There are few watches more classic than the original 1972 Audemars Piguet Royal Oak. That slim, stainless steel sport watch’s most direct modern descendent is the so-called “Jumbo” Royal Oak, which has a 39mm case coming in at just 8.1mm thick. The watch you see here shares those dimensions – and looks almost exactly the same at first glance – but is actually crafted from a mix of titanium and platinum. The watch’s case and the large bracelet sections are brushed titanium, while the bezel and smaller bracelet links are polished platinum. The result is a subtle contrast between the tones and finishes of the white metals, creating a watch that offers much more than it first appears to.
This isn’t the first time Audemars Piguet Royal Oak has used these two metals together. In fact, last year the brand offered up two different watches in the combination, the Royal Oak Tourbillon Extra-Thin and the Royal Oak Chronograph. I wrote fondly of those back then, and I stand by my assessment. The “two-tone” combo works really well, especially with the blue dial chosen for this latest watch, which appears to have a slightly different effect than that of the standard Jumbo. Creating meaningful variations on a classic without disrupting the qualities that make it special in the first place is difficult, but Audemars Piguet Royal Oak clearly knows what they’re doing.
I’m into this watch. Like, really into this watch. From a distance, it would be possible for it to be mistaken for a completely ordinary Royal Oak, or, at best, a standard steel Jumbo. Strangers would have no idea that you’re actually sporting a rather unusual watch in a rarely seen combination of utilitarian and precious metals. It’s an everyday watch, but a very special everyday watch.