Audemars Piguet Royal Oak

The date sits at three o'clock in a rather small window that takes up exactly four squares of the tapestry. So in short, with these smaller 37 millime...

One thing about this watch is that my younger brother was never a fan of Lange for a long time despite me trying to convince him otherwise. It wasn’t until recently that he saw this watch in white gold that he changed his tune and now we have matching watches despite being different materials. Audemars Piguet Royal Oak 5400ST.

Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Tourbillon Extra-Thin. Reference 26522BC.OO.1220BC.01 is a special edition limited to 20 pieces. With a 41 mm case diameter and 9 mm case thickness, the watch's smoked grey sunburst Tapisserie dial can be seen radiating from the tourbillon cage from a mile away. We do not get our hands on exclusive pieces like these too often.

Yesterday I was lucky enough to pick up this 37mm Royal Oak from my AD. I have no previous AP purchase however the boutique belongs to a large retailer where I buy all my other watches. Since I have rather smaller wrists It was clear from the beginning that the 37mm would be the best fit of them all. The 15202st in 39mm would have also worked but this watch is impossible to get and currently sits at such a crazy market price that it would feel strange to wear it and I want to wear the watches I buy.

It would have been amazing to walk out with my new watch that very day, but I waited two years already, so another week wasn’t so bad. I love this Royal Oak as an attainable grail. It took a lot of patience, but I didn’t need to have any inside connections or to buy any watches that I didn’t really want: I still can’t get enough of my diver and will probably never sell it. One of the distinct pleasures, for me, of New Watch Day in the city is taking a leisurely stroll from the boutique back home as a way to get acquainted with the new watch.

For the life of me, I do not understand the obsession with this watch. You could have bought an AP Royal Oak Offshore and a Lange Grand 1 for the same money, have two better watches, and have a sport and dress watch for different occasions. There are even significantly better watches by PP for less money. I just don’t get it...all for a style that feels rather yawn-inducing, even if it is executed flawlessly.

It’s certainly not for everyone, but to me it’s the perfect Royal Oak. It reminds me a lot of the [limited edition white gold that AP launched last year, but I was never going to own one of those for a myriad of reasons. The gold of the dial plays well off the tone of the bezel screws, with the color shifting with the light from a bright gold to a deep bronze.

After getting the watch, it surpassed my expectations. The finishing is top notch. I love the silver dial and the bracelet and how both play with the light. Normally after I buy a watch, I'm planning for the next one that I want to pick up, but this one has sufficiently scratched my itch to where I'm not even thinking about what's next.

So after trying to chase down a AP Royal Oak for over a year (and spending ways to much time hanging around at different AP house locations, trying to make a good impression) I finally pulled the trigger at a Phillips watch auction and bought this beauty!. It’s definitely one of the most beautiful watches I have owned, but also one of the most pricy which presents quite the dilemma: When wearing the watch I’m constantly worried about banging it into things! Have you insured your watch?

I knew nothing about liquid metal bezels or anti magnetic movements, and the more I learned about this masterpiece of watch engineering, the more I fell for its spell. I am not a watch collector, I only need one beater watch (my beloved steel G-SHOCK GMW-B5000) and a dress watch. I sold my Aikon Automatic Chronograph (technically a great watch, but a terrible investment and frankly a Royal Oak clone for poor people) and now I own this beauty.