Audemars Piguet Beyond Royal Oak

pplater · 2012-08-11T19:10:33Z

Explore Audemars Piguet's 'non-royal' watches beyond the Royal Oak and Offshore. Discover Millenary, Star Wheels, and other AP masterpieces.

pplater

WPS member · Audemars Piguet forum

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Pplater initiates a discussion to highlight Audemars Piguet's diverse offerings beyond the ubiquitous Royal Oak and Royal Oak Offshore lines. This thread serves as a platform for collectors to share and appreciate the brand's 'non-royal' watches, fostering a broader appreciation for AP's horological artistry.

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The terrific photo of the 'pianoforte Millenary' by AucklandKiwi a few threads below is a wistful reminder that this is not the RO/ROO forum, but the AP forum.

Personally, it was a mild discomfort with the porthole case of the RO/ROO family which made it a slow and difficult process to come into the AP fold. Over time that discomfort has reduced considerably (as is so often the way), and in its place has risen an appreciation and respect for Mr Genta's then radical and ingenious design of the original RO. Even so, it is the "non royal" members of the house of AP which still sing the loudest; sadly, they seem to feature less and less frequently on the boards.

Would anyone mind, therefore, if we had a thread dedicated to all and any AP watches which are not of the RO or ROO family? Millinaries, Star Wheels, EoTs, QPs; if you have any, then a photo here would be much appreciated.

In order to 'pay the ferryman', here is a shot of the only AP in the watchbox - at the moment, anyway! ;-)

Cheers,

pplater.

Key Points from the Discussion

The perceived dominance of Royal Oak and Royal Oak Offshore models on forums is often due to market demand, as AP, like other commercial enterprises, produces models that sell well.
Some collectors argue that AP's frequent release of Limited Editions, particularly within the RO/ROO lines, can lead to 'fatigue' or a feeling of constant pursuit for the 'latest coolest' piece.
The existence of many Limited Editions can be seen as an 'amazing design laboratory' for AP, allowing designers to push boundaries and offer a rich variety of watches.
The 'non-royal' AP watches, such as Millenary, Star Wheels, and Equation of Time, are often considered 'stratospheric' and appeal to collectors who value discretion over 'show & tell'.
Amanico argues that AP, like other brands, is often unfairly 'summed' by its most popular model (Royal Oak), neglecting its other sublime productions, which is a marketing choice.
The thread's original intent was to celebrate the diversity of AP's creations beyond the Royal Oak, encouraging collectors to share photos of these less frequently seen models.

The Discussion

MichaelC

Aug 11, 2012

Even if the octagon still tends to dominate. It is understandable, but many of us also love the other lines.

pplater

Aug 11, 2012

...and for the lovely tribute to Maranello. Cheers, pplater.

Dino944

Aug 11, 2012

But I believe his watch would be a tribute to Bologna or Modena (which are the original and later homes of Maserati). Maranello is home to Ferrari. Great watches and a very nice idea to have a thread dedicated to the NON-RO/NON-ROO models. I look forward to seeing more photos. Best regards, Dino

MichaelC

Aug 11, 2012

Two of mine... the 4101, incredibly captured here by our own Fx: And the 2012 Gstaad Classic... I really like this one:

Sandgroper

Aug 11, 2012

That's a beauty Pplater, I really love the Jules ligne and this one in particular. Cheers from rainy and cold Perth. Francois

amanico

Aug 11, 2012

But I do agree with you that summing a brand to one watch is exasperating. So many nice watches exist, beside the Royal Oak. And so many Royal Oak are not that interesting, at least from my point of view. While in the haute horlogerie, there are some monsters ( in the good meaning of the word, to avoid any confusion ) at AP. Yours is one of them. Some skeleton Perpetual Calendars are another nice example. The Millenary Starwheel is another one, too. Aaah, I am just sharing my wish list, here...

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