Watchmaking Secret Audemars Piguet Doesn’t Want the Public to Know
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- Опубліковано 12 вер 2024
- So of course you’ll have guessed by now that the fourth most popular brand and the subject of this week’s In Focus series is luxury giant Audemars Piguet. For better or worse, Audemars Piguet is predominantly responsible for the luxury watch landscape as it stands today, the paradigm-shifting 1972 Royal Oak starting a chain reaction that recovered the entire industry from obsolescence. Follow along as we delve into some of the unknown parts of Audemars Piguet’s stories, both here and in the articles we’re posting over at watchfinder.com. You can catch us over on Instagram too. Links in the description. So, Audemars Piguet-you probably know a lot about it already, but here’s some stuff you didn’t.
Featured Watches:
Audemars Piguet [Re]Master01 26595SR.OO.A032VE.01
Audemars Piguet Jules Audemars Dual Time 26380OR.OO.D088CR.01
Audemars Piguet Code 11.59 15210BC.OO.A002CR.01
Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Double Balance Wheel Openworked 15407ST.OO.1220ST.01
Audemars Piguet Royal Oak 15400ST.OO.1220ST.03
Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Tourbillon Extra Thin 26510ST.OO.1220ST.01
Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Leo Messi 26325TS.OO.D005CR.01
Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Perpetual Calendar 26574OR.OO.1220OR.01
Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Tourbillon Chronograph 25977ST.OO.D002CR.01
Audemars Piguet Royal Oak 15300ST.OO.1220ST.02
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My opinion is that the Royal Oak did revived sales of luxury watches for luxury's sake, and at a crucial moment. But what actually saved the (luxury) mechanical watch industry was the progressive vulgarization of quartz movements and the relentless decrease in value of the technology as the 70s progressed. At some point it became so cheap that the technology simply had no place in luxury watches, and so it was back to micromechanics and beauty, and so mechanical watches reemerged.
royal oak designs sucks alot
I have to agree on the premise. It just didn’t make any sense to me that craftsmen (and women) would put so much time and work into creating a beautiful case, dial and hands, and then pop a cheap quartz movement into it. That would be like taking the engine out of a Ford Pinto and installing it under the hood of a Rolls Royce Phantom.
@@hibakihiey6055 you’d need to experience it in real life to understand. But it’s OK if even then you didn’t. It was never meant to be for everyone…
Yeah, when a two dollar SOKU Chinese quartz watch is more accurate than the most expensive Rolex...........
All those people who think that AP is a one trick pony and lacks depth. Just look at their whole catalogue of watches. They do it all.
The Royal Oak is just by far their most popular one. Even if you limit your view to the Royal Oak, it is actually so diverse in terms of size, designs, materials and complications.
So, AP really is a complete watch manufacturer. You just have be confident und informed enough to look beyond the most popular options.
The Jules Audemars pieces are gorgeous as are the the code 11:59 (some of them)
I'm no longer abble to find the jules audemars colection on their website. Was it discontinued?
Although I do not like the looks of the Royal Oak, I have to say that it not just revived the luxury watch sales, it could be argued that it revived the watch as a whole. It made mechanical watches appealing again. And thus, I think it helped the industry as a whole, not just the swiss
Looking forward to the Omega videos next week, Patek the week after, and then Rolex to wrap things up.
Love the background you give that many of us have no idea of how something came about. I appreciate the history and work that goes into these.
I love the Royal Oak and would love to have one but I do think that JLC deserve more to be in the “holy trinity” than AP
Heritage
I own watches from both brands and there is no comparison. The quality that AP offers is head and shoulders above JLC’s
JLC deserve their own pedestal above ALL the other brands for their contributions to watchmaking.
@@Kr0nicridahyou don’t know what you’re talking about. AP literally uses JLC movements, and has been for years now. They use a base JLC movement and slightly modify and decorate it.
To say there is no comparison shows how little you know about both brands. I’ve worked on both and JLC far surpasses AP when it comes to movements. Only thing AP has on JLC is the RO design, and they didn’t even design it themselves. Genta did. The build quality isn’t the best either. Water resistance is almost next to none. Butterfly Clasp is always having the screws come off after a year or two. Seen it far too many times. AP movements are always crapping out after two or three years, even though they are JLC movements, AP doesn’t do the best job apparently because the JLC iteration of the same movement will last 5+ years.
So, I explained my reasons why JLC is better than AP. not leagues better, but better. Can you tell me your reasoning for saying there’s no comparison? I would really like to know why you think that.
@@jamesrobert4106exactly. I don’t understand how someone can say ap is so much better than JLC. Jlc makes legendary movements. Jlc’s ultra thin works so good that ap AND Patek use them in their watches. That says a lot. I can’t even name one ap movement that was 100% built by them. They almost exclusively use other manfs movements.
Love the history behind the RO presented here! Keep it up! If you have time, please do a similar type of video on Piaget, a maison I recently got to fall in love with.
This is the best UA-cam channel about watches. Bravo!
Great review, thanks. The Royal Oak is no doubt a masterpiece of design. My preference goes to the 37mm 15450 in steel and blue dial. Please review the L.U Chopard Chrono One Flyback 42mm in SS and Titalyt
What is Simon without Garfunkel? Wildly successful
Yeah this. I love S&G but Graceland is one of the best albums of all time
After nearly six years of continuous use, I am still very proud to own and wear my AP, RO, OS, QEII Cup, Hong Kong 2016, Limited Edition in Pink Gold and Forged Carbon ....
Subbed for probably 3 years now to this channel, the quality of these videos never get's old.
You guys should get a stipend from all the high horology makers. Who else is seeding the fields for the next generation of big spenders?
I was born in the digital age. I would't know this brands if it weren't because of channels like this. By the time an AP gets mass media exposure, it's already been covered in diamonds by a rapper and lost all of it's original appeal
Watchfinder is a subsidiary of Richemont who also own ALS, JLC, VC, Cartier, and a bunch of other major brands.
@@VGMO17 if you wouldn't know these brands without these videos let's face it kid, you're never going to afford these and your social circles, if they haven't exposed you to these brands, suggests you'll never afford one
@@sgddfgfghfgh jesus the pretentiousness
@@xMamoo2011 jesus, the poverty
more content on grand seiko and king seiko would be great !
Grand Seiko =100%
That was a great break down of a watch history that saved a company circa 1970s to present!
Just 5000 watches AP manufactured in total in a year, in the 70s that sounds disastrous.
But look at them now part of the big three trinity watches!
AP was always part of the big three holy trinity, even before the 1970s
Coffee table piece of history ! Intriguing and amusing every time it is told ! Nowadays we take things for granted. Only few are aware of how ominous some past years were and how crucial some desperate decisions proved to be ! Today Royal Oak has such a prestigious status that it is even harder piece to buy straight from the street, than Rolex's Submariner, or GMT II or Daytona !
Amazing video yet again. Could you please do a review of Chopard Alpine eagle 41 and maybe featuring the Ap royal oak and/or Vacheron constantin overseas 🤩
Audemar Piguet Royal Oak is one of my all time favourite, glad to hear the history and significance it has in the watch industry.
Not just my opinion ask any student of design Gerald Genta’s Royal Oak is a classic. It’s a sports watch, all shinny & brash with an industrial marine theme. At this stage it’s an icon and I’d love to own one but at 71 years old my priorities lie elsewhere but don’t think for one minute I haven’t thought of pulling a fast one and announcing we will be going back camping for the next couple of years probably in the back garden. Watch collecting is a curse.
Interesting review. Enjoyed it. Keep up the good work on your channel. Regards, #WR4K
Your chat with Scottish Watches was excellent. Cheers.
You where the first channel I subscribed to because of how you mentioned your appreciation of subscribers and Not nagging them. Please keep that classy-ness.
You're the best there is... but that Simon without Garfunkel line? Paul Simon's solo career is undoubtedly his best work
I respect the Royal Oak but i've never really liked the look of them.
Very good information and production, really the best Thank too!
Fun fact that everyone ignores with the AP Royal Oak: It's not a sports watch and you can't go swimming with it. It has a mere 50 meters of waterresistance.
Go figure.
Just because it has a 50m water resistance with it doesn’t mean it’s not a sports watch. As the narrator implies, the Royal Oak is more about style over function. But I do swim with my AP’s.
I always wanted a Royal Oak, but the 50m waterresistance and the fragile bracelet and scratch magnet is a no for my lifestyle. I got the Rolex GMT with the oyster instead
Interesting. But we got used to that.
We are a little spoiled here.
Thank you, for that.
🙏🏻
Mr Talking Hands. Would be great if you may do a story on Piaget. I remember back in the seventies they were part of the big four.
Keep on teaching us, you do it well...
The Royal Oak looks like a tiny manhole
😂 funny perspective
You should look up where Genta got his inspiration from. I think it was from a manhole or porthole
@@jabezh What??? Are you serious??? Thank you man I had no idea i will check it out
Pervert 😂😂
@@leftsidem5030 that's not what a manhole is
I enjoyed the video, but I don't like royal oak. The design is not appealing to my eyes and I don't like the brand either.
The bezel is cute but too thickly wrought.
Great video. Informative, and even suspensful. Movie-length version on the historical arc of watch technology, please. I'm thinking Netflix documentary.
Still the best channel on UA-cam.
BTW Andrew, loved you on the SW podcast 👍
How gorgeous is the Royal Oak?! Man! If I could ever add one of these to my collection. 💀❤️
I do believe these beautiful high end watches will put themselves out of business if they continue to charge super high prices that will make it impossible for regular folks to buy- plus they are making many quartz watches that are just as beautiful and more affordable to the working man and woman. You will still get hardcore collectors, but who is going to fork over that type of money for a watch when inflation is currently so high.
It's human nature to want things that are out of reach and to show off to those who can't have what you have
Love the series on deep dives. Good shit
I never understood why this brand is prestigious, and moreover, on the second place after PP... In my opinion they only knew to build 'gamble' prices...
Congratulations for 700k subs
Thank you for the detailed story of AP
Great informative video. Many thanks.
GG's 70s designs are very much the "Emperor's new clothes" imho, really I don't get the hype, just fugly.
Good video tho, Cheers 👍🏻👍🏻
Amazing eye opener! Thanks!
thank you for these Wonderful videos :)
Great history of an iconic watch. Thank you
First of all, AP didnt have the tech required to make the RO. As a japanese watch collector Im free enough to say, wow that tells a lot about the old AP at best. Secondly, I can't understand how those loving the design can accept any of the modern versions that changed the size. Honestly the 41 is a blocky, chubby and overpriced watch for the most part. A homage to itself. 15202 only. And even then, is a lucky design shot worth to pay such insane sums for? I breath watches but damn, either buy a lot of cheaper ones for that money or go enjoy yourself otherwise. You are either to rich to wear that thing or too broke to actually spend the money for that. Buy a car just to trash it offroad, buy a Hublot and shoot it with a 50cal, h***ers, idk man. There is always a better alternative.
They did have the tech to make it, just not in steel as they didn't make many steel watches if any. It says so in the video but then why let the truth get in the way of your rant.
Love the video and I have totally fallen hard for the Royal Oak. What a great story!
Keep up the good work. Love your vids.
Entertaining and informative, thank you Mr. Talking Hands (can we say your name now?)
Hey, why dont you do a review on Memorigin watches?, i believe they have the most spectacular design for their price
Royal Oak - Fukin' prettiest wrist watch in the world ever, ever made.
Always fun to see the legend.... soothing to the eye
Gonna be a great series I'm hooked articles as well. thanks for taking the time. regards Andrew
Love the AP RO. Luckily, bought it before the price boom
Audemar Piguet is a one trick pony. With that said, the one trick they have pulled off - making the octagonal and industrial design aesthetic a highly sought after piece of expensive horology - is outstanding. The testosterone inspired shape infused the luxury watch market with some much needed machismo.
well it doesnt cost to comment
if anyone is a one trick pony it is rolex. all the watches look almost the same with the same strap too.
@@bs12984 You will get no argument from me. I detest Rolex's popularity. In a world that truly valued craftsmanship over hype, brands like Grand Seiko, Vacheron Constantin and definitely A. Lange & Sohne would have far more name recognition among the general population than Rolex - the Walmart of luxury watches.
@@bs12984 Apart from the Cellini, I have to agree.
every watch company has one trick up its sleeves. panerai has the sandwich dial and the crown protector, ap has a hexagon bezel. patek has nautilus.
no doubt lange is one of the greatest but we like it more because of its rarity and exclusivity.
omega does the same with its speedmaster, 2 subdials or 3. overall watch is the same since decades. no new trick there.
and now again talking about ap, no other company has introduced watches with so much variety as the AP did in royal oak and offshore series.
Lovely Pentax MX there too
Nice video. Thank you.
Great video 👍🏻👍🏻
me being p*ss poor, this particular video made me appreciate luxury watches like never before! Thank you!
Great information
Can you make a video about the Vacheron Constantin Overseas 47040 compared with the Patek Philippe Nautilus 5711 please? Thank you
I loved this story ❤
Who would've thought "hex head" flat screws would be such a BIG HIT! =0
Unfortunately, it just does nothing for me from a design perspective, and it’s not old enough to have any feeling of historical romance, I’m afraid.
What do you prefer?
Love your videos...
I'm curious as to the model # you have on your video. In particular I notice at least 3 different blue dials. The first is AP logo BELOW 12 with seconds hand, AP logo AT 12 with seconds hand, and AP logo above 6 without seconds hand. The most interesting to me is the AP logo below 12 because there is a half index marker at 3 next to the date. I'm not aware of any "full" size RO's with that feature; only the 33mm versions, but it's next to the full sized tourbillon in the side by side. Can you identify the model #?
The first one is RO 15400, second one is RO 15300, and the last one is RO 15202. Look them up :). The 15202 is my grail.
Well done guys 😀
AP is a great brand. Of course you need a lot more than Rolex money to enjoy
AP compared with Rolex is like Ferrari compared to Porsche. The Porsche will cost a lot less but will be more reliable and definitely more durable.
What is the use of the slotted profile of the screw? The screw is already locked by the Nut shaped hole?
That was fascinating 👍
Great video👍
what happened too the Audio :/
Mr Voice over dude. Do you also supply your relaxing voice for a true crime podcast? Thanks it's been nagging at me for ages now
Paul Simon had a pretty good solo career though.
I love AP.
the Royal Oak is probably my favorite watch look wise
Gerald Genta designed basically every watch I find attractive. Anyone please reply with a proper documentary/youtube/book about him that puts everything in context.
Beautiful story telling, I love the royal oak design language...too bad I cannot afford it.
The Maurice lacroix aikon looks quite similar! Usually I don’t buy “homage” watches but when the watch in question is well into unobtainium at 100,000+, I’ll make an exception for homages! Lol
Nice video!
Love your videos but this video title is horrible and dejecting.
loved it!
AP makes several amazing watches that are not Royal Oaks such as the ones in Code 11.59 collection but sadly that's overshadowed by the Royal Oaks. Guess it's good for us consumers in that we can still buy these amazing watches without having to worry about Grey market pricing.
11.59 hahahahahaha
AP is iconic overall….but the bracelet is why I purchased the watch! Hold and inspect one and you will understand the genius that went into this art. The mechanism I can get anywhere in the top three brands.
As for gold vs steel, any true watch connoisseur knows steel over gold any day…why tired yourself out wearing it!
price at the time of your purchase?
One of my grail watches.
One day....
Was waiting for this. Thank you
goals
Amazing
Bracelet is overrated. It pulls. My hairs. Great watch though. That chrono you showed has me interested!
I can't get past the fact the "automatic" lettering on the plain face isn't straight. Pause it at 1:13, look, then tell me it's level.
It's not level. Weird...
I think it’s a bit of an illusion, the light is reflecting off the top part of the raised section differently from left to right. Have a look at 1:26 when it’s vertical, it looks straight there.
EDIT: clearer shot at 1:35
It isn't straight and slided towards right about 0,5 mm
you're right; it's not level. And it's all the printed text too, by about the same degree. Guessing this one had a printing issue but it was within their own QC tolerances. Even at 1:35 you can see the discrepancy.
Annoyingly I can't post the pic because YT keeps deleting it, but if you count pixels when it's level, you can reasonably see the discrepancy. Or you can open the pic "v8dPKgu" at the big pic hosting site that sounds like "image-r"
(Modestly annoying that I had to type it out that way but I can understand it being an anti-spam control)
@@brrrrr9999 I did the same screen shots, I'm gonna go post over at Watchfinder on twitter
Brilliant story
Awesome Media as always.. Not sure if Articles and conventional press would be interesting so
The Royal Oak may very well be my White Wale.
That is one good looking watch 😍
Can someone tell me how the hex head screws on the bezel work. They aren’t actual screws right
@@IDKline thanks
A watch with history can’t be beaten when all new brands last 10 years go look at what we call provenance take note everyone buy the best not what ppl are buying to look good
What a story!
My Royal Oak is a great beater watch but for dressy occasions I prefer my JLC.
Great video, great insights as always! My only criticism is the background music being the same in every video.
AP= 97%Hype/3% value!!, it reminds me of a Who blow! , and that watch is all Hype!!.
You mean stamping a case from Steel and adding some plastic bits doesn't make a watch worth $10,000?
Tissot seastar. Or the tissot PRX 80 anyone? Love it more then an AP RO, design, affordability.