Audemars Piguet

Friends,

As promised, see below some better pics of the 15407ST I received a few days ago after a multi-year wait, as well as an initial review.

Design:

This is my first RO, so I'll talk a bit about the overall model. The design is very angular and sharp, however, still surprising comfortable to wear. I would say that it's a bit harsher than the Nautilus (I own the 5990), almost as if Genta did the RO as the ebauche and the Nautilus as the final product... However, some may argue that the Nautilus is a bit softer. In my mind, they both have their merits, but I think the Nautilus is slightly more elegant while the RO has a tougher, more industrial design look. The size is great at 41mm, which is around my sweet spot. You can see it on the wrist (I have an average sized wrist) below:

One can certainly not argue that this is a discreet watch. As a matter of fact, it's a bit flashy. This, I believe is caused by the combination of a very shiny treatment of the steel on the bezel, inner bezel and bracelet, with the openwork and the gold parts. It's not too outrageous, but it's still somewhat more aggressive than what I'm used to wear. This my collection below for reference:

From top left to bottom right: Lange Triple Split, Patek 5270P, IWC Portugieser Perpetual Calendar 75th Anniversary, Lange 1 Time Zone in Platinum, Patek 5990/1A, the RO, Vacheron Quai de l'Ile, Panerai Luminor Monopulsante 8 Days GMT PAM317, and Blancpain Fifty Fathom Ocean Commitment I. 

Movement:

What is certainly most striking is the quality of the finish of the openwork. It is simply outstanding! The skeletonized bridges display several gorgeous inward angles, polished to perfection. The contrast in color is also quite amazing with at least four different metal treatments that range from almost black around the mainspring, to silver, through a gun metal grey for the main bridge.The gold hands, balance wheel, balance wheel bridge, going train, oscillating weight, and markers finish the overall look of the watch. See some close ups below:

For once, the front side is more interesting the back side .

Final thoughts:

I really like this watch. It's a true pleasure to look at the time and I noticed I tend to do it very often in the course of the day . I'm quickly getting used to both it's outsized personality and the rather industrial design look of the RO. My one, small, nagging criticism is the small movement compared to the size of the watch when viewed from the back. It looks a bit lost in there... It's not a big issue as the view from the front is spectacular indeed. I hope you will enjoy the pictures. Bets, David

More posts: 8 Days GMTLange 1LuminorLuminor 1950nautilusOpenworkedPAM317Royal Oak

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