Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Chronograph automatic 41 mm 2017

The story

The beginnings of Audemars Piguet's Royal Oak date back to 1971, exactly one year before its presentation at the 1972 Basel Fair. In the wake of the quartz crisis, the House of Audemars Piguet had its back to the wall: the brand had to come up with a revolutionary idea quickly, or AP could kiss more than a century of watchmaking expertise goodbye. The managing director at the time, Georges Golay, contacted watch designer Gérald Genta, asking him to design a stainless steel sports watch that could meet the needs of the Italian market - all within a very tight timeframe.

Genta rose to the challenge, proposing a watch with a design that was revolutionary for its time. The result was the world's first luxury sports watch, in stainless steel, for the price of a gold watch. With this launch, nothing would ever be the same again. Inspired by a scuba diver's helmet, its design is avant-garde, with an octagonal bezel secured by eight screws, visible seals and a dial adorned with the brand's exclusive Grande Tapisserie guilloché pattern. A sure-fire way to defy watchmaking codes.

Complications come later in the Royal Oak collection. The chronograph first burst onto the scene with the Royal Oak Offshore, with reference 257221 presented in 1992! At the time, it was one of the very few chronographs on the market offering water resistance to 100 meters. Until then, no Royal Oak had been equipped with a sporty complication. And in fact, none was as sporty as the future Offshore!

It wasn't until 1997, on the occasion of the Royal Oak's 25th anniversary, that a chronograph complication was added to the "classic" Royal Oak "Jumbo", and Audemars Piguet modified the very essence of its icon's design by adding two push-buttons... This chrono is then nicknamed "Kasparov" by enthusiasts, as the chess player Garry Kasparov was particularly fond of this model.

It wasn't until 1997, on the occasion of the Royal Oak's 25th anniversary, that a chronograph complication was added to the "classic" Royal Oak "Jumbo", and Audemars Piguet modified the very essence of its icon's design by adding two push-buttons... This chrono was nicknamed "Kasparov" by enthusiasts, as the chess player Garry Kasparov was particularly fond of this model. In 2017, on the occasion of the 20th anniversary of the Royal Oak Chronograph, the brand unveiled reference 26331ST, the worthy heiress?

Presentation

Like all Royal Oak watches, one of the watch's main attractions is the iconic shape of its case. The chronograph measures 41 mm in diameter, halfway between a Royal Oak "hour/date" and an Offshore, its famous octagonal shape made even sportier by the addition of two chronograph pushers.

The case, moreover, features what Audemars Piguet is renowned for, namely superb finishing quality. The bevelled edges, extremely clean satin-finish and mirror polish add incredibly refined contrast, and the flawless workmanship and construction of the case steel is the essence of the appeal, a turn of the wrist quickly visually explaining why so many people have loved the Royal Oak since its debut in the 1970s.

On the dial, a "Grande Tapisserie" texture serves as a backdrop to the unique chronograph configuration, with the main stylistic distinction residing in its silver registers contrasting with the black color. Apart from the chronograph elements, the watch is entirely "Royal Oak", with luminescence-filled, applied hour markers, the distinctive hands and, once again, the extremely meticulous craftsmanship that watch enthusiasts have come to appreciate.

This chronograph is equipped with caliber 2385, the same caliber found in the "Kasparovs". This ultra-thin movement is only 5.5 mm thick! This caliber was designed by Manufacture F. Piguet, under reference 1185. It was also used on the Vacheron Constantin Overseas Chronographe - caliber 1137, for example.

This is a renowned mechanism widely used in the history of the collection. This movement features a vertical clutch and a 40-hour power reserve.

The package

This 2017 Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Chronograph in perfect condition will be delivered with its case and all its documents. This example has been tested, inspected and authenticated by our watchmaker and as such benefits from the Lepage Vintage 1-year warranty.