The 11 Best Audemars Piguet Watches — And Not All Of Them Are Royal Oaks

Among watch collectors, there exists a “Holy Trinity” of vaunted Swiss watch makers whose sports models represent the pinnacle of desirability, collectability, and wearability: Patek Philippe, Vacheron Constantin, and Audemars Piguet.

Of the three brands, Audemars Piguet is, undoubtedly, the most avant-garde, pushing the limits of innovation and collaboration to win over adoring fans.

RELATED: Collector’s Corner — Meet Mateo Rossi, Le Paris Watch Club

Between its alignments with public figures like Mark Ronson to its polarising work within the Marvel Cinematic Universe, any seasoned watch enthusiast will tell you that the makers of the beloved Royal Oak have never been afraid to drum up publicity.

None of this should distract from the fact that since its establishment, over a century ago, Audemars Piguet has continuously crafted some of the luxury watch industry’s most sophisticated and desirable timepieces.

It’s no mean feat, but we’ve managed to single out 11 of our favourites below.

BH Approved : Our Favourite AP Watch In 2024

Probably the AP watch which has elicited the most applause in the B.H. office in 2024 is this Royal Oak perpetual calendar, with a beguiling blue dial and solid-gold construction. And that’s before one factors in the John Mayer connection.

Inspired by the brand’s ultra-thin calendar watches of the late 80s and early 90s, this Sob Rock approved Royal Oak is decidedly cutting-edge on the technology front. The dial’s celestial effect is achieved using a repetitive embossing technique, paired alongside an automatic movement and calendar interface which are perfectly calibrated for the modern era.

One minor detail: Audemars Piguet has only made 200 of these globally. And, unless you happen to have the brand’s new CEO on speed dial (as Mayer surely does) expect to pay upwards of $450,000 on the secondary market. “Limited edition” doesn’t even begin to describe it.

All The Audemars Piguet Watches Worth Splurging On In 2024

Royal Oak Frosted Gold Self-Winding

SPECIFICATIONS

• Case Diameter: 37mm
• Case Thickness: 9.1mm
• Case Material: 18K yellow gold
• Bezel Material: 18K yellow gold
• Bracelet/Strap Material: 18K yellow gold
• Dial Colour: “Smoked yellow”
• Water Resistance: 50m
• Movement: Calibre 5900
• Power Reserve: 60 hours

Part of the Goldilocks-esque range of Ref. 15550 watches — noted for its excellent proportions and wide scope of wearability — this Royal Oak can be distinguished from its other precious metal counterparts by the use of a “frosted gold” finish.

This technique was first introduced into the canon of Audemars Piguet watches back in 2016 by Florentine jeweller Carolina Bucci; and here, is combined with a warm gradient-effect dial that stops the whole watch from tipping into Bling Empire territory.

Code 11.59 By Audemars Piguet Self-Winding

SPECIFICATIONS

• Case Diameter: 41mm
• Case Thickness: 10.7mm
• Case Material: Stainless steel
• Bezel Material: Stainless steel
• Bracelet/Strap Material: Rubber-coated fabric
• Dial Colour: “Bleu nuit, Nuage 50”
• Water Resistance: 30m
• Movement: Calibre 4302
• Power Reserve: 70 hours

A far cry from the polarising and somewhat nebulous design that it first began life as back in 2019, the current generation of Code 11.59 is (blessedly) also Audemars Piguet’s strongest yet.

Despite the application of stamped guilloché, this simple time-and-date model improves upon everything already distinctive about the Code design: whilst doing so in a timeless navy blue colour way.

On a rubber-coated ballistic strap, think of it as the perfect counterpoint to the glut of conventional integrated bracelet watches currently on the market.

Royal Oak Perpetual Calendar Openworked ‘Cactus Jack’

SPECIFICATIONS

• Case Diameter: 41mm
• Case Thickness: 9.9mm
• Case Material: Brown ceramic
• Bezel Material: Brown ceramic
• Bracelet/Strap Material: Brown calfskin
• Dial Colour: N/A
• Water Resistance: 20m
• Movement: Calibre 5135
• Power Reserve: 40 hours

If you thought John Mayer was the only musical artist to make it big in Le Brassus, think again. Last year, Audemars Piguet partnered with rapper Travis Scott for the release of ‘Cactus Jack’: yet another run of limited-edition Royal Oaks, marrying the former’s fashion-forward aesthetic with the best in technical watchmaking.

Crafted in brown ceramic — a first for the brand — this particular perpetual calendar also sports serif-free typefaces and a transparent sapphire dial. The result is an AP watch which offers a completely different proposition (technically and aesthetically) to almost every other perpetual calendar in the Royal Oak collection.

Royal Oak Concept Flying Tourbillon GMT

SPECIFICATIONS

• Case Diameter: 44mm
• Case Thickness: 16.1mm
• Case Material: Titanium
• Bezel Material: Titanium
• Bracelet/Strap Material: Burgundy rubber
• Dial Colour: Bordeaux
• Water Resistance: 100m
• Movement: Calibre 2954
• Power Reserve: 237 hours

Part of Audemars Piguet’s R&D-focused Concept collection (think Richard Mille and you’re on the right track) this special edition Royal Oak utilises 44mm of titanium to house a GMT and tourbillon — arguably watchmaking’s most (and least) practical complication.

Configured with a chronograph-style pusher at 4 o’clock, wearers are able to rapidly set the hour in a secondary time zone, without disturbing the tornado-like motion of the tourbillon.

You’d be forgiven for thinking such complexity would come at the cost of performance; but, even more impressively, this Concept timepiece is lightweight, swim-proof, and to all practical intents, indestructible.

Royal Oak Double Balance Wheel Openworked

SPECIFICATIONS

• Case Diameter: 41mm
• Case Thickness: 9.7mm
• Case Material: Black ceramic
• Bezel Material: Black ceramic
• Bracelet/Strap Material: Black ceramic
• Dial Colour: N/A
• Water Resistance: 50m
• Movement: Calibre 3132
• Power Reserve: 45 hours

Despite the push by Rolex fans to rechristen the brand’s new grey/black GMT the ‘Bruce Wayne’; in our ideal universe, Gotham’s prodigal son almost certainly wears an AP watch. Enter the Ref. 15416 — a marvel of ceramic engineering, equipped with the brand’s patented double balance wheel technology.

A favourite of weapons-grade watch collectors since its introduction in 2020, this Waynetech-worthy Royal Oak sports a case and bracelet machined in AP’s signature, satin-polished ceramic.

On the dial, wearers are treated to a (frankly) lavish quantity of hand-finishing: further highlighted by clever placement of shock-absorbing rubies and the layout of the gear train. Plus, the gear train (plated in pink gold on one side) kind of looks like the bat symbol.

Royal Oak Offshore Diver

SPECIFICATIONS

• Case Diameter: 42mm
• Case Thickness: 14.2mm
• Case Material: Stainless steel
• Bezel Material: Stainless steel
• Bracelet/Strap Material: Grey rubber
• Dial Colour: Grey
• Water Resistance: 300m
• Movement: Calibre 4308
• Power Reserve: 60 hours

Technically a sub-line within the broader, chronograph-focused Offshore collection, the only ‘diving’ we can imagine one doing while wearing this Royal Oak reference is off the stern of a 75-metre superyacht.

Still, as a platform for Audemars Piguet’s current-gen Calibre 4308, the Offshore Diver is as stylish as they come: incorporating a high-precision movement that’s waterproof to 300m — more than sufficient for your average recreational dive.

More importantly, this is one of the first Audemars Piguet watches to be equipped with a quick-change system. Point in fact: AP is so chuffed with this feature that it currently issues the entire 42mm Offshore diver lineup with two different rubber straps as standard. About time.

Royal Oak Self-Winding

SPECIFICATIONS

• Case Diameter: 37mm
• Case Thickness: 9.1mm
• Case Material: Stainless steel
• Bezel Material: Stainless steel
• Bracelet/Strap Material: Stainless steel
• Dial Colour: Light blue
• Water Resistance: 50m
• Movement: Calibre 5900
• Power Reserve: 60 hours

The closest approximation on this list to the legendary Royal Oak ‘Jumbo’, this Ref. 15550 pares one of the most consequential sports watch designs of the 20th century right back to essentials.

With the exception of a date window, this model follows closely in the mould of the classic Royal Oak: a good thing indeed if you’re in the market for a superlative steel sports watch that will stand the test of time.

The Calibre 5900 movement is as handsome as it is practical; the 37mm diameter is genderless; and AP’s beloved tapisserie dial shows up fantastically in light ice-blue.

Code 11.59 By Audemars Piguet Minute Repeater Supersonnerie

SPECIFICATIONS

• Case Diameter: 41mm
• Case Thickness: 13.6mm
• Case Material: 18K pink gold
• Bezel Material: 18K pink gold
• Bracelet/Strap Material: Rubber-coated fabric
• Dial Colour: Smoked sapphire
• Water Resistance: 20m
• Movement: Calibre 2953
• Power Reserve: 72 hours

The avant-garde origins of the Code 11.59 push the collection towards complicated movements (as watch lovers saw last year with the launch of the RD#4). For the latest iteration of its proprietary ‘Supersonnerie’ technology, AP elected to use it as sounding board. Quite literally.

A chiming watch that is loud both on and off the wrist, this particular Code 11.59 model is fitted with a smoked sapphire dial: allowing wearers to better see (and indeed hear) the minute repeater lying just beneath.

Royal Oak Self-Winding Chronograph

SPECIFICATIONS

• Case Diameter: 41mm
• Case Thickness: 12.4mm
• Case Material: Stainless steel
• Bezel Material: Stainless steel
• Dial Colour: Khaki green
• Water Resistance: 50m
• Movement: Calibre 4401
• Power Reserve: 70 hours

Among a very specific group of watch nerds, this Royal Oak chronograph’s inclusion of the dreaded date window at 4:30 might be a deal breaker. For everybody else, the Ref. 26240 will prove desirable and then some. Like Eames ottomans or the humble cheeseburger, this watch’s appeal is essentially self-explanatory.

Produced in a range of conventional shades, our favourite execution is this khaki-on-steel version. The green dial’s silvered cast works well with the famously pristine Royal Oak case and bracelet.

Add to that an in-house flyback movement — described by other watchmakers as “aesthetically balance and well thought-through” — and you’ve got yourself the makings of a chronograph that’s best-in-class.

[Re]Master02 Self-Winding

SPECIFICATIONS

• Case Diameter: 41mm
• Case Thickness: 12.4mm
• Case Material: Stainless steel
• Bezel Material: Stainless steel
• Dial Colour: Khaki green
• Water Resistance: 50m
• Movement: Calibre 4401
• Power Reserve: 70 hours

Easily one of the most radical looking Audemars Piguet watches on our shortlist, the [Re]Master02 is the brand’s latest foray into “contemporary remastering” of its rarest, most historically significant watches.

Far from the bicompax chronographs and teensy gold dress watches you’d expect to be the stuff of modern re-issue, this watch reimagines the brutalist silhouette of the Ref. 5159 — a watch that AP originally introduced in 1960. While its predecessor’s angular spacecraft-like frame remains intact, the [Re]Master02 manages to sneak in a few technical upgrades.

That’s most noticeable on the material front: where the watch was traditionally cased in yellow gold, it has been imagined this time in ‘sand gold’. Ostensibly tougher and more colour-fast than traditional precious metals, it’s a great way to get some modern variables into the equation.

If you’ve enjoyed this round-up of the best AP watches, here are a few more of our favourite horological stories to keep you reading:

• Anoma’s A1 Is One Of The Coolest Affordable Watches Of The Year
• 5 Vintage Rolex Watches Worth Your Time And Investment
• Into The Reef With Blancpain’s First Fully Ceramic Fifty Fathoms
• The 9 Best Vacheron Constantin Watches To Buy In 2024