A Truly Iconic Watch Gets a Fabulous Upgrade After 25 Years

Good things come to those who wait, and this year, Audemars Piguet rewards our patience with a robust and extremely attractive line-up of Royal Oak models that range from reinvented classics to all-new designs.

Arguably the sleekest prototype of the bunch, the Royal Oak RD#2 combines power and aesthetics with its 5133 calibre and perpetual calendar movement. The challenge of re-engineering a three-layered movement into a single narrow level took the watchmaker five years to complete, but the resulting design was well worth the wait. At 6.30 mm, the Royal Oak RD#2 is the thinnest self-winding perpetual calendar watch on the market without compromising any of the technological capabilities that were hallmarks of the 5134 calibre. Additionally, its blue dial, framed by a solid platinum case, has been enhanced with expanded counters and a day-and-night indication to improve readability.

For those looking for a more feminine piece, the Millenary collection presents three new models, all Royal Oak renditions that cater to different tastes. The 37-mm Royal Oak Double Balance Wheel Openworked, which features the calibre 3132 movement, comes in hammered 18-karat white gold and 18-karat pink gold. Turn the former toward the light and you’ll find that its frosted white gold finish shimmers—a subtle touch of opulence when you least expect it. Greenbelt 5, 728.0094; lucerneluxe.com.

IMAGE COURTESY AUDEMARS PIGUET

The frosted gold finish done by a hammering technique was introduced in a collaboration between the watchmaker and jewelry designer Carolina Bucci, now rendered in the Royal Oak Double Balance Wheel Openworked watch in white gold.

IMAGE COURTESY AUDEMARS PIGUET

The 12 o’clock moon phase on the Audemars Piguet Royal Oak RD#2’s blue dial is an homage to the first perpetual calendar watch that made its debut in 1955.

IMAGE COURTESY AUDEMARS PIGUET

This story was originally published in the May 2018 issue of Town&Country.