Nowadays, watches like the Royal Oak perpetual calendar skeleton (a standard at AP’s collection and one of the finest perpetuals on the market, in my own estimation), the Royal Oak Equation of Time, the innovative Chron-AP, and this Millenary Minute Repeater demonstrate that AP is certainly a top-tier manufacture. AP’s in-house self-winding caliber 3120, found inside the basic Royal Oak 15400, can also be among the finest base movements in the world. These are the things which keep AP pertinent to “real” watch lovers that sometimes get lost in the buzz around the other kinds of AP buyers.And then there is your typical well-to-do watch purchaser. To me, the best analogy for this other kind of AP purchaser is advised using a singular scene in one episode of a single television series that has been popular for a time period some years ago. I am speaking about Entourage, and I wager the vast majority of you understand exactly to which scene I’m referring.Ari Gold receives a solid gold Royal Oak chronograph (not unlike the opinion I’ll review down under) by his then-soon-to-be boss, that describes it as “One of the best watches in the world.” The camera then pans to the solid gold watch from its box, and Ari is in disbelief about the present — and thus, AP is introduced to a whole bunch of potential new customers, the men who watch Entourage. From this time, you see several of the personalities on the display wearing APs. Many at the time believed Audemars Piguet had compensated for the positioning, but in talks with AP through the years, it was disclosed to me not a single dollar was exchanged. Instead, a particular producer on the series was a massive AP client, also insisted it be a Royal Oak presented to Ari. Entourage did a great deal for AP, but it wasn’t this one positioning that defines the “other” type of AP customer. It does give you a good idea of where AP is a favorite, and that is in Hollywood, music, and sports, with all the youthful and moneyed.
Five years after its launch, the Royal Oak Chronograph 41mm has been restyled for SIHH 2017. Audemars Piguet Quincy Jones Watch Replica kept the fundamentals the same, applying some minor tweaks to the dial to give it a sportier look (compare it with the earlier version).
All the new Royal Oak Chronograph variants feature two-tone dials, with the sub-dials in contrasting colours. Another obvious change are the enlarged registers for elapsed minute and hours, while that for the constant seconds has been reduced. This improves legibility somewhat, since elapsed time has to be read, while the sub-seconds is merely a reminder that the watch is running.
To the same end, the hour markers are now wider and shorter, with a broader strip of Super-Luminova for increased nighttime glow; the same has been done for the hands as well (the counterweight of the seconds hand now has luminescent paint as well).
All the Royal Oak Chronograph 41mm models are equipped with the calibre 2385, which is actually the Frederic Piguet 1185, a compact and slim automatic movement.
The new range includes four models in pink gold, in either blue or brown, accompanied by either an alligator strap or matching gold bracelet, as well as three in stainless steel with black, white or blue dials.
All in stainless steel, except the bottom right in titanium and platinum
Ti and Pt
And most intriguing, the line-up also includes the Royal Oak Chronograph 41mm in titanium and platinum (ref. 26331IP.OO.1220IP.01).
This unusual, boutique-only model has most of the case and bracelet in brushed titanium, with the bezel and centre links of the bracelet in polished platinum for a striking contrast of surface finishes.
And the dial is grey with the sub-dials and minute chapter ring in dark blue, the same combination of colours found on the first generation Royal Oak Offshore in titanium.
The version in titanium and platinum
Pricing and availability have yet to be announced.