The Audemars Piguet Ultimate Buying Guide has to begin by going through the illustrious Audemars Piguet horological history. AP centered their business in the heart of the Vallée de Joux, a region that beats to the tune of complicated watch mechanisms in 1875. This breathtaking region in the Jura Mountains is just north of Geneva.
AP was founded by two young and ambitious watchmakers: Jules Louis Audemars (1851–1918) and Edward Auguste Piguet (1853–1919), and the brand continues to be managed by the decedents of these two families today. AP watches have always focused on exquisit hand-made timepieces with many complications such as chiming, chronograph, and astronomical complications.
They created the world’s first minute-repeating movement wristwatches in 1892 and pioneered the first skeleton watch in 1934. They have made some of the thinnest watches in the world including the 1986 ultra-thin automatic tourbillon. Designing thin timepieces was a tradition since 1946 when they produced the thinnest watch in the world with a miniscule 1.64 mm thick movement. They also created the first automatic “Grande Complication” wristwatch in 1995 with the calibre 2885 movement. More recently in 2007 they created the first timepiece with a carbon case and carbon movement.
However, probably the biggest achievement for the modern watchmaking world was their introduction of the first luxury sports wristwatch – the Royal Oak – in 1972. At the time, it looked like the art of luxury timepieces might be lost forever as the digitalized quartz powered watches threatened the entire industry. Not only were they more accurate, but they could be produced quickly and cheaply. Gérald Genta one of the finest watchmakers in the world who later developed the Patek Philippe Nautilus, created the Royal Oak around the diving helmets used by deepsea divers, using exposed screws and an Octagonal design.
The impact of the Royal Oak changed the industry and created a market for Luxury timepieces that didn’t exist before. Watches were previously considered tools and weren’t sold as jewelry items. Today the Royal Oak has several brand ambassadors including the athletes LeBron James, Lionel Messi, and Serena Williams, and Celebrities Tom Cruise, Kim Kardashian, and Arnold Schwarzenegger. Many royals today are also seen wearing their AP proudly in pictures including the Shah of Iran, and both kings – Juan Carlos I and his son Felipe VI of Spain.
The Audemars Piguet brand is one of the 3 “Holy Trinity of Luxury Watch Brands.” The other two are Patek Philippe and then there is arguably Rolex and Vacheron Constantin. Rolex is the world’s most recognizable brand for luxury timepieces, but AP timepieces are generally more expensive than a Rolex equivalent. Although Rolex is considered the premiere luxury timepiece by many, they still seem to think of themselves as a tool watch which is why Vacheron Constantin is often displaces Rolex in the assessment for the top 3 luxury timepieces. All luxury watch brands have ridden the coattails of the wave of demand for luxury watches that AP triggered. Like Rolex and Patek, the demand for AP timepieces is driving up prices well above their manufacturer’s suggested retail price and some models are difficult to come by.
Audemars Piguet Royal Oak
Audemars Piguet chose the name “Royal Oak” for this nautical timepiece since it was tied to 8 naval vessels that bore this name in the British Royal Navy. The name Royal Oak got its name from an ancient hollowed oak tree which helped hide King Charles II of England as the Parliamentary Roundheads attacked Worchester in 1651. The Royal Oak helped Charles II escape to France as the English Civil war came to an end and Oliver Cromwell came to power. Charles II eventually returned to power, and his birthday May 29th was announced as Oak Apple Day, where people were often seen wearing Oak leaves to celebrate his escape and eventual triumphant return to power.
The Royal Oak series was the timepiece that reignited the world of watchmaking. Launched in 1972, this timepiece set the watch collection market on fire. Although many initially saw this timepiece as flawed due to its exposed screws, this feature became one of the most distinctive traits in watchmaking history. The AP Openworked Royal Oak Grande Complications reference 26065IS.OO.1105IS.01 pictured above is possibly one of the most spectacular Royal Oak in the lineup. It has a 44mm case and is made with a caliber 2885 with an incredible 648 parts and 52 jewels. It has a Minute repeater, perpetual calendar, split-seconds chronograph, week indication, hours, and minutes hands.
Not all timepieces in the Royal Oak collection have the same kinds of complications inside of it. It has 3 watches with Minute Repeaters (gongs that tell you the time audibly when pressing the button on the side). It has 5 hand-wound timepieces, 41 chronographs, 7 quartz timepieces, 136 automatic timepieces, and 14 tourbillon timepieces.
AP makes the Royal Oak line with Ceramic, Pink Gold, Platinum, Steel, Titanium, White Gold and Yellow Gold. It also produces timepieces with cases the size of 33, 34, 37, 38, 39, 41, 42 and 44 mm. Most of the AP Royal Oak timepieces have the Grande Tapisserie style dial with embossed squares across the dial backdrop and a case which has exposed screws. The watch bands look like they are a direct extension of the case itself as it tapers off from where it attaches to the case down to the clasp.
However, some of the most elaborate Royal Oak timepieces have a skeleton dial which can often be visible from both sides of the timepiece and protected with a glareproofed sapphire crystal. The exposed screw design concept is not unlike buying a loft-style apartment with exposed pipes instead of a ceiling. The screw down crown also has the appearance of a lug nut rather than a piece of jewelry. The bezel itself looks like a large industrial sized 8 sided nut that could be screwed down. Some of the Royal Oak models have gems included around the bezel. There are a wide variety of dial colors used in the Royal Oak line.
The Royal Oak is one of the most sought after timepieces today, especially the lower cost all-steel models which have thousands of customers on wait-lists to acquire one. The design is unmistakably Audemars Piguet and those who know the brand will instantly recognize that you are part of a small group of luxury timepiece owners that own one of these masterpieces.
Royal Oak Offshore
In 1993, Audemars Piguet launched the Royal Oak Offshore collection. Although the Royal Oak series is considered a sports timepiece, the Offshore provides a sportier look. First, many of the models are designed with a 42, 43 and 44mm case and it has guards added to many of the components to provide even more sturdiness than the Royal Oak. The Tapisserie design on the dials have larger more masculine embossed squares throughout entitled “Méga Tapisserie”.
The Royal Oak Offshore offers some models with some very vibrant colors including bright red and yellow and a lighter blue that is not seen on other AP timepieces. The Offshore comes with ceramic, pink gold, steel, titanium and white gold options. It has similar complications offered as the Royal Oak except it doesn’t offer any quartz powered timepieces. It does have some bedazzled timepieces with gems around the bezel, offered in sizes as small as 37 mm. However, this style is geared to focus on the larger case sizes and more rugged styling.
Royal Oak Concept
In 2002 Audmars Piguet launched the Royal Oak Concept set of timepieces. This ultra-modern technically precise timepiece allows designers to add cutting-edge micro-mechanics to the beloved Royal Oak timepiece. It allows a platform for experimentation at Audemars Piguet and pricetags for these unique creations that often start at around $135,000.
The Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Concept offers a special production with limited units produced. Each piece is unique and pushes the envelope of what is possible. The reference 26577TI.OO.D002CA.01 pictured above has a super lightweight titanium 44mm case. The titanium bezel is built on top of a titanium case and black ceramic pushpieces.
This minute repeater offers a refined sound quality of its harmonic tones. It has an exceptional openworked design on both the front and back of this timepiece. This model offers a rubber strap with an AP folding clasp. It combines 478 parts and 43 jewels to make this hand-wound caliber 2937. The stunning design of this timepiece is closer in comparison to the Roger Dubuis timepieces which are made for racecar drivers.
Remaster Series
The idea behind the Audemars Piguet [Re]master01 series is to reinterpret one of Audemars Piguet’s rare chronograph wristwatches with the latest chronograph technology and a dial design increasing legibility. This timepiece cannot be mistaken with an AP Royal Oak. It has a much more traditional design and allows a collector to own a piece of AP history with all the features and reliability of a new Audemars Piguet timepiece.
Unlike other series, this model has only one timepiece listed. The reference 26595SR.OO.A032VE.01 is a beautiful combination of pink gold and stainless steel. The new timepiece includes a column wheel and flyback function and a base pricetag of $64,500.
The 26595SR.OO.A032VE.01 is a beautiful combination of 1940’s style with 2020’s technology. It includes a glareproof sapphire crystal on both the front and back of the timepiece. The yellow gold-toned dial has a blue tachymetric scale around the edge, going to an astounding 1000 mph/kph which far surpasses that found in event he Rolex Daytona which has a tachy scale that ends at 500 mph/kph.
The timepiece doesn’t have luminescent hands or hour markers, which stays true to the historically accurate timepieces of the age which preceded the common practice of adding luminescent paint into the minute and hour hands and markers throughout. It has a traditional hand-stitched light brown calfskin strap with stainless steel pin buckle and comes with a spare strap.
The 26595SR.OO.A032VE.01 is powered by a Calibre 4409 made with 349 parts and 40 jewels. It is a selfwinding timepiece with a 70 hour power reserve. It beats at a modern 4 hz / 28,800 vph. This is not a sports watch, as it only has a 60 foot level of waterproofness. However, the beauty of this historical timepiece makes it a unique addition to anyone’s collection. It offers a 5 year warrantee if sold through the authorized network. Only 500 timepieces were created in this collection, so acquiring this timepiece will put you in a very small and exclusive group of AP timepiece owners.
Millenary
Audemars Piguet launched the Millenary collection in 1995. The goal of the Millenary collection was to create a creative canvas for offbeat models that could embrace contemporary design and technical savoir-faire. There are 8 models in this collection and they only utilize Pink Gold and White Gold.
Six of the Millenary timepieces are hand-wound, while only 2 come with an automatic self-winding mechanism.
The model pictured above is the reference 77244BC.GG.1272BC.01. The deep blue aventurine dial evokes a star-lit sky. This hint of outer space is contained by an 18-carat white gold case with Frosted Gold finish on the case sides, bezel, inner bezel and lugs and complemented by an 18-carat white gold “Polish” mesh bracelet.
The 39.5mm hammered and satin-finished 18-carat white gold case, has a glare-proofed sapphire crystal and see-through caseback. The crown is set with a translucent sapphire cabochon on the end.
The dial is a combination of skeleton and blue aventurine off-centered disks. One has the hour markers on the larger disk and the other has a small seconds in a smaller disk.
The hour markers and seconds counter hands are made with pink gold, as are the hour markers around the larger disk. The bracelet is in 18-carat white gold with 10 braided rows and a folding clasp. AP provides an additional strap in black alligator.
Code 11.59
Audmars Piguet launched the newest timepiece to its lineup in 2019. The Code 11.59 redesigns the classic round watch with some exquisite new features. Gone are the exposed screws in this design, leaving a much larger available space for the dial and crystal viewing area. AP enhanced the crystal with a double curved sapphire crystal which provides a unique viewing experience.
AP offers several timepieces in this collection including 2 minute repeaters, 2 perpetual calendars, 13 chronographs, 32 which are automatic self-winding calibers and 5 hand-wound timepieces. The standard size is 41mm made with Pink or White Gold. For bands, it offers a leather or a rubber band.
Rubber B Bands for Audemars Piguet
No Audemars Piguet Ultimate Buying Guide would be complete without a discussion of the best alternative bands made for AP timepieces.
Rubber B has an extensive array of bands for the Audemars Piguet set of timepieces. Due to the requirements for AP Bands in the way AP designs the case, you need to select a brand that is custom designed to support your timepiece. Fortunately, Rubber B is the one brand that takes great care in understanding the specific requirements to create a custom band that fits timepieces like Audemars Piguet almost as if it was built along side of the timepiece itself.
We recommend watch owners to preserve their investment by putting aside their original band and keeping their original box, papers and other materials that came with the timepiece. By preserving the original band, especially leather bands, you can eventually resell your timepiece in the future with a “new” and “never used” band, no matter how much you have worn your timepiece over the years. The way to do this is to purchase a Rubber B band which provides strength, comfort and unmistakable style to your Audemars Piguet timepiece.
Rubber B has an extensive array of bands and we will describe them below. However, Rubber B is not an ordinary aftermarket watch band company. Rubber B has a long history of developing firsts in the horological field of making bracelets for timepieces. Rubber B pioneered the idea of creating “Blocked Integration” which creates a tight, motionless, rotation and gap-free mount to the intended watch for a luxurious OEM look and feel.
Rubber B uses the finest rubber made today – vulcanized rubber, which is far superior to silicone and other low cost rubber solutions. Rubber B has infused carbon fibers into many of its bands to support the OEM glidelock clasps offered by some manufactures. Its Velcro model also is a unique addition to watch band designers since not only are these bands rare, but Rubber B also designed a powerful titanium insert to infuse strength into this popular band.
More recently Rubber B has pioneered a completely new concept in rubber band designs. It has developed the Swimskin model which is built on a completely new manufacturing process that took years to develop. The Swimskin product and other designs like sailcloth and leather are a 100% rubber production of these materials which look and feel like real cloth, kevlar, or alligator hide, but are actually a manufacturing process to create a truly waterproof, and vegan friendly alternative to these materials. Since these bands are made from rubber, these bands can last longer and withstand athletics and aquatic activities, while providing the same look and feel of real leather or fabric.
The Swimskin advancement is probably the most significant advancement in bracelet technology in 30 years. This is allowing customers to add not only different clasp options, and color options, but also texture options to their band decisions. Rubber B manufactures all of its bands in Switzerland – the homeland of the finest watchmakers in the world. This alone separates Rubber B products from other band options because you know Rubber B straps will outlast other straps like NATO, Alligator, and Silicone based straps. No coating, blends or bonding are used in the production.
Here are the 5 AP product lines which Rubber B has developed custom straps for. We will go into the various strap options below.
Royal Oak 41mm on Alligator
Royal Oak 41mm on Metal
Royal Oak 39mm All Models
Royal Oak Offshore 42mm
Royal Oak Offshore 44mm
The Rubber B Velcro Series
For steel band owners, Rubber B has come out with the strap for Audemars Piguet Royal Oak 41mm on Metal Bracelet – Velcro® Series. This vulcanized rubber strap is engineered to fit Audemars Piguet Royal Oak 41mm (models that come originally on a gold or steel bracelet ONLY). This strap features a solid insert for Blocked Integration to the watch case.
It has an exclusive Velcro® Alfatex® fastening strip provides a comfortable and esthetically pleasing mount to the AP watch case. The attachment loop contains a TITANIUM INSERT for optimum performance. This Vulcanized rubber strap has been Tortion-tested for extreme strength and security.
This strap comes with an optional retaining loop, although it is not necessary to use. It is hand-sewn with HYDROTURF® marine thread. The Velcro series comes in both Black and Blue options for band color.
The second band Rubber B has come out with is the one made for owners of the leather band version. The strap for Audemars Piguet Royal Oak 41mm on Alligator – Classic Series is made from vulcanized Rubber and engineered to fit Audemars Piguet Royal Oak 41mm leather strap models only.
This rubber strap is perfectly calibrated to mount the Rose Gold Royal Oak and AP Deployant buckle. It features the Rubber B patented “Blocked Integration” engineering and titanium bridge inserts provide a flawless, secure, and flush mount to the AP watch case.
It is designed to mount the customer’s factory Audemars Piguet buckle featured in the alternate view images (this strap does not come with a buckle). Rubber B offers 6 luxurious colors in this series.
The Camo Urban Skull Design
Rubber B has developed this new concept in their manufacturing for the Audemars Piguet Offshore timepiece. The Camo Urban Skull design combines not only a manufactured fabric look with different colored threads into its Rubber, but it also added a skull and crossbones to the mix. This design incorporates hand-assembly and macro-tooling techniques. No part of this strap is painted, so the colors and designs will never fade during the lifetime of the strap. The intricacy of this design adds a new element and opens to the door to new possibilities in manufacturing new rubberized bands.
The Swimskin Alligator Band
The Swimskin Alligator vulcanized rubber strap is engineered to fit the Audemars Piguet Royal Oak 42mm case and the original AP tang style buckle. It also offers the option to add a supplementary tang buckle. Although this strap looks and feels identical to Alligator hide, it is actually 100% rubber, and therefore waterproof for all aquatic activities. It comes in 4 different colors, including White, Black, Brown and Blue. No animal was injured in the production of these bands making these bands sustainable and vegan friendly.
The Sailcloth Design
Rubber B has known for years that many people enjoy fabric designs in their watchbands. However, the problem with real sailcloth, NATO, or kevlar bands, is that they are not strong enough to withstand the rigors of sailing, swimming, and even bodily sweat. Rubber B knew there was a better way and spent years designing the Sailcloth machining process to make a rubberized band that looks and feels like real fabric. This band comes in Black, White and Grey colors. It has actual stitching to make it look as authentic as real fabric even though it is pure vulcanized rubber.
