Greubel Forsey's tagline is "the art of invention," and its iconoclastic architecture straddles the intersection of sculpture and engineering. But it's a very thin line on which to balance. While the brand's timepieces do have an avant-garde visual flair, they're always tempered by chronograph function, creating a gorgeous yet restrained tension between visual beauty and wearing purpose.
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The Ultimate Guide to Audemars Piguet Reference Numbers in 2024
Audemars Piguet is one of the planets top replica watches luxury suppliers, and its iconic Royal Oak collection is widely deemed one of the true icons on the watch world. In addition to being liked by professional athletes and famous people alike, Audemars Piguet watches are also highly collectible, plus its not uncommon for some watches to switch hands for six-figure amounts. Everyone is familiar with Audemars Piguet and has heard of the Royal Oak; however , to truly be familiar with nuances of this historic Swiss brand’s collection, you first need to find out how to decipher Audemars Piguet reference numbers.
While Audemars Piguet watches will often be referred to by their product names, each watch might be more accurately described by their reference number, which is a series of letters and numbers that the brand assigns with each watch. While they may resemble a random combination of characters, Audemars Piguet reference numbers are actually a whole description of their respective design, and every letter or range is important. Even without seeing a pic of the watch, an Audemars Piguet reference number alone will be able to tell you the specific model plus the materials used in its make, as well as the type of bezel, strap/bracelet, and even details about the face it comes with.
Why Audemars Piguet Reference Numbers Are So Important In everyday conversation, most of the people refer to an Audemars Piguet watch by its type number or nickname, though these abbreviations rarely entirely describe the watch. For example , timeless 39mm Royal Oak “Jumbo” has been around since 1972 and contains been produced in several different configuration settings over the years. Therefore , this outline alone does not reveal any relevant details about the high quality watches replica , such as the number of “Jumbo” or perhaps the materials used for its renowned octagonal case and included bracelet.
For that reason, to discuss Audemars Piguet watches more fully and in more detail, hobbyists refer to their reference numbers, which often follow a consistent format along with convey all the relevant specifics of their respective models. Within the current catalog alone, Audemars Piguet offers several different types of the 18k white gold Regal Oak “Jumbo”, and even the total ice model with a precious stone bezel and matching diamond-set bracelet is available in two distinct dials. Rather than saying you keep a current generation white gold Noble Oak “Jumbo” with a stone bezel, blue “Petite Tapisserie” dial, and matching diamond-set white gold bracelet, simply declaring you own reference number 16202BC.ZZ.1241BC.02 would present all the same information.
About Audemars Piguet Reference Numbers It’s worth writing that Audemars Piguet has not always used this research numbering system. For example , in the early 1970s, case material codes were being added to the brand’s numbering system, and the root client name increased from four to five numbers in the mid-1980s. Additionally , establishing in the early 2000s, Audemars Piguet began to gradually increase additional sections and requirements to its numbering program to provide information about finishes, gem settings, bracelet or secure options, and even the type of watch dial that fits the watch.
Section 1: Root Reference point and Case Material The initial section of an Audemars Piguet reference number consists of five quantities and two letters. Typically the numbers represent the watch’s root reference number, while the a pair of letters represent its materials. For example , ref. 16202 may be the classic 39mm “Jumbo” Royal Oak Large with time in addition to date display, although Audemars Piguet offers this see in a number of different materials, therefore ref. 16202ST is the stainless-steel version, while ref. 16202BA is the yellow gold version as well as ref. 16202OR is the rose gold colored version. replica Bell and Ross BR 05 watch
Part 2: Bezel Type The second part of a good Audemars Piguet reference number explains the type of bezel the watch is actually fitted with, indicated by a couple letters after the root reference and the material code. Like the Royal Oak “Jumbo” in white gold has lot of versions, so while ref. 16202BC. OO is the variation with a standard gold viser, ref. 16202BC. ZZ is the white gold “Jumbo” with a gemstone bezel.
Aspect 3: Bracelet Type and also Material The third section of an Audemars Piguet client number consists of four digits along with two letters. Similar to the basic reference number section, the number identifies the type of strap or band the watch comes with, while the 2 letters indicate the components used in the watch's building. Watches of the same size in addition to strap/bracelet style will talk about the first four digits with their strap/bracelet code; however , considering that case size affects the actual strap or bracelet, the particular bracelet code for a 39mm stainless steel Royal Oak " Jumbo" will be different from the much larger 41mm version, and the necklace code for a diamond-set white gold or platinum " Jumbo" will be different in the standard white gold model due to diamonds on its back links.
Section 4: Dial Style Your fourth and final section of a great Audemars Piguet reference number involves two digits that express the dial that the observe comes with. Similar to how Patek Philippe handles dial unique codes in its reference numbering method, the dial code utilised by Audemars Piguet is determined by typically the iteration of the dial for your particular model, rather than the genuine style of the dial on its own. For example , many different Royal Walnut watches will share often the dial code " 02, " even though the appearance of people dials can vary greatly, since this code simply describes the other dial variation for that distinct model.
Audemars Piguet Reference Number Codes Every digit in an Audemars Piguet reference number is important, as well as knowing the various codes linked to different parts can tell you a lot of a timepiece. With that in mind, while some areas, such as bezel and substance codes, follow a very tight system, others, such as origin references and dial rules, can be a bit more fuzzy and are also largely determined by previous emits in the collection.
The first five digits associated with an Audemars Piguet reference number (or four digits for retro replica watch review ), which serve as the basis reference, do not follow a consistent code that can be applied to the different models in its archives. However , there are many common trends across the brand’s modern collections, and figuring out these will allow you to easily determine certain models and styles associated with watches.
For instance , when the fan-favorite Audemars Piguet Royal Oak “Jumbo” got a generational update throughout 2022 to celebrate its 50th anniversary, the collection’s underlying reference number was updated via 15202 to 16202. Additionally, while reference 16202 will be the classic 39mm time and date “Jumbo” in the current production catalog, the actual skeletonized 39mm “Jumbo” ultra-thin skeletonized model is referred to as guide 16204. Being familiar with these tendencies will make it easier that you should identify some of the more common versions, although Audemars Piguet possesses produced a wide variety of different personal references throughout its history, thus it’s not necessarily worth your time and efforts to learn all of them.
In addition to all the classic precious metals like stainless steel, gold, platinum and titanium, Audemars Piguet has always experimented with various other case materials, and searching through the brand's archives you will discover a wide variety of alloys, as well as graphite and several different colors of fine ceramic. Moreover, the brand doesn't be put off by using multiple materials about its watches, and every time this happens, Audemars Piguet shows the combination its own unique two-letter material code. As a result, a large surprising number of case stuff codes, although many of them at present do not exist in the brand's modern catalog.
How to Read an Audemars Piguet Reference Number
The easiest way to read an Audemars Piguet reference number is to get started with the first section and transfer from left to appropriate, as each additional part provides more detailed information. On many occasions, you may only need to read the initial section to determine the exact watch the reference number describes, while some models only occur in a single configuration.
For example , the Travis David Royal Oak Perpetual Calendar Skeleton “Cactus Jack” Limited Edition is the brand’s merely watch produced in brown porcelain (at the time of writing), so while the model will be officially designated as name 26585CM. OO. D301VE. 01, you only need to see the “CM” in the first section of the particular reference number to know that it appertains to the Travis Scott version with the brand’s Skeleton Royal Oak Perpetual Calendar.
Once you’ve identified typically the model and its material, the next task is to take a quick look at the board to verify the style that fits you the luxury fake watches . Since almost all Audemars Piguet models include some type of brushed or slick bezel, you’ll typically start to see the code “OO” used in this, with the only models in which consistently have a different frame code being those that have some type of gem setting or even elaborately polished bezel.
Memorizing all the different limitations used for various straps, earrings, and dials is probably not an effective use of time, though is considered still worth checking both equally parts of a reference number to the additional information they provide. Simply making sure whether the strap/bracelet code will start with a number or a correspondence will confirm whether the view comes with a strap or material bracelet, while memorizing a little strap/clasp codes will let you know precisely what material the strap consists of and whether it has a flip-up or pin buckle. More over, if this section begins which has a number, it’s usually harmless to assume that the unit comes with a matching bracelet created from the same material as the event.
The switch section of an Audemars Piguet reference number is arguably the least significant, as many of the brand’s types only come with one or two call options. As such, you’ll normally see the dial code “01” or “02” for most from the brand’s watches, though it can still give you an idea regarding the variety within a given assortment. Certain models, such as the stainless version of the 41mm exact date and time Royal Oak, have face codes of “07” or perhaps “09”, which represent often the wider range of dial coloring options in the collection.
Finally, it’s worthy of noting that Audemars Piguet’s reference numbering system has created along with the brand, with brand-new codes continually being put into the system as the Swiss company is always experimenting with new supplies. Just in the past few years, we’ve viewed several new materials included in the line-up, such as chocolate bars brown ceramic, block material glass, and the brand’s 18 carat sand gold alloy, that were accompanied by new content codes. In many ways, Audemars Piguet’s reference numbers are akin to some sort of language, and by learning the policies that apply to their design and the various meanings of this particular numbers and letters, you can become experienced in this rather long list of characters and instantly recognize all the relevant details about just about any Audemars Piguet high quality fake watches without even looking at it.