Audemars Piguet Royal Oak 50 Years
March 28, 2023Well, folks. Here it is. The formation of a new canon.
The list you see here was compiled – after great deliberation – by the editors and staffers of Hodinkee to demonstrate how we view watch collecting today.
Of all the timepieces currently in production, these are the 40 we think matter most. The ones we’d buy ourselves or recommend to our friends.
They’re watches that stand for something or represent a certain superlative – for instance, the best chronograph. The most coveted design piece. The most badass diver. The strongest value proposition.
The https://www.bestbuycheap.ru 40 recognizes modern classics at every price point, as well as innovations that continue to push the industry forward. Prices start at $50 and go all the way up to $1 million. From quartz movements to mechanical wonders to the undisputed top-of-the-line smartwatch, our selections represent the breadth of contemporary collecting.
The only limitations we placed on ourselves when making the list were that: (1) every watch is currently in production, and (2) none are a numbered limited edition. With these restrictions we had to exclude a number of our favorites, but we wanted the list to be useful – watches that are actually on the market, right now. Sure, some are hard to get. But every one is worth knowing about.
We plan to update this list once or twice a year, as new releases blow our minds. That way it’s a living document – you can bookmark it or share it, and know it’s always up to speed with our evolving tastes and the vagaries of the market.
One more thing: You’ll notice this list is in alphabetical order. That’s because we want your help ranking the Hodinkee 40. There’s a poll at the end of this article. Please vote. In April, we’ll reveal the results and crown the people’s champ.
Nowadays, you can find countless variations of the Audemars Piguet Royal Oak. In 1972, there was only one: the “Jumbo.” Today, it’s still the most important Royal Oak, if not the most important sport watch, full stop. In 2022, Audemars Piguet updated and improved the Royal Oak Jumbo for its 50th anniversary, introducing the 16202. The reference didn’t bring dramatic changes, but when we’re talking about the Royal Oak that’s not what we want anyway. AP added a new, modern caliber with the specs we’ve come to expect from a sport watch, but kept the external dimensions the exact same. If you were pressed to choose only one modern AP, this is still the one.
Audemars Piguet sure knows how to deliver on the unisex watch front. When this 34mm black ceramic watch was released back in the summer of 2021, it changed the game for all genders. Finally, a watch that was thoroughly modern in execution, yet conveniently sized for all of us who prefer things on the smaller side – a compact, jet-black, all-ceramic watch, complete with the elegantly slim caliber 5800, supplied by Vaucher. Let’s hear it for form AND function. If it weren’t a limited edition, the Carolina Bucci limited edition – another 34mm black ceramic Royal Oak, but with a subtle rainbow dial, might’ve been on this list. Every female collector I know is completely enamored with it.