Audemars Piguet, one of the world's leading luxury watch brands, offers a variety of collections, including its signature Royal Oak. We will introduce the main types, their features and appeal, and how to choose the watch that suits you.
What is Audemars Piguet?
Audemars Piguet is a long-established manufacturer that has led the watch industry with its advanced technology since its founding. First, let's get some basic information about the brand.
A brand that ranks among the world's top three watch brands
When it comes to luxury watches, many people will think of brands like Rolex, Omega, and Tag Heuer, but there are even more prestigious brands in the watch industry that are beloved by top celebrities and the upper class.
These are Audemars Piguet, Patek Philippe, and Vacheron Constantin, all prestigious Swiss brands and are known as the world's three biggest watch brands.
What these three brands have in common is that they have a long history, excellent technical skills, high artistic quality, and have had a huge impact on the industry.
Audemars Piguet is the only brand still run by the founding family.
It all started with two watchmakers
Audemars Piguet, one of the world's three major watch brands, was founded in 1875 by two watchmakers, Jules-Louis Audemars and Edouard-Auguste Piguet.
This was the heyday of pocket watches incorporating complicated mechanisms, and Audemars Piguet also produced many models incorporating these mechanisms, and in 1921 they released the world's smallest pocket watch repeater (case diameter 21.1 mm), equipped with the 15.8 mm diameter caliber 7MV5.
Even as the era of wristwatches began, the company continued to strive to make watches smaller and thinner, successfully miniaturizing complex mechanisms in the 50s and developing the world's thinnest movement in 67.
After the success of the Royal Oak, released in 72, made Audemars Piguet a household name around the world, the brand continues to produce groundbreaking models using its own innovative technology.
Audemars Piguet's main collections
Audemars Piguet offers several collections that represent the brand. Let's take a look at some of the most popular collections.
Royal Oak
The Royal Oak, introduced in 1972, is a luxury sports watch that has become synonymous with Audemars Piguet. At a time when small gold cases were the norm for luxury watches, the Royal Oak attracted attention with its 39mm stainless steel case.
Its distinctive feature is the octagonal bezel, with screws at each corner contributing to the slimness of the case and also serving as an accent to the design.
The tapestry-patterned dial is another signature detail of the collection, while the beautifully crafted case ensures comfortable wear.
Royal Oak Offshore
The Royal Oak Offshore collection was released in 1993 as an evolution of the Royal Oak, a more powerful and sporty watch.
The case diameter of the early model was an ambitious 42mm for the time, and it is known as a pioneer that established the trend of large sizes.
The dial features a "Mega Tapisserie" pattern to match the large size, and the watch also features a striking crown guard and push buttons.
The collection includes the Royal Oak Offshore Chronograph, which has been given a more masculine design, and the Royal Oak Offshore Diver, a full-fledged diver's model.
CODE 11.59 by Audemars Piguet
The CODE 11.59 by Audemars Piguet was launched in 2019 as the first new collection in 26 years since the Royal Oak Offshore.
As the collection name, which is composed of concept words such as Challenge, Own, Dare, and Evolve, as well as 11.59, which means the moment just before a new day begins, suggests, it represents the brand's next stage.
The most distinctive feature is its design. At first glance, it appears to be a conventional round case, but the case is made up of three layers, and features Audemars Piguet's signature octagonal middle case, slim bezel, and openwork lugs, fusing tradition with innovation.
The lineup is diverse, including standard three-hand models as well as chronographs, perpetual calendars, and tourbillon models.
