One & Done: Chapter Seventeen - Audemars Piguet

Welcome and welcome back! If you're new here, I'm exploring the 20 best-selling watch brands of 2022 (as seen on GQ Australia) and answering the question: If I could only have one watch from this brand FOREVER, which would I pick?

WELCOME TO THE TOP FOUR!

Today we are looking at Audemars Piguet, but if you want to see my previous article where I covered Longines, follow #defsoneanddone or click the link here!

#4: Audemars Piguet – Royal Oak, Ref. 15550BA.OO.1356BA.01

Words cannot begin to describe how much I have loathed Audemars Piguet over the time I have enjoyed watches. Those in the watch world who think Rolex is overblown in the price department should look no further than the AP Royal Oak. A stainless-steel watch worth over fifty thousand dollars? I mean, do people really buyinto that garbage?

As a matter of fact, yes – it would be remiss of me to entirely blow off the fact that it was one of the first integrated bracelet watches ever made, it started the entire trend of the sports watch, and will probably go down in history as one of the greatest and most iconic watches ever made. However, never have I ever seen a single company throw nearly 150 years of heritage down the toilet just to beat Gerald Genta’s corpse into dust.

I suppose my problem was never the Royal Oak – it was the people that decided to put it into production. Genta’s creation was the recipe for success for Audemars Piguet, but judging by some of their releases it may also be their recipe for ruin. They’re either too dumb to realise that the Royal Oak is a bubble just waiting to burst, or too scared to admit such by releasing another collection and scaring off their massive audience.

One night, I was browsing on my phone and decided to go to the Audemars Piguet website, anticipating to look at more ridiculous Marvel-themed Royal Oaks and scoff.  

While I did end up scoffing at their pieces like always, to my surprise (and slight horror) I found a Royal Oak reference that I really liked. This is the AP Royal Oak Ref.15550BA.OO.1356BA.01.

Call me petty all you want - I refuse to give this Royal Oak a shorter nickname. If they wanted me to address it by a shorter name, they wouldn’t have made a million Royal Oaks. This is what AP deserves for being the Vanilla Ice of watch brands – except Vanilla Ice is a whole lot cooler.

Ref. 15550BA.OO.1356BA.01 is a 37mm rendition of the Royal Oak that is as subtle as a clown at a funeral, coming in an entire 18k yellow-gold case that is about as heavy and as dense as the wallets and the skulls of people who actively choose to fuel AP’s latest power trip.

Yes, I'm being a sourpuss still, but bear with me for a sec.

As with most integrated bracelet watches, the Ref. 15550BA.OO.1356BA.01 wears precisely how you would expect: big, as the outward extension of the lugs tightens the tolerance of the bracelet and therefore does not conform to the wrist as ergonomically in comparison to traditional bracelets. However, I find that a 37mm integrated bracelet watch is more than enough for my paltry 6.25-inch wrist.

Despite being a self-proclaimed “sports watch,” the Royal Oak Ref. 15550BA.OO.1356BA.01 can “sport” little more than a pathetic 50m water resistance, which effectively means that when it starts pissing rain, you’re also pissing away CHF$55,000.

However! Believe it or not, this article is not just the roast of Audemars Piguet. Mechanically, AP’s Calibre 5900 movement is no slouch, delivering 60 hours of power reserve and a 4Hz beat rate courtesy of movement manufacturer Vaucher Fleurier.

Fun fact: Vaucher Fleurier is 25% owned by Hermès. Yep, the same Birkin-making Hermès who only made Number 19 on the best watch sellers list. They own a quarter of the company that makes movements for AP, Richard Mille and more. Weird, huh?

Aesthetically, too, the eagle-eyed horological geniuses would also have realised that these 50th-anniversary renditions of the Royal Oaks have been sapped of much of their original dial text, with “Audemars Piguet” and “Swiss Made” being the only words marked out on the iconic waffle-cut dial. Except… it isn’t.

There were two reasons as to why the Ref. 15550BA.OO.1356BA.01 caught my attention, iconic status notwithstanding. Firstly, it was the usage of turquoise on the dial. AP, similarly, to Rolex, is known for minuscule changes over time. New colour? New size? New logo? Everyone goes bananas. Of course, Tiffany Blue is all the rage nowadays, but the Ref. 15550BA.OO.1356BA.01 takes it a step further by not just colouring the dial turquoise but utilising the turquoise: as in, the gemstone that belies the colour’s namesake. This unique texture and discolouration of the dial makes it a truly standout piece among every other Royal Oak, and in my opinion, positions it as the cut above most Tiffany dial timepieces. The other reason, well… allow me to preface this.

3 o’clock date wheels always gave me the ick. If it wasn’t a necessary feature of the watch, such as a Traveller’s GMT or a perpetual/annual calendar of any kind, it just felt stupid and unnecessary to have. Why would I want a date complication on a TAG Heuer Carrera, for example, if I’m not wearing the watch every day and it expires in 38 hours? It feels redundant. The only two ways you could convince me that it was a necessary part of the watch were to put it at 6 o’clock to maintain symmetry or at the very least colour-match the date wheel.

Even some of the most expensive watch brands choose to do neither, but Audemars Piguet, like some kind of sick, twisted angel, comes up from the fires of Hell to do what Patek still somehow refuses to do: a turquoise date wheel, perfectly colour matched to the gemstone dial. It’s as if your school bully was the only person who remembered your birthday, albeit to give you birthday punches, but it’s great nonetheless to see what is in my eyes an objectively dumb company do something so simple, yet so genius.

At least, in the sense that everyone keeps forgetting to do so and stumbling at the finish line whilst the Ref. 15550BA.OO.1356BA.01 remains, standing triumphantly.

So, despite my ongoing ambivalence towards Audemars Piguet, it's only fair to acknowledge the audacity and boldness they’ve presented with this watch. To take a watch with such a cult-like following and play with it, twist it, and reimagine it in a way that still respects its remaining heritage while injecting life into its iconic design is something that is worthy of any horologist’s attention. It's both a pleasant and unexpected surprise, like finding a toy in your breakfast cereal or ten bucks on the ground.

The Ref. 15550BA.OO.1356BA.01 stands as a symbol of Audemars Piguet's ability to challenge expectations, even from those of us who have had our reservations about the brand. In a world of homages, derivatives, and incremental changes, this Royal Oak dares to be different (albeit very, very slightly), and in doing so, it creates a conversation piece that both delights and satisfies. It's a reminder that horology, like art, is subjective, and sometimes, the most unlikely combinations result in the most stunning masterpieces.

So, as I look at the audacious turquoise dial and the cheekily colour-matched date wheel, I can't help but tip my hat to Audemars Piguet for their daring creativity – even if I'm still not quite ready to fully embrace the AP fandom.

Whew, that was a lot to get off my chest. I hope you liked this article despite all of the vitriol. Next up is number three on the list - Omega!