The Audemars Piguet Royal Oak 15400SR Two-Tone @SIHH2015

Alike many of my fellow collectors, watch bloggers, and watch dealers, I'm not crazy about two-tone watches. Quite frankly, I've never met a guy who'd dare walk out his front door with a contemporary, two-tone timepiece on his wrist. Just yesterday, at day one of Geneva's Salon International de la Haute Horlogerie, Audemars Piguet unveiled a two-tone Royal Oak. This SIHH novelty has resurged in a bolder, more attractive form than its 1980's quartz counterpart. Oh, and yes, I'm sure it'll turn a ton of heads and change the sentiments of many. Two-tone is officially back.

Initially, the impeccable “Grande Tapisserie” dial caught my attention. Being a fan of AP's Genta-era designs, I find a textured dial on a Royal Oak to be aesthetically beneficial and a major plus in terms of future collectibility. Also, the case and integrated bracelet are very streamlined and closely resemble the robust utilitarian structure of early Royal Oak wristwatches.

SPECIFICATIONS:


MOVEMENT:

Selfwinding Manufacture Calibre 3120.
Total diameter: 26.60 mm (113⁄4 lines).
Total thickness: 4.26 mm.
Number of jewels: 40.
Number of parts: 280.
Minimal guaranteed power reserve of 60 hours.
Frequency of balance wheel: 3 Hz (= 21,600 vibrations/hour). 


CASE: 

Stainless steel case, 18-carat pink gold bezel, links and screw-locked crown. 
Glareproofed sapphire crystal and caseback.
Water-resistant to 50 m. 


DIAL:

Silver-toned dial with “Grande Tapisserie” pattern.
Royal Oak hands with luminescent coating.
Pink gold applied hour-markers.


BRACELET: 

Stainless steel and 18-carat pink gold bracelet.
Stainless steel AP folding clasp.


 

All in all, two-tone or not, I'm extremely happy to see Audemars Piguet re-introduce an icon. 

For further information, please visit www.audemarspiguet.com