I often say to my friends: "There are too many good watches, and I can only tell you what kind of watches you can't buy." "But there is an exception to everything, there is a type of table, whether it is an ordinary consumer, or a deep table fan, you can be assured to buy boldly, the standard is very simple, but there are very few tables that can meet all the conditions:
✔ The style or collection must be at least decades old;
✔ It is not a replica and has not been produced without interruption for decades;
✔ The design of the watch has not changed much, and the key design features have been completely retained;
These three directly show that this watch from the brand to the design to the process and other aspects, has been tested for a long time in the global market, at the same time, the new products every year are only in the color, material and some details to make a small adjustment, it is also slowly approaching the limit of the perfect watch, more than a point is more than a point is less. Think about the largest sales volume and the highest popularity in the current market, which basically meet these three standards.
Not long ago, Sotheby's released an auction preview called "Gérald Genta: Icon of Time", which has now held its first auction, which is from Gérald Genta's personal collection of 100 pieces, of which the original horological designs are the main original horological drawings and a small number of watch collections, and finally a personal collection of Audemars Piguet Royal Oak watches. Sotheby's specially planned this themed auction to commemorate the 10th anniversary of the death of the master designer with the title of "Horological Picasso" and the 50th anniversary of the birth of Audemars Piguet's Royal Oak Collection. The Royal Oak is one of the "closest to perfection" watch works I mentioned earlier.
Gérald Genta design manuscript at the Gérald Genta: Icon of Time themed auction (Part 1)
and his personal collection of the Royal Oak Watch (Part 2)
In 1970, Gérald Genta first conceived the design of the Royal Oak, which was officially launched in 1972. The smooth one-piece design between the case and the strap, the octagonal bezel and the exposed screw design are the most striking design elements of this watch. Its appearance is recognized as creating a whole new category in the watch industry: luxury sports watches. It's restrained in shape and at the same time has excellent detail quality. In fact, the Royal Oak is, in my opinion, an "all-rounder" watch, whether it is in the workplace, leisure or some formal occasions, this watch can cope with it easily. Very much in line with the low-key natural living conditions that people advocate.
Imagine that when a watch can accompany you to the north and south, and then become a badge of yours, the personal charm will also give the watch a more charming temperament. Of course, the watch must not be casual to shoulder this responsibility, and Audemars Piguet's excellent craftsmanship has sublimated this master design for the second time. In a word, this is a recognized ceiling-level work in the metal case and strap polishing process.
The delicate drawing and polishing meticulously outline the exquisite lines of the watch, and the hidden sharp edge is in the polished corners and between the strap, making everyone who holds it in their hands unforgettable. Half a century has not diminished its charm in the slightest, and Audemars Piguet has continuously improved and expanded the family members in terms of color, material, craftsmanship, movement and function, making it infinitely close to the perfect watch in everyone's mind.
Original shot of big-name clocks
Now, on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the Royal Oak, Audemars Piguet has once again upgraded it inside and out, of course, such a master move, I will not say, you may have a hard time discovering its mystery.
In this year's new products, Audemars Piguet first released a self-winding watch with a diameter of 37 mm and a chronograph watch with a diameter of 38 and 41 mm, which can be seen to better take care of the thin wrists and women's wear, while there is also an imperceptible detail change to improve the comfort of the watch, this detail is in the lug and strap position.
I personally have a medium wrist circumference, and when I wore the royal oak with the chain strap before, I still feel that the two lugs are slightly higher than the wrist, not completely obedient. The new Royal Oak has been specially improved for this position (above, left), and the lugs, which were originally of the same thickness before and after, have been changed to trapezoidal, and there is a significant narrowing in the position connected to the strap. At the same time, the thickness of the first four links of the bracelet is also decreasing in turn, and the overall is lighter and thinner, and the wearing experience is more comfortable.
On the dial, the size of the bar hands and hour markers is larger than ever, and the lines are sharper and more three-dimensional (above), which increases the readability of the time, and the overall visual feels more modern. Of particular technical content is Audemars Piguet's gold signboard, which uses the chemical plating deposition process of 3D printing developed specifically for the CODE 11.59 series, which is made of 24K gold layer by layer. This process allows such a small letter to show a very high flatness, even when viewed with a magnifying glass, its surface and corners are perfect. I think this logo can be used as a well-recognized anti-counterfeiting point for the Royal Oak in the future. (Below)
The changes in the appearance part are the above, which are difficult to detect but have become better, and it can be said that it is a step closer to perfection. Internally, Audemars Piguet also launched a new calibre, the 5900. It is currently mounted on a 37 mm self-winding watch, replacing the previous 3120 calibre. This movement features a slimmer dimension (3.9 mm), a higher slew frequency (28,800 cycles/hour) and a 60-hour power reserve.
The chronograph is equipped with Audemars Piguet's latest homegrown chronograph movement 4401, which was released with the CODE 11.59 series at the same time, with flyback chronograph, column wheel mechanism and instant jump calendar, although it is an automatically winding chronograph movement, it also shows a good display of precision chronograph mechanism. Through the sapphire crystal back, you can appreciate its operation.
At the same time, Audemars Piguet also designed a new 50th anniversary oscillating weight with a large skeleton number "50", which according to the introduction will be applied to all The Royal Oak series watches produced in 2022.
Finally, in addition to the newly designed Royal Oak watch, Audemars Piguet also launched four Royal Oak "Jumbo" watches in accordance with the purest Royal Oak style, which originated from the first ultra-thin watch with a diameter of 39 mm in the history of the Royal Oak, in addition to the richer materials and colors, the details of this watch are made in strict accordance with the original style. Including the stick-shaped hand scale, the 12-point pad brand logo, and the three-dimensional "AP" word in 6-point inlay, etc., all restore the original style of this legendary collection.
Of course, art can be timeless, but technology is constantly evolving.
What I thought was the most classic of the Royal Oaks was the model with the 2121 movement, which was once one of the best ultra-thin automatic movements, with its slim dimensions, unique track-wound oscillator and quaint and elegant appearance. Today, on the new "Jumbo" watch, Audemars Piguet has launched a new ultra-thin automatic calibre 7121.
From the technical data point of view, the size of the 7121 is larger than the 2121, the diameter reaches 29.6mm, the thickness is 3.2mm, although it is 0.15mm more than the 2121, but it is definitely called thin, and the swing frequency and power reserve must also be improved, 28,800 times / hour and 55 hours, respectively. Then, something magical happened, after loading a larger and thicker (compared to the 2121 movement), the new "Jumbo" case size is still the same as before, the diameter is still 39mm, the thickness is 8.1mm, strictly guarding the pure original blood of the Royal Oak.
Continuing this 7121 movement, according to the introduction of Audemars Piguet spent 5 years to develop, the future will become an important member of the Audemars Piguet movement family. Thanks to its slim size, it will also become a basic movement that can carry different complications. Of course, you may also see it on the "Jumbo" model later, but one thing should be unique to this watch, that is, the 50th anniversary special automatic weight, and more specifically, the center part of the 7121 50th anniversary weight is also designed with octagons.
The new "Jumbo" is available in four styles, the classic night blue dial with stainless steel case, the smoked grey dial with 18K rose gold case, the smoked gold dial with 18-carat gold case and the smoked green dial with platinum case. Without a doubt, this is the luxury sports watch that I have come closest to perfection and the best wear experience in my mind.
The Royal Oak tree has been with people for half a century, and in 50 years the world has been turned upside down, and it is unbelievable that it has hardly changed at all. We all know that the market is a most unsentimental objective condition, why Royal Oak can do in this market to cope with the changes, you taste, you taste. If you must talk about change, it is that it has become suitable for the habits and preferences of more people, and it is slowly becoming the most perfect watch in everyone's mind.