The best Audemars Piguet Royal Oak watches of every decade

Audemars Piguet Royal Oak luxury replica watches always exude luxury. Over the years, it not only became the quintessence of luxury sports watches, but was actually the trend-setting watch of the 1970s. Drawing from the original inspiration of the bronze diver’s helmet, the Royal Oak rose from an oversized and possibly overpriced sports watch to an outright cultural icon.

Having recently released a range of new models to mark the opening of AP House Milano, we thought we'd revisit the model's most important references, picking one from each decade of its existence.

1970s – Royal Oak Jumbo Model 5402ST
We started with the first Royal Oak because it fit perfectly. I don’t really need to tell you the whole story to explain the importance of this watch to the entire traditional watchmaking industry, but it’s one worth telling. It was, of course, designed by Gérald Genta, driven by Georges Golay, then managing director of AP, to create a new sports watch. I’m not sure these two knew this at the time, but the debut of the ultra-expensive A-Series created a whole new trend that’s still very popular today. The 5402ST is a true first reference watch, with a 39mm case and the caliber 2121 derived from the JLC 920. It was (and still is) a remarkable movement, measuring 3.05mm, with a rail-mounted 21k gold oscillating weight, and Patek Philippe's Gyromax hairspring.

1980s – Royal Oak Perpetual Calendar 5554
For the next entrant, we move forward more than a decade to 1984 and the introduction of the perpetual calendar reference 5554. This is the first Royal Oak watches replica high quality to feature a perpetual calendar, continuing the brand’s trend of not displaying a leap year indicator on its watches. Dial – Will change in future models. What stands out most (or least, depending on how you look at it) is the wonderful simplicity of the complication indicator. There is nothing superfluous on the dial, and the branding is subtly integrated into the lower part of the moon phase. Hell, I’d say the branding isn’t even necessary here given the instantly recognizable case shape. Nonetheless, what is of real interest to watch enthusiasts is the movement aspect, as this extraordinary watch measures only 7.5 mm in height and 39 mm in diameter, exactly like the original Royal Oak. The 2120/2800 movement first appeared in ref. 5548 and is often credited with saving the brand from the quartz crisis, fitting the Dubois-Dépraz-made QP module into the ultra-thin JLC 920 ébauche, making it the world's thinnest automatic perpetual calendar .

1990s – Royal Oak Offshore 25721
While certainly sporty for the time, both references listed so far are both very elegant and sophisticated. The Royal Oak Offshore, launched at Baselworld in 1993, was never intended to continue this trend. Whether or not you believe the story that Genta publicly denounced Emmanuel Guiet's designs at the show, its nickname is well deserved. Measuring 42mm in diameter, “The Beast” has a case reminiscent of the 5402 on steroids, while also featuring a few extra pushers to match the movement with a Dubois-Dépraz chronograph module inside. Offshore certainly served its purpose, revitalizing Audemars Piguet in the eyes of the nepo babies and wealthy young men the brand was initially targeting, eventually landing on the wrists of macho icons like Arnold Schwarzenegger, and even evolving into some A more refined example. It's been around for 30 years. Still, the original Beast (Ref. 25721) will always be the one that started it all and is undoubtedly partly responsible for the emergence of larger watches in the '90s and early '00s. replica U-BOAT Chimera Watch

2000s – Royal Oak Concept 1 ref. 25980
New materials or ground-breaking complications may be commonplace these days, but back in the early 2000s, when AP unveiled its first Royal Oak concept watch, it was truly a big deal. Celebrating the 30th anniversary of the RO, the concept retains the octagonal bezel that has become synonymous with the model, only subtly nodding to other recognizable features of the series. Model 25980 has two claims to fame. The first is an alacrite 602 case – a forged cobalt-based alloy with exceptional hardness (about 430 on the Vickers scale, compared to 170 for steel). The other is Caliber 2896, whose bezel matches its titanium construction and integrates a dynamometer complication developed by Renaud & Papi that displays mainspring torque in real time. The 2896 uses a spring-like bridge to hold the tourbillon in place, can withstand 50G of force, and allows the user to choose between three crown modes: winding, neutral and time setting.

2010s – Royal Oak RD#2 Perpetual Calendar Ultra-Thin Watch
From the avant-garde behemoth of 44 mm, to the slender beauty that pays homage to Audemars Piguet’s history of ultra-thin watchmaking. Launched as a concept in 2018 and entering series production a year later, the Royal Oak RD#2 stands at just 6.3mm tall (the world’s thinnest automatic perpetual calendar) thanks to the 2.89mm thick Caliber 5513. At first glance, this movement looks familiar, and because it is – the 5513 is based on AP’s famous 2120, but heavily modified to make it as thin as possible. Unlike AP’s 41mm “regular” perpetual calendar, the RD#2’s 5513 integrates the mechanism with the movement in one plane, adding less than half a millimeter to the base movement rather than sitting on top of it. It achieved structural rigidity by using a dial and utilized a 48-month wheel to indicate leap years, allowing AP to remove the leap year cam that meshed with a more standard 12-month dial. Yes, the water resistance is really lackluster for a sports watch that's only 20 meters long, and the 41mm diameter will probably make it sit pretty flat, but who cares? replica patek philippe Nautilus

2020s – nothing yet
Whether it's my fear of recency bias or the fact that no groundbreaking new Royal Oak has been released in the past four years, I'm not so sure. I'm sure I'll have a clear answer for you once Christmas 2029 rolls around, but until then, all I can do is make a list of a few front-runners.

First, we can’t forget the Royal Oak Jumbo from Only Watch 2021, which comes with a titanium case and AP’s first-ever BMG bezel. Not only was it a perfect farewell to the 15202 model, it also ushered in an era of further material experimentation, particularly palladium-based massive metallic glass bezels. The name is a bit misleading, though, as the material is actually a metal alloy with ultra-high hardness and reflectivity. While such a minor change may not be as valued as some of the other technological advancements on this list, the fact that this watch fetched CHF 3.1 million at auction alone is enough to earn it a spot in my book. replica Corum Watches

Next, we have the follow-up to the RD#2, the Royal Oak Jumbo, with a flying tourbillon at 6 o’clock. It pays tribute to the Tourbillon Automatique watch launched by the brand in 1986, which was the world’s first self-winding tourbillon watch. Although the original watch was not a Royal Oak watch, the RD#3 still retains the dial side rotor Flywheel’s pedigree. It's also one of the headliners celebrating the Royal Oak's 50th anniversary, although it's by no means the most groundbreaking Royal Oak ever, so it doesn't exactly take the top spot.

Despite this, there is one watch that my heart keeps yearning for, and that is the Blue Ceramic Royal Oak Perpetual Calendar. Now, if you’ve read any of my articles, I’ve probably raved about small vintage (style) watches, so why on earth would I choose the bright blue 41mm Royal Oak? If I had never experienced this watch in person I probably never would have, but seeing those ceramic faces and the Grande Tapisserie sunburst dial, I was blown away. Ceramic often feels a little small, especially when it's brightly colored, almost looking like plastic. This is completely contrary to any argument I might object to. It's big and brash and makes no regrets about it, and in my opinion is one of the best expressions of what the Royal Oak stands for today. However, thanks to the 5134 movement, it is only 9.5mm tall and continues the lineage of the great 2120, complete with a stunning ruby wheel and aventurine back moon phase. replica Jacob & Co. Watches