In the past 50 years, Audemars Piguet Royal Oak has been through 500 plus iterations but the aesthetics of the line, including the tonneau-shaped case and the visible eight hexagonal screws on the bezel, have remained unchanged.
Now in 2022, the Royal Oak is marking its 50th anniversary, and to celebrate the occasion, AP has launched the much-anticipated Royal Oak models for 2022 with some subtle and some significant changes.
The minimalist new
Giving an idea of what the future of iconic Royal Oak would be, the new self-winding and self-winding chronograph models in 37, 38, and 41mm case variants remain close to the aesthetic codes of the original 1972 Royal Oak but also introduce slight chances in the dial design, the bracelet, and the case.
Major alternation in the anniversary models is the openworked oscillating weight (rotor) featuring the “50-years” logo alongside an engraved Audemars Piguet signature and the introduction of in-house caliber 5900 self-winding movement in the 37mm model, which offers 60 hours of power reserve.
The 2022 Royal Oaks arrive in stainless steel, pink gold, and a combo of steel and pink gold. Highlight of the new range is the introduction of AP’s “Bleu Nuit, Nuage 50″ – aka blue Royal Oak dial – for its Grande Tapisserie dial.
The other variants in the new Royal Oaks also get movement upgrade. The 41mm chronograph is now powered by Calibre 4401, which is a new in-house flyback chronograph movement. The caseback on these Royal Oak models is slightly more integrated with the case than before, while the integrated bracelet – matching the case material – has four starting links in trapezoidal shape and they taper in thickness going down to the clasp.
Openworked AP Royal Oak
Alongside the minimalist 2022 Royal Oak models comes the head-turning Royal Oak with an openworked flying tourbillon. The introduction is first for a Royal Oak and gives you a clean, uninterrupted view of the new in-house caliber 2972, rhodium-toned skeletonized movement through the dial.
The Royal Oak Self-winding Flying Tourbillon Openworked features 41mm stainless steel case and comes on a stainless steel bracelet. In the skeletonized variant is another Royal Oak “Jumbo” Extra-Thin Openworked which comes in stainless steel and 18-carat pink gold case models. This is powered by caliber 7124 and features the “50-years” oscillating weight on the see-through caseback.