Audemars Piguet Celebrates 50 Years Of Royal Oak Awesomeness With Several New Collectors’ Editions

Audemars Piguet launched is much-anticipated Jubilee Royal Oak particular editions yesterday, they usually lived as much as the drum roll. A couple of years in the past, the watch trade was rife with anniversary fever – a type of commemorative pandemic, throughout which the whole lot from the two-year celebration of a brand new motion to the fifteenth anniversary of a selected dial colour had been honored with “heritage” restricted editions. Audemars Piguet’s celebration of the 50^th anniversary of the Royal Oak is totally different. The Royal Oak is likely one of the three most sought-after watches on the earth, alongside the Rolex Daytona and the Patek Philippe Nautilus (which just like the Royal Oak, was designed by the maestro of all watch designers, Gerald Genta), and its 50^th anniversary is price celebrating. Audemars Piguet’s tackle the Jubilee version is a lineup of latest fashions are slated to stay within the everlasting assortment past 2022, differentiated solely by swapping out this 12 months’s commemorative 50^th anniversary rotors for normal ones.

The Royal Oak Ref. 15202 “Jumbo” Additional-Skinny will get the most important replace, with a brand new motion, the automated caliber 7121, with hour, minute and date. It’s newly geared up with a speedy date-corrector and an extended energy reserve (55 hours). The four-model assortment is available in metal, platinum, 18k pink gold or 18k yellow gold. The gold fashions have a elaborate new smoked Petite Tapisserie dial.  

The motion within the Jumbo Additional Skinny Openworked mannequin, Ref. 16204, caliber 7124, can also be new. It is available in metal ($90,400) or 18k pink gold (value on request).

There are a number of new variations on the long-lasting Royal Oak and Royal Oak Selfwinding Chronographs. Tweaks embrace enlarged bevels on the highest and backside of the case, a caseback that has been extra built-in into the case center for a greater match, and a brand new bracelet with redesigned hyperlinks which are thinner and lighter for a greater match. The “Audemars Piguet” brand is spelled out quite than abbreviated. New dial colours embrace “Blue Nuit” and “Nuage 50” (cloud 50). (Costs vary from $32,600 to $72,300).

No anniversary celebration is full with out present items, which on this case take the type of the Royal Oak Selfwinding Flying Tourbillon and the Royal Oak Selfwinding Flying Tourbillon Openworked. Audemars Piguet debuted a Flying Tourbillon in 2018, within the Royal Oak Idea watch after which once more within the Royal Oak assortment final 12 months, powered by the brand new caliber 2950. Three new Jubilee fashions launched yesterday characterize variations in chrome steel, titanium and 18k pink gold. All three bear the specifically engraved 50^th anniversary oscillating weight, utilized solely to fashions made in 2022. Manufacturing will proceed in 2023, however they’ll revert to the usual rotor. (Costs on request).

The openworked model of the Flying Tourbillon is “an ideal instance of how Audemars Piguet pays absolute respect to custom, mixed with the vitality to innovate and create,” says Michael Friedman, director of problems for Audemars Piguet. The caliber 2950 was solely simply launched, and but we’re already seeing an openworked model of it [caliber 2972]. The structure of this motion is in contrast to something we’ve seen or created earlier than.” The bridges have been completed each vertically and horizontally, creating a stupendous 3D impact. Audemars Piguet will make 125 items this 12 months (with the 50^th Anniversary rotor), adopted by 80 items in 2023 and 45 in 2024.

Audemars Piguet CEO Francois Henry Bennahmias commented at yesterday’s media launch that the model will make 50,000 watches this 12 months, in comparison with 45,000 in 2021, and that “some can be put aside for newcomers and new followers of the model.” He additionally introduced that Audemars Piguet raked in $1.6 billion income in 2021. That makes the model effectively positioned for the long run, when Bennahmias leaves his submit as CEO, which he plans to do someday subsequent 12 months in keeping with a number of media retailers, together with WatchPro and Miss Tweed weblog.