Audemars Piguet’s Royal Oak watch came out in the early 1970s, but it was not until 1997 that the chronograph came out. Naturally, on the occasion of the 20th anniversary of the Royal Oak Chronograph in 2017, Audemars Piguet released some novel new models to celebrate. Today, we will study one of them more closely, namely stainless steel Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Chronograph 20th Anniversary ref. 26331ST.OO.1220ST.02.
When Audemars Piguet launched its latest Royal Oak Chronograph series at SIHH 2017, the new model brought some minor aesthetic updates, but no major changes. When the AP first launched the Royal Oak Chronograph in 1997, it used a 39 mm case with an octagonal bezel. However, in 2012, these models were overhauled to accommodate the larger 41 mm case. Now, the latest Royal Oak chronograph released in 2017 retains the 41 mm case size. The new chronograph also retains the reliable 2 Calibre 2385 self-winding movement from the previous version, with a vertical clutch and a 40-hour power reserve.
Update now; the dial of the latest RO Chronos is now two-color instead of monochrome. As a result, the contrasting triple subdial suddenly appeared against the background of the “Grande Tapisserie” nail dial. Looking closely at the dial, you will also notice that the counters at 3 o’clock and 9 o’clock have slightly increased, and the time scale has changed a bit to accommodate more time. Moreover, due to the large size of the dial at 3 o’clock, the date window (between 4 and 5 o’clock) must be slightly closer to the 5 o’clock position.
Obviously, these refreshes on the fake Royal Oak Chronograph are a bit subtle, but sometimes it is only necessary to adjust some small details, after all, why should we do a good thing?
The new Royal Oak Chronograph is made in true AP form, offering a variety of materials, dial colors and strap / bracelet options. What we have here is the stainless steel version of the 20th anniversary edition of the Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Chronograph with a “reverse panda” dial.
The black Grande Tapisserie dial is located in a stainless steel 41 mm case, which sets the perfect background for the silver dial, white gold hour markers and white gold center hand (with luminous coating).
At the top of the steel case is a matching brushed steel octagonal bezel, secured by eight bare screws. The monochromatic appearance referenced by the stylish steel AP chronograph is perfectly completed. 26331ST.OO.1220ST.02 is the iconic integrated Royal Oak bracelet with a folding clasp.
If you have a luxury sports watch that looks as big as the Royal Oak Chronograph, then in the course of two decades, you do n’t need to update too much to keep it gorgeous and relevant. RO Chronograph series returns to the second sound quality dial, it is a good feeling to move forward, and the black and white inverted panda style is the appearance that many luxury watches dream a. All in all, this is a top chronograph that can be added to almost all watch series.