By Jovan Krstevski
I bet you can’t wait for this one but if you have been following Audemars Piguet, the cat is out of the box for another big play. This year Audemars Piguet comes back armed with huge surprise for the bidders in the upcoming charity auction. They were not around during the 2013 and 2015 Only Watch editions for reasons unknown. However, the long wait is over, thanks to this notable auction with the sole purpose of funding the research of Duchenne muscular dystrophy, Audemars Piguet comes bearing a certain game changer for horology fans.
The watch in question is of course the Royal Oak which comes with plenty of notable modifications. Note that this is based on an already known watch introduced at the SIHH 2017 so familiar elements should be expected. Moving on, AP has updated the watch with new features like a perpetual calendar addition to the Royal Oak. They even go so far as revamping its aesthetics and of course a useful complication of an additional week indication. It is true that the Royal Oak has seen a few changes in such a short time and mind you, it is heavy to keep up as the watch is already very impressive originally. Fortunately, if you cannot acquire one for the sole purpose of supporting the charitable cause, well the revamped edition is also offered in the regular production line albeit with a black dial and not the unique blue-dial edition exclusive only for the Only Watch 2017 edition.
Besides the revamped dial looks, the 41 mm by 9.5 mm black ceramic case looks aloof for dressy occasions and for sporty times too. I had doubts with the black ceramic material before but I’m proven wrong and this watch nails it completely. The glare proof sapphire crystals also enhances this matte finish which is very common these days. The same material extends all the way to the bracelet which is really cool making this Royal Oak a very noteworthy investment.
I think you will agree with me that the real grandeur of this unique Royal Oak lies on its watch face. The blue dial is unique to the watch and mated with black theme, it simply stands out. AP is kind enough to keep the traditional hand-guilloche “grande tapisserie” pattern on the dial which is resonating the entire look of the watch from the case, bracelet to the superb time presentation. The sub-counters are perfectly in stark contrast with the polished grey accents – it is simply mesmerizing. The orange-tinted photo-realistic moon is also unique to the Royal Oak Perpetual Calendar Black Ceramic for the auction.
Powering the watch is the calibre 5134 with notable ultra-thin automatic perpetual calendar movement based on the iconic calibre 2120 that can be found on the original 1972 Royal Oak. It beats at 19’800 vibrations/h and cranks 40 hours of power reserve, impressive for this caliber.
Finally, the Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Perpetual Calendar Black Ceramic for Only Watch 2017 is estimated to fetch somewhere between CHF 80,000 and 120,000 or probably exceed these numbers.
