Replica Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Extra Flat Yellow Gold 39mm ref 15202, the review
An intuition and the hand of Gerald Gènta
Let’s take a step back in time. The year was 1972, the Italian market was the reference market in Europe, the one that dictated its fashions and, precisely from a request from our market, Replica Audemars Piguet Royal Oak reference 5402 was born, the first true luxury sports watch: 39mm in diameter, octagonal bezel and satin finishes, designed by the hand of a brilliant designer, Gerald Gènta. Five years later, the Royal Oak was presented for the first time with a case made entirely of yellow gold.
Together with the Rolex Oyster, it is by far the most loved sport by Italians
Forty years later, the original Royal Oak has been revived by the brand, just as yellow gold has returned, after years of “oblivion”, to fashion: last year, for example, the Le Brassus manufacture presented the splendid Royal Oak 41mm in steel and yellow gold, a very popular mix in the 80s.
In 2024 to celebrate the birthday of the original version, Audemars Piguet has revived a Royal Oak Extra Flat faithful to the 1972 version, a limited edition to celebrate the first 40 years of what enthusiasts affectionately call “Jumbo”. In 2017 the anniversary of the first Royal Oak in gold was celebrated and Audemars Piguet presented in Geneva two new versions in yellow gold which complete a collection which already includes an Extra Flat version in rose gold (case thickness 8.1mm) also in Tourbillon version and from this year Audemars Piguet Royal Oak RD#2 Perpetual Calendar Ultra–Thin.
Champagne, Blue and Petite Tapestry
Let’s go into more detail: the Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Extra Flat 15202 was presented last year in two dial versions: a champagne dial and a deep, matte blue one. Both have the Petite Tapisserie motif engraved on the dial, a motif that embodies a Royal Oak as much as the octagonal bezel, created in the factory through a long, meticulous and patented process to obtain a geometric motif that is still the subject of various copying attempts , with often questionable results. The final result is very satisfying and if you approach it with a magnifying glass, you can appreciate the exceptional detail of the work that is done on every single square of the motif.
Very thin baton indexes and gold spheres are applied to the dial, and finally the beautiful AP logo at 6 o’clock, in a combination that gives a perception of quality and finish that no gold (and steel) sportsman can boast in the same category. The Petite Tapisserie motif is cut exclusively at the height of the date window, a necessity to meet customer requests as I often hear brand managers say, but which I consider a stretch because the dial is almost flush with the flat sapphire crystal, if it didn’t have that opening, it would complete an aesthetic solution in which case and dial create an almost monolithic and, in my opinion, even stronger whole.
Thinking about the product as a whole, one of the things that has always made the Audemars Piguet Royal Oak different from others is the finish of the case and bracelet. Yellow gold is not sober by nature and in most yellow gold watches it appears intrusive, too shiny and automatically separates enthusiasts into two categories: those who love it and those who hate it. It is not a best-selling material in Italy, of this I am sure, the majority of people who buy watches opt for white or pink gold, very rarely choose yellow gold and they are almost always women.
The fact that, since 1972, a brushed finish has been used for most of the watch’s surfaces, at the basis of Audemars Piguet’s interpretation of a sports watch, naturally makes it more suitable for wearing different materials. You have a noble metal, which binds perfectly to the blue dial (which I prefer to the tone on tone of the champagne dial), which communicates the richness of the product, keeping the spirit of the original version intact and smoothing out any excess of color or light, typical of yellow gold.
The caliber 2121 is visible (on the original 1972 version the caseback was closed) and is assembled and decorated by hand. It has 40 hours of maximum power reserve, on which perhaps more could have been dared, and it is a relatively low-frequency automatic, with the 18-karat gold skeletonized rotor that slides inside an annular guide and allows you to admire the bridges decorated with Cotes de Gènève and bevelled corners. The customer has the possibility to request Audemars Piguet to customize the oscillating weight. The Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Extra Flat 15202 in gold is completed by a classic Royal Oak bracelet with concealed clasp and double safety button.
