Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Chronograph Dubail Edition

ED209 · 2015-02-12T19:48:11Z

Explore the rare Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Chronograph Dubail Limited Edition. ED209 reviews its platinum bezel, unique PVD rotor, and Caliber 2385.

ED209

WPS member · Audemars Piguet forum

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ED209 shares an exclusive look at the Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Chronograph Dubail Limited Edition, a rare timepiece from his personal archives. This post offers a detailed examination of its unique features, including a platinum bezel and a PVD-coated rotor, providing valuable insights for collectors interested in special Royal Oak chronographs.

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Our AP forum has been very actively lately with all the special Royal Oak chronographs. I'd like to share a few pictures from my archives of a relatively rare piece, the Royal Oak Chronograph Dubail Limited Edition.

I was inspired by posting these pics from posts like the white gold Royal Oak Chronograph by our AP Moderator MichaelC: Please click here

And the rare prototype F1 Indianapolis 2000 by Koen S.: Please click here

And 'just because' by our esteemed PuristS Dr. Mao with the unique piece prototype Royal Oak Chronograph City of Sails. I still remember seeing this in person way back in 2008 during the PuristS-On-Tour visiting Piaget and Audemars Piguet in Switzerland. Please click here

Actually it was after the PuristS-On-Tour trip that I ventured over to the beautiful city of Paris, France for several days. We wandered around Paris and visited all the watch boutiques with several PuristS Moderators. At Place Vendome we were warmly welcomed by the staff at Dubail and they presented us this special Royal Oak Chronograph. It was produced in a limited edition of 50 pieces and back then there were only 2 available.

At first glance, it resembled a typical Royal Oak Chronograph. The bezel is made in platinum. Both the bezel and case has alternating brushed and polished surfaces. As MichaelC has mentioned in previous posts, unique details on the previous precious metal versions have square hour markers instead of the standard stick markers. I love the 'AP' logo at the 12 o'clock position. The subdials are very similar to the white gold version, and has red chronograph hands that matches well with the main sweep seconds hands. The dial is dark gray with the mega tapisserie pattern, and the subdials are black which make it easily readable with the contrasting red hands. The Dubail edition is paired with a black leather strap with matching red stitching and a stainless steel deployant buckle.

The other really interesting detail is viewed from the transparent caseback. The rotor is blacked PVD with the Dubail logo engraved on it. IMO it's a really cool feature and very unique. The movement is the Audemars Piguet caliber 2385 self-winding chronograph movement. The 2385 is 5.5mm thin and has a diameter of 26.20mm. It fits nicely in the Royal Oak case. Power reserve is rated at 40 hours. It has a screw down crown for manual winding and setting the time. There's also a rapid date set feature activated by the crown. Like other Royal Oak chronographs the pushers are also have screw down protectors for water resistance.
Besides the limited edition of 50 pieces, there were 5 pieces made that was covered in precious stones.

After our visit to Dubail, we also stopped by Chronopassion, which had another really cool special edition made for their store. It wasn't a Royal Oak Chronograph, but a Royal Oak Offshore model that was made in titanium with a sandblasted finish. The Chronopassion model had a special dark grey dial and looked great. More fun things to see there was a Royal Oak Offshore titanium bracelet. No watch just all bracelet links an the clasp which was really cool to see. I'll look for pics of these Offshores and will post in a separate thread.

Hope you enjoyed the pics.
Regards,
ED-209
This message has been edited by ED209 on 2015-02-13 17:27:11

Key Points from the Discussion

The Dubail edition's platinum bezel and case feature alternating brushed and polished surfaces, with square hour markers and an 'AP' logo at 12 o'clock, distinguishing it from standard models.
The watch features a dark gray 'mega tapisserie' dial with black subdials and contrasting red chronograph hands, ensuring excellent readability.
A unique detail is the transparent caseback revealing a PVD-coated rotor engraved with the Dubail logo, powered by the Audemars Piguet caliber 2385 self-winding chronograph movement.
The caliber 2385 movement is 5.5mm thin with a 26.20mm diameter, offering a 40-hour power reserve, screw-down crown for winding and rapid date set, and screw-down pushers for water resistance.
The Dubail Limited Edition was produced in 50 pieces, with an additional 5 pieces adorned with precious stones, making it a highly exclusive reference.
The date placement at 3 o'clock on some Royal Oak Chronographs, as opposed to the more common 4-5 o'clock position, creates a more balanced dial aesthetic.

The Discussion

emijar3

Feb 12, 2015

Wow nice watch!

Is it the only Royal Oak Chronograph with display case back? It looks really nice... Thanks ED!

ED209

Feb 13, 2015

Thanks, and the transparent caseback

Thanks emijar3. I'm not sure if it's the only ROC with a display case back. I wish more AP's had this. The rotor looks really nice with the black PVD. Regards, ED-209

emijar3

Feb 20, 2015

I wish too!!

I think the next step for AP is making a ROC with in house movement and displays case back... I think that would be a killer watch! (Rose gold, leather strap, in house movement =D ) Best Ed!

amanico

Feb 12, 2015

Yes, this is one I saw several times at the Dubail shop.

Wow, it has been a long time! Thanks for the nice article, Ed. Nicolas.

ED209

Feb 13, 2015

Can you believe this

Thanks Nicolas. It brings back very fond memories of our visit to Paris, and of course the awesome time that we first met you! :) Regards, ED-209

amanico

Feb 14, 2015

Yes, time flies... Time for another time. ;) [nt]