Comments:
Needless to say, the pink gold really contrasts well with the grey colored movement, which AP refers to as having a "galvanic anthracite treatment". The famous Royal Oak case becomes a wonderful frame for a very artistic movement.
And in turn, the openworked center provides additional emphasis on the octagonal case.
From the side, you can really discern the flowing form of the grey "dial" area, which sits level with the outer time ring.
We do not see through this watch as much as some other openworked pieces. This attribute is significant, and I'll come back to it shortly. The date disc is transparent, and rotates through the window at 3:00 for reading.
The movement is the Calibre 5122, a skeletonized version of the famous Calibre 2121. The movement thickness is a mere 3.05mm!
The gold rotor is the same as used on the current 15202 Royal Oak Extra-Thin.
On the wrist... wow, what can be said? This watch is amazing.
Royal Oak Openworked Extra-Thin pink gold
One of Audemars Piguet's newest watches from SIHH 2014 that we have not discussed much is the Royal Oak Openworked Extra-Thin in 18-carat pink gold. I was fortunate enough to handle this new Royal Oak recently and it is astounding. Let's have a closer look at this watch, AP reference number 15204OR.OO.1240OR.01.
You will recall of course that 2012 marked the 40th anniversary of the iconic Royal Oak. To commemorate the significant event, AP launched a few special editions in addition to the other "new" Royal Oaks that we are now accustomed to. One of those limited versions was a 40 piece platinum cased openworked watch. Here is a great photo of that piece from Fx:
In January of this year, Audemars Piguet launched an unlimited version with the same openworked movement in an 18-carat pink gold case. Of course, we can anticipate that this watch will be made in extremely small quantities, so while technically not capped at a certain number, I expect it will remain rare.
Needless to say, the pink gold really contrasts well with the grey colored movement, which AP refers to as having a "galvanic anthracite treatment". The famous Royal Oak case becomes a wonderful frame for a very artistic movement.
And in turn, the openworked center provides additional emphasis on the octagonal case.
From the side, you can really discern the flowing form of the grey "dial" area, which sits level with the outer time ring.
We do not see through this watch as much as some other openworked pieces. This attribute is significant, and I'll come back to it shortly. The date disc is transparent, and rotates through the window at 3:00 for reading.
The movement is the Calibre 5122, a skeletonized version of the famous Calibre 2121. The movement thickness is a mere 3.05mm!
The gold rotor is the same as used on the current 15202 Royal Oak Extra-Thin.
On the wrist... wow, what can be said? This watch is amazing.
I am a very big fan of the popular Royal Oak 15305 Openworked watch, but I have always had one hesitation about it. That watch is quite a bit more open than this extra-thin version, and consequently you see through to the wrist more. Many will not have an issue with this trait, but personally, I like to look at my watch and not through it. So the opaque quality of this reference 15204 suits my tastes much more. Also, the openworked design is a bit more contemporary and less industrial than the 15305.
Of course, this is a very expensive timepiece. But I really feel it is worth it. My visit to the boutique was primarily related to reporting on the 42mm Royal Oak Offshore collection, which we have done extensively. But the single AP that stole my heart during my time was this exceptional Royal Oak. Previously, I would not have considered wearing a colored gold bracelet watch. The 18-carat pink gold Openworked Extra-Thin has fully changed my mind, and if I can ever afford it, I will own this watch.
Great Review and Pics..
Like yourself I also love this watch, its so elegant and well finished.
S
I stil have the stainless steel former model, and prefer its 40 mm case.
But I agree that a skeleton Royal Oak is something to see!
Thanks for the nice report, my friend.
Best,
Nicolas
Part of what is so alluring to me
is the openworked movement inside the case I am so familiar with.
Yes, I listed this above in my reply.
For a moment I thought I accidentally listed it as 40mm.
Thanks, Nicolas.
i have to agree with Nico...
...but date wheel is really something!
awesome watch.
best, chris
Thoughts on AP skeleton watches...
Being a previous owner of the 15305 ,current owner of the qp skeleton and great admirer of ap openwork/ skeleton watches,I must say that I admire the diversity of each reference.
In this case the platinum version did not capture me much,I found for once, that the 3120 movement was superior than the 2121 when treated as a skeleton caliber.
I really liked the open spaces of the 15305 ,not so much the density of the 2121 movement.
But.... This rose gold version is awesome, I really like it, I was always tempted by a rg ro,as a guilty pleasure,an overstatement ....I considered the 15202 in rg....something voluptuous about a rg ro...
I own a skeletonised version of the 2120 caliber,skeletonised in a very"classical " manner,very flourish ....event with a module on top it's hard to beat...and suits the super clean design of the ro so well...
In this case the openwork display is in a more modern interpretation,very close to the one of the 15305(why do you see it more traditional?)
I am looking forward to seeing it live sometimes soon.
Thanks in the meantime for the sublime pictures..
Mo
This message has been edited by moc on 2014-06-09 15:35:09 This message has been edited by moc on 2014-06-09 15:36:33
Appreciate your input Mo.
You state it correctly, the skeletal 2121 is much more dense than the 3120. In this regard, "openworked" probably applies better to the 15305.
And that is what I prefer about the 2121 - it is more opaque and not see through. I do see its shapes as more contemporary than those on the 15305. That one also captures more depth; I used the word industrial to describe its appearance overall. Still very nice, I just prefer the look of the skeletal 2121.
Nothing better than a RG Royal Oak with the awesome AP bracelet.
The openworked adds a bit more intrigue, just more going on than the 15202.
Thanks for the review MichaelC.
JerryW
This message has been edited by JerryW on 2014-06-09 21:35:55
My pleasure to share.
I was fortunate enough to see it in person and wanted to share my thoughts with everyone here.
Wonderful sharing, Michael...
"and if I can ever afford it, I will own this watch."
My exact sentiment 
Thanks for this post!
Hi Wayne, thanks for checking out the article.
Perhaps you have seen it in person as well, definitely a special watch.
Hope all is well your way Friend.
Great review and pics
Great review and pics of the openworked extra-thin. Looks great in pink gold. You bring up an interesting point about the skeletonized work and how it is not as see-through as other versions. I can't wait to see this one hopefully soon.
Regards,
ED-209
Regards,
ED-209
It might be a minor detail for most.
But for me, I prefer not to see much of my wrist through the watch.
Thanks for reading the article ED209!