Say hello to the Audemars Piguet Royal Oak 40th Anniversary watch which will be officially unveiled January 2012 at SIHH in Geneva.  2012 is the 40th anniversary of the iconic Royal Oak, and Audemars Piguet will be producing 40 of these special edition pieces featuring a platinum case and an extra-thin movement (the 3.05mm) that has been meticulously skeletonized.  Like the 1972 model, the 40th anniversary model is presented in a 39mm case size, but the fully visible skeletonized Caliber 5122 stands in stark contrast to the clean, understated dial of the original.  As well, I find it somewhat unfortunate that this is a platinum-cased anniversary model because it is the stainless steel case that made the Royal Oak famous.  Hopefully we will get to see something in steel case in Geneva, because I find it hard to get excited about this piece for a variety of reasons.

Perpetuelle SIHH 2012 Previews >>> Panerai PAM 422, Girard-Perregaux 1966 Small Second, Piaget Altiplano Skeleton Automatic, Cartier Cadran Lové Tourbillon

Audemars Piguet Royal Oak 40th Anniversary Watch

Limited Edition 40 pieces

39mm platinum case, automatic mechanical Audemars Piguet Caliber 5122 (3.05mm thick)

manual finishing of the bridge (polished bevels, satinbrushed edges, perlage on the recesses), 22K gold monobloc oscillating weight stamped with the raised inscription “ AP Royal Oak 1972-2012″ and with “tapisserie” motif on it external segment.

REFERENCE: 15203PT.OO.1240PT.01

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