Audemars Piguet is one of the biggest names in luxury watchmaking, and although many different AP models have existed over the years, a few collections have been able to maintain a strong popularity as new versions have emerged and technology has continued to advance. A very good example of this is the Royal Oak collection.

In this article, we will take a deeper look at the Royal Oak collection and explore its history, while taking a more in-depth look at model updates over the years and the most popular watches in the history of the collection.

The Audemars Piguet Royal Oak collection was launched in 1972 at the Swiss Watch Fair, later known as Baselworld. It was launched against a backdrop of growing interest in “quartz” technology among Swiss luxury watchmakers, and is widely considered to be the world’s first luxury sports best replica watches.

The defining features of the Royal Oak collection included the hexagonal bezel and exposed screw heads, with the overall design taking inspiration from traditional diving helmets. The first model introduced was the Royal Oak Ref. 5402ST, which featured a 39 mm case that was just 7 mm thick, helping to provide a sense of refinement and luxury to the sporty watch that had been reserved for luxury dress watches until then.

The model also introduced the self-winding calibre 2123, which offered exceptional precision and shock resistance, and was fully integrated with the watch’s date display function. In the years since, various new complications have been introduced to each model, including a perpetual calendar and a moon phase indicator option.

The Royal Oak Ref. 15300ST first went on sale in 2005 and remained in production until 2023. It is powered by the low-beat Caliber 3120 movement and is available in stainless steel and pink gold. Black, blue and white dial colours are offered, while the case diameter is 39 mm, making it a good choice for those with thinner wrists.

Visually, one of the defining features of this generation of Royal Oak replica luxury watches is the placement of a large “AP” logo at 12 o’clock in place of the dial markers. The watch also features an old-fashioned clasp with the large AP logo there as well.

In the last past few years, the replica Panerai has grown so far beyond the very first offerings that it had when it was first acquired by the Richemont Group, as to defy description. The company has made everything from some of the most underappreciated tourbillons in the business, to perpetual calendars, astronomical clocks, and pretty much everything else you can think of. The fake Panerai watches have become not only the functional instrument and dive watches that originally made the brand’s reputation among enthusiasts, but exercises in pure design as well and there are now so many different variations on the original theme that it’s possible to find anything you might want in the catalogue – from serious functional dive replica watches to the best complications.
And yet, fundamentally, there are and have been, and probably only ever will be, two Panerai watches: Radiomir, with its wire lugs and echo of the very early days of professional and military dive watches (lest we forget, watches like the Submariner and Blancpain 50 Fathoms are follow-on to the saboteur’s and combat diver’s watches of World War II) and of course, Luminor, with its distinctive and irresistible lever crown locking system. Both have such strong identities that over the years the variations on these themes have proven inexhaustible, but the basic designs and attributes of the original models still have a powerful appeal.
Panerai replica has just announced that it has launched a limited edition – the Luminor Submersible Automatic Acciaio – which will be provided, in an interesting twist, not at authorized dealers or Panerai boutiques, but typically through the fake Panerai’s online e-boutique. Much of Panerai’s core collection is available to purchase online too, but this is the first time they’ve offered an e-boutique-only limited edition.
The two most distinctive features of this model are the distinctive locking lever for the crown – which, if you’ve never had a chance to play with one, is one of the most fun ways to secure a crown that’s ever come down the pike – and the dial. The latter is a very deep blue which depending on how the light hits it can seem anything from a sky-at-dawn azure, to almost black.

On May 15, 2017, Christie’s will sell a Patek Philippe Calatrava in Geneva which could be one of the most significant watches to sell in the modern collectible watch era, of course that might not just the reason you are thinking about. Surely, there’s no doubt that watch is a unique one, and actually would cost much in price. The Calatrava is one of the least common references made by Patek Philippe, and when they come up for sale it’s generally big news. But that isn’t why you’re reading this story. No, this Calatrava coming to Christie’s is such a fascinating lot because its result may finally open up a discussion long held in the back offices of Milanese pushers, of Swiss auction houses, and penthouse apartments of Asian mega-collectors. When will replica watches become OK to own? Or are real watches the only ones worth anything and shall those that have been refreshed keep efficiently outcast? Now we will give the answer to you, but first let’s talk about the basic topic of what the Calatrava is. 
This sale was a significant one as that lot validated that the 530 was indeed made not only as a chronograph but as a time-only Calatrava.
Generally speaking, before we vilify Christie’s, it is well-known to you all. First, they announced that this watch was sold publicly with a silver dial and that a black dial was added within the past 10 years. Second, the watch was born with a black dial! That means this new black dial is actually more correct than the silver dial with which we became first acquainted. The archive extract for this watch reads “Type of dial: Black, raised hour markers in steel.”
So things become more interesting in this way, the watch for Christie’s, for the consignor, and for any potential buyer. It is completely obvious here that this fake watch wasn’t born with this dial. But that doesn’t make the dial incorrect for it.
Will A Strong Result Mean It’s OK To Modify A Watch If It’s Done Well?
So, let’s think about the watch here and what it might mean to the industry. Now it seems as if only original watches are worth buying and paying full price for. If a watch has been cleaned, or retouched, or modified in any way, it is a quick turn off to most purchasers. The huge values placed on condition and originality are rather recent phenomenon, and some of the most crucial vintage watches in the world feature dials that have been cleaned or corrected in some way, and that was, well, seemed so nice. But because we currently live in a world where it seems that a handful of dealers and auction houses are able to produce “untouched” replica watches with some regularity, and the world’s wealthy continually pay record-setting prices for them, what happens to the rest of the watches?