but the differences compared with the version presented today are minimal and only cosmetic in the design of the dials.
Today’s model is from the newer version, launched in 2017, and 5 years later, to mark the model’s half-century anniversary, this very model was launched – the “50th Anniversary”. The model was produced only in 2022 and became pursued and sought after by all fans of the brand. The main colour of the dial is silver and the overall combination is very measured and balanced. The main difference from the regular versions can be found on the back – especially for the model, a special oscillating weight was developed with a skeletonised “50 Years” inscription and in the colour of the case.
Under the transparent caseback, we can enjoy one of the brand’s most modern movements – Audemars Piguet Caliber 4401 – AP’s first entirely in-house integrated chronograph with column wheel, flyback function, 40 jewels and over 70 hours of power reserve.
