Watchmaking Secret Audemars Piguet Doesn’t Want the Public to Know

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
Shop now for Audemars Piguet watches:
www.watchfinder.co.uk/Audemar...
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[@watchfinder]

We know you want more watches…. click here: linktr.ee/watchfinder

[@slick4401]

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.

[@hibakihiey6055]

royal oak designs sucks alot

[@coffeeisgood102]

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.

[@jimmyjay122]

@@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…

[@andrewallen9993]

Yeah, when a two dollar SOKU Chinese quartz watch is more accurate than the most expensive Rolex...........

[@bozartg]

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.

[@freddelarsson4434]

Subbed for probably 3 years now to this channel, the quality of these videos never get's old.

[@jrwong23]

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.

[@khurramsoomro1079]

This is the best KZbin channel about watches. Bravo!

[@dadisurfer]

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

[@fenepi]

Looking forward to the Omega videos next week, Patek the week after, and then Rolex to wrap things up.

[@nrmanzanares]

Very good information and production, really the best Thank too!

[@rodrigogutierrezreyes4702]

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

[@jacobcoddington9013]

Amazing eye opener! Thanks!

[@JamesAlexander14]

Great informative video. Many thanks.

[@jimmyjones9780]

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 ....

[@benjymerida2028]

thank you for these Wonderful videos :)

[@tomasztyszkiewicz6451]

Keep up the good work. Love your vids.

[@styx4947]

Love the series on deep dives. Good shit

[@mattys1467]

Great history of an iconic watch. Thank you

[@vanillacoffee]

Your chat with Scottish Watches was excellent. Cheers.

[@sasaniris]

Nice video. Thank you.

[@smart4141]

Thank you for the detailed story of AP

[@watchreviews4k]

Interesting review. Enjoyed it. Keep up the good work on your channel. Regards, #WR4K

[@ingra888]

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!

[@msbrownbeast]

AP was always part of the big three holy trinity, even before the 1970s

[@MrVoayer]

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 !

[@vadimdon]

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 🤩

[@chubbymonkey6604]

What is Simon without Garfunkel? Wildly successful

[@plantex625]

Yeah this. I love S&G but Graceland is one of the best albums of all time

[@mahmudulislamkhan]

Always fun to see the legend.... soothing to the eye

[@chrisjones6439]

Still the best channel on KZbin. BTW Andrew, loved you on the SW podcast 👍

[@GabrielX84]

Love the video and I have totally fallen hard for the Royal Oak. What a great story!

[@arpitashejwalkar2541]

Congratulations for 700k subs

[@oxysoxos]

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.

[@misteratoz]

The Jules Audemars pieces are gorgeous as are the the code 11:59 (some of them)

[@user-rx9ny4yo2e]

I'm no longer abble to find the jules audemars colection on their website. Was it discontinued?

[@tobiensam]

Great video 👍🏻👍🏻

[@aliparvizi4490]

more content on grand seiko and king seiko would be great !

[@cd1934]

Grand Seiko =100%

[@michaelg8258]

Great video. Informative, and even suspensful. Movie-length version on the historical arc of watch technology, please. I'm thinking Netflix documentary.

[@TheKillWizard]

Great information

[@morten170]

Great video👍

[@alistairg6770]

Love your videos...

[@paulhiggins8774]

That was fascinating 👍

[@matteodifra]

loved it!

[@danysaliby9951]

Nice video!

[@alpenkk]

Well done guys 😀

[@andrewlawson3694]

Gonna be a great series I'm hooked articles as well. thanks for taking the time. regards Andrew

[@j.pendergrass9805]

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.

[@rayleeaustralia]

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.

[@bartglover22]

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.

[@bigsarge2085]

Amazing

[@michaelraven8764]

Lovely Pentax MX there too

[@paulsueb]

Was waiting for this. Thank you

[@DouglasRosser]

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?

[@VGMO17]

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

[@timewave02012]

Watchfinder is a subsidiary of Richemont who also own ALS, JLC, VC, Cartier, and a bunch of other major brands.

[@sgddfgfghfgh]

@@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

[@xMamoo2011]

@@sgddfgfghfgh jesus the pretentiousness

[@sgddfgfghfgh]

@@xMamoo2011 jesus, the poverty

[@lindokuhlezuma1791]

I loved this story ❤

[@dickydarmali7861]

Love the AP RO. Luckily, bought it before the price boom

[@ryantan5963]

Beautiful story telling, I love the royal oak design language...too bad I cannot afford it.

[@pignosis354]

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

[@Aalqalam]

goals

[@mk5354]

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 #?

[@jamz113]

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.

[@scottlalonde2878]

Entertaining and informative, thank you Mr. Talking Hands (can we say your name now?)

[@rhodes1591]

Interesting. But we got used to that. We are a little spoiled here. Thank you, for that. 🙏🏻

[@fjrrz]

Can you make a video about the Vacheron Constantin Overseas 47040 compared with the Patek Philippe Nautilus 5711 please? Thank you

[@quinnsearle9977]

You're the best there is... but that Simon without Garfunkel line? Paul Simon's solo career is undoubtedly his best work

[@nakibsayyed4999]

Audemar Piguet Royal Oak is one of my all time favourite, glad to hear the history and significance it has in the watch industry.

[@davidb5720]

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

[@BobbyDazzler888]

Heritage

[@Kr0nicridah]

I own watches from both brands and there is no comparison. The quality that AP offers is head and shoulders above JLC’s

[@jamesrobert4106]

JLC deserve their own pedestal above ALL the other brands for their contributions to watchmaking.

[@InTimeMiami]

⁠@@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.

[@InTimeMiami]

@@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.

[@leftsidem5030]

Brilliant story

[@fphuebscher]

Keep on teaching us, you do it well...

[@Vermontguy87]

That is one good looking watch 😍

[@rfhsrzh2064]

the Royal Oak is probably my favorite watch look wise

[@amrsalem7143]

What a story!

[@saymyname218]

I respect the Royal Oak but i've never really liked the look of them.

[@Han-Sensei]

Hey, why dont you do a review on Memorigin watches?, i believe they have the most spectacular design for their price

[@spankyharland9845]

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.

[@stevelufc64]

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

[@majormickey9806]

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.

[@Alejandro388]

me being p*ss poor, this particular video made me appreciate luxury watches like never before! Thank you!

[@desmostradale]

what happened too the Audio :/

[@essential328]

Awesome Media as always.. Not sure if Articles and conventional press would be interesting so

[@falkenvir]

What is the use of the slotted profile of the screw? The screw is already locked by the Nut shaped hole?

[@deimos871102]

Tissot seastar. Or the tissot PRX 80 anyone? Love it more then an AP RO, design, affordability.

[@A_Dude_And_His_Watch78]

My Royal Oak is a great beater watch but for dressy occasions I prefer my JLC.

[@markstarmer3677]

One of my grail watches. One day....

[@markdevera2342]

Who would've thought "hex head" flat screws would be such a BIG HIT! =0

[@michaelmallal9101]

I love AP.

[@lewisham]

Paul Simon had a pretty good solo career though.

[@ahunter113]

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

[@manavpandey1175]

Classsssss

[@vladadesigns8476]

Royal Oak - Fukin' prettiest wrist watch in the world ever, ever made.

[@SirWilliamTambourine]

The Royal Oak looks like a tiny manhole

[@dadisurfer]

😂 funny perspective

[@jabezh]

You should look up where Genta got his inspiration from. I think it was from a manhole or porthole

[@SirWilliamTambourine]

@@jabezh What??? Are you serious??? Thank you man I had no idea i will check it out

[@leftsidem5030]

Pervert 😂😂

[@SirWilliamTambourine]

@@leftsidem5030 that's not what a manhole is

[@BrittPearceWatches]

How gorgeous is the Royal Oak?! Man! If I could ever add one of these to my collection. 💀❤️

[@Befree9]

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

[@MTbone7]

AP is a great brand. Of course you need a lot more than Rolex money to enjoy

[@msbrownbeast]

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.

[@enzofudo7872]

i like it

[@nav_pk]

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.

[@sebastianmehren7711]

11.59 hahahahahaha

[@AlwaysBolttheBird]

Can someone tell me how the hex head screws on the bezel work. They aren’t actual screws right

[@AlwaysBolttheBird]

@@IDKline thanks

[@contaygious]

Bracelet is overrated. It pulls. My hairs. Great watch though. That chrono you showed has me interested!

[@veyuslavic2590]

The Royal Oak may very well be my White Wale.

[@johnJohn-xy3eb]

Outstanding… I absolutely love these videos. Not only do I educate myself on the brands I love, just hearing the human stories behind what made or broke these manufacturers is just so interesting. Plus it in some small way helps me justify why I pluck down so much money on these items Would love to sell the story behind VC or Zenith

[@u.d.7543]

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.

[@machtschnell7452]

The bezel is cute but too thickly wrought.

[@ryancarnes3164]

Amazing video. So much history and insight. However my good sir this is also a great addition to your resume when you are applying yourself to get a Royal Oak 😂

[@jonidreas]

Great video, great insights as always! My only criticism is the background music being the same in every video.

[@richmondwatches2514]

Super Video Freundliche Grüsse Richmond Watchtes

[@wohltemper]

I’ve got the subtitles on and this video is about watches by Odomapi Gay.

[@cd1934]

AP= 97%Hype/3% value!!, it reminds me of a Who blow! , and that watch is all Hype!!.

[@chriscraft999]

You mean stamping a case from Steel and adding some plastic bits doesn't make a watch worth $10,000?

[@kamelhendash3912]

"V" for vendetta

[@anthonychan6486]

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!

[@humblewiz4953]

price at the time of your purchase?

[@andreizamfira]

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...