The Royal Oak, with its masculine octagonal case, exposed screws, and integrated bracelet is one of the most visually distinctive watches in the market today. It is imposing and recognizable, and in my opinion, easily one of the best statement watches money can buy. On top of this, with the current craze for integrated bracelet sports watches and many brands producing their own version, it was the Royal Oak that started it all.
People just could not accept that a pedestrian material such as steel could be priced so exorbitantly, and consequently, it was not very popular. It was only after some time that the public saw this as something genuinely original and avant-garde. Today, though, in line with the craze for high horology sports watches, the Royal Oak is an icon. As Audemars Piguet famously stated in its marketing ad from the ’70s: ‘Would you buy a Rembrandt for its canvas?’
Despite stainless steel being the iconic metal that started it all, Audemars Piguet also began producing versions of several precious metals. The example you see here is one such piece—an early Ref. 5402BA in 18-carat yellow gold. As desired and rare as its stainless steel counterpart, this particular watch is made even more special thanks to its stunning greyish-blue dial, which is adorned with an intricate petite tapisserie motif and applied diamond index markers. In short, this is a particularly rare variant of the Ref. 5402 and one that is in excellent overall condition.
Powered by the in-house, self-winding Audemars Piguet Cal. 2121—derived from the Cal. 2120 introduced in 1967—the movement features a 21-carat gold, bi-directional winding rotor and offers a 40-hour power reserve on a full wind.
What makes the Royal Oak in any form so alluring to many lies in the paradoxical nature of its existence. Beginning with how it was supposed to be a ‘sports’ watch but was priced as expensive as a gold dress watch, this Ref. 5402BA follows suit in that tradition with a supposed ‘sport’ watch being crafted in 18-carat gold and infused with diamond markers. Of course, it doesn’t make sense, but the joy and philosophies of collecting have never been so much about ‘sense’ as much as it has been about evoking an emotion within the wearer. With this highly collectable and supremely rare Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Ref. 5402BA, what you get is a piece of perhaps the most iconic watch model in the world in stunning condition.
