Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Chronograph 18K

About the Watch

In 1971 Audemars Piguet realized that, without a disruptive change, a financial collapse was inevitable. Elaborating some feedback that they received from the Italian market about possible interest for a steel luxury watch, the management of the manufacture decided it was time to introduce something totally new, a sporty yet elegant timepiece as never seen before. The designer of choice for this task was a designer born in Geneva in 1931 from an Italian father and a Swiss mother: Gerald Genta. Not a new designer, rather one of the most famous watch designer at that time, having created successful watches for Universal Genève (Polerouter Microtors, White Shadow, Golden Shadow), Omega (Constellation) and Patek Philippe (Golden Ellipse).

The first Royal Oak Chronograph was launched in 1998, nearly three decades after the original Royal Oak made its debut in 1972. This initial model, reference 25860, was powered by the caliber 2385, derived from the Frederic Piguet caliber 1185. At the time, this was the thinnest self-winding chronograph movement available, allowing the watch to retain the sleek profile of the iconic Royal Oak design. In 2008, Audemars Piguet introduced the Royal Oak reference 26320, replacing the 25860. This updated model featured a redesigned three-piece case construction, inspired by the brand’s Offshore collection. Though the case diameter was updated to 41mm, the refined proportions of the 26320 maintain a timeless elegance. Its glossy black Grande Tapisserie dial, complemented by pink gold luminous markers, makes it a striking and distinctly masculine chronograph, despite now being discontinued.

This model comes a a full set with a certificate of origin dated 12 august 2016, manual instruction and original box.

About the Brand

The Manufacture was established in 1875 in Le Brassus, a village at the heart of La Vallée-de-Joux in the Swiss Jura, by Jules-Louis Audemars and Edward-Auguste Piguet, two enterprising young men who combined their talent to develop and produce watches featuring rare complications. Already in these early days, an Audemars-Piguet watch was prized by admirers of fine mechanical timepieces. Through determination, imagination and discipline, they inscribed their name on the wider history of watchmaking. The company they established has never left the hands of the founding families.