Is the Royal Oak a luxury watch? What you need to know about the appeal of the Audemars Piguet Royal Oak before you buy one!

Have you heard of the watch model called "Royal Oak"?
The Royal Oak is a popular model from Audemars Piguet, one of the world's three major watch brands.

The Royal Oak is also known as the "heavenly watch," and is such a prestigious watch that any watch enthusiast would want to wear one at least once.

In this article, we will introduce you to what kind of watch the Royal Oak is and what its appeal is.

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What are the main models of Audemars Piguet, the world's three greatest watches?

The main models of Audemars Piguet, one of the world's three most famous watch brands, are "CODE 11.59 by Audemars Piguet," "Millenary," "Jules Audemars," and "Royal Oak."

The Royal Oak in particular is world famous, and many people recognize that "Audemars Piguet means Royal Oak."

Audemars Piguet has many main models, but when it comes to flagship models, the Royal Oak is the only one that comes to mind.

What is Audemars Piguet's popular model, the Royal Oak?

The Royal Oak was launched in 1972 and was the world's first luxury sports watch made of stainless steel .

At the time, using stainless steel in a luxury watch was unthinkable. Luxury watches were made with a generous amount of precious metals such as gold, and were made to be instantly recognizable as luxury items.

Unconstrained by conventional wisdom, Audemars Piguet has created a watch that, although made of stainless steel, has a beautiful finish, a slim case, and excellent durability and water resistance, making it hard to tell it is stainless steel.

When it was announced, it became a hot topic at the time, for better or worse, as it "overturned the conventional wisdom of luxury watches."

From then on, as the Royal Oak gained popularity among enthusiasts, luxury brands gradually began to offer more stainless steel watches.

The Royal Oak is truly a pioneering model in the luxury watch industry.

The allure of the Audemars Piguet Royal Oak

The appeal of the Royal Oak: 1. Octagonal case

One of the most recognizable features of the Royal Oak is its octagonal case.

The octagonal bezel has eight screws recessed into the corners.

This screw penetrates all the way to the back cover, and is firmly connected. It also penetrates the waterproof gasket and glass between the case and the back cover. This ensures a strong waterproofing. Audemars Piguet has patented this structure.

Only the Royal Oak offers this distinctive combination of octagonal case and screws .

The Appeal of the Royal Oak 2. Tapestry Dial

The pattern on the Royal Oak dial is called a "tapestrie dial".

Each tapisserie dial is carefully crafted in Audemars Piguet's workshops using traditional techniques.

If you look closely at the dials created in this way, you will see that the beautiful square divisions are combined with two patterns: squares and grooves.

The work is so intricate that it cannot be conveyed in a photograph, and it evokes emotions that can only be felt by those who have seen it.

The appeal of the Royal Oak 3: Designed by the genius Gerald Genta

The design of the Royal Oak, which has received worldwide acclaim and remains popular to this day, was created by the genius designer Gerald Genta.

Gerald Genta is the designer behind some of the most legendary watches, including the Nautilus and Aquanaut, flagship models for Patek Philippe, the world's most prestigious watch brand.

The Royal Oak, which features an octagonal case, is said to have been inspired by the windows of old diving helmets.

Indeed, when you look at the image of a diving helmet, the design of the Royal Oak is somewhat reminiscent of it. The fact that the internal mechanism can be seen through the skeleton back of the Royal Oak's case back is also thought to have been inspired by the diving helmet .

One of the charms of the Royal Oak is that it allows you to experience the unique world view expressed by Gerald Genta.

What is the Royal Oak Offshore and how is it different?

The Royal Oak Offshore is a model that was added to the Royal Oak collection in 1993. The Royal Oak Offshore was unveiled at the Basel Fair (now Baselworld) that year as a 20th anniversary model of the Royal Oak. It was designed by Emmanuel Guillet.

It was given the nickname "The Beast" due to its 42mm case size, which was astonishingly large at the time.

As you can guess from the name, this model is derived from the Royal Oak.

Offshore means "land breeze."

The Royal Oak, which was designed to resemble a diving helmet, evokes a sense of the sea, while the Offshore is thought to be inspired by land .

While the Royal Oak's appeal lies in its "sports watch that feels like a dress watch," the Offshore is characterized by a "more masculine design that is more like a sports watch."

Because their concepts are different, it is best to think of the Offshore and the Muji Royal Oak as different watches with similar shapes, even though they are in the same collection .

Things you need to know about Audemars Piguet Royal Oak models and second-hand prices

Now, we will tell you about some of the most representative Royal Oak models that you should know about and their second-hand market prices.

Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Jumbo Ref.5402ST

Source: watchbase.com

This is an early model Royal Oak that was released in 1972.
It was the first luxury watch to use stainless steel, and its 39mm case was large at the time, hence the name Jumbo.

Although it was met with mixed reviews as being "unconventional," the company stuck with this style. However, it took some time for it to gain popularity, and sales were poor initially, so it is now a rare model.

As it is a masterpiece with great historical value, it is in hot demand among watch enthusiasts and the second-hand market is booming.

However, be aware that prices vary greatly depending on the year of manufacture.

Used market price: 5.7 million to 7 million yen

Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Ref.15300ST

Source: takuyawatches.com

The 15300ST is one of the classic models of the Royal Oak, released in 2005.

The 39mm case and simple design make it suitable for any occasion.

Used market price: 1.9 million to 3.5 million yen

Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Ref.15400ST

This is the successor to the Royal Oak 15300ST, which was released in 2012. The difference with the 15300ST is that the case size has changed from 39mm to 41mm .

The 15300ST had the AP logo (Audemars Piguet's initials) at the 12 o'clock position on the dial, but this has been changed to a double bar. The small AP logo remains at the bottom.
There are also minor differences in the second hand and indexes.

Used market price: 2 million to 3 million yen

Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Extra-Thin 15202ST.OO.1240ST.01

This model is a successor to the original Royal Oak Jumbo, which was released in 2012.

The dial is only available in blue, and the built-in movement is also reproduced.

Reprints tend to be popular, and this one is no exception; even if you preorder, it's hard to find it at official stores.

Used market price: 3.1 million to 4.2 million yen

Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Chronograph Ref.26331ST

Source: audemarspiguet.com

This is a Royal Oak with a chronograph (stopwatch) function that was released in 2017.

This commemorates the 20th anniversary of the birth of the chronograph model.

By combining the Royal Oak with a popular chronograph, you can enjoy a different look from the regular Royal Oak.

Used market price: 2.6 million to 3.2 million yen

Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Skeleton Ref.15305ST

By removing the dial and adopting a skeleton design, this model allows you to enjoy the appeal of a mechanical watch in its entirety.

Audemars Piguet is world-renowned for its watchmaking technology, so this model is a must-have for mechanical watch enthusiasts and Royal Oak fans alike.

Of course, the back cover is also a skeleton back, so you can enjoy the movement of the watch from both the front and back.

Used market price: 6.5 million to 8.3 million yen

summary

The Royal Oak is a luxury watch that every watch enthusiast would want to own.

We have introduced the following as some of the attractions of the Royal Oak.

• Distinctive octagonal case
• Tapestry dial made with advanced craftsmanship
• Inspired by a diving helmet, designed by the genius Gerald Genda

We also present the following representative models:

• The early model, Ref. 5402ST
• One of the classic models, the Ref. 15300ST
• The successor to the Ref. 15300, the Ref. 15400ST
• A reissue of the early model, Ref. 15202ST.OO.1240ST.01
• Ref. 26331ST with chronograph function
• The Ref. 15305ST features an impressive skeleton design.

You may feel that many Royal Oaks have similar designs, but I hope you can see that beyond the differences in the details, the asset value in secondary circulation varies considerably .

When choosing a Royal Oak, of course you should consider the design, but it might also be a good idea to look at its asset value.