Audemars Piguet Buying Guide Video Transcript

Video Transcript

Hey, I'm Justin from Bob's Watches and today we're talking about the six best Audemars Piguet watches. If you collect Rolex, sooner or later you hit the same question. What comes next? And for a growing number of collectors, the answer is Audemars Piguet. But here's the problem. AP's catalog is genuinely confusing from the outside. Royal Oak, Offshore, Jumbo, Code 1159. Different sizes, different movements, wildly different pre-owned prices. So today we're ranking the six Audemars Piguet watches that are most worth owning in 2026, judged on wearability, movement, craft, collectability, and how they actually hold up on the pre-owned market. And fair warning, the most famous AP on this list is also the trickiest one to buy, but we'll get to that at number one. Let's count them down, starting with the pick most collectors probably dismissed too early. Number six, the Code 1159 self-winding. And yes, we're serious. When AP launched Code 1159 in 2019, the internet piled on. From straight on press photos, it looked like a plain round watch from a brand that is famous for an octagonal silhouette. But that reaction missed what's actually happening in the metal. The case is one of the most complex constructions in this price range. A round bezel and case back sandwiching an octagonal middle case, a quiet nod to the Royal Oak with skeletonized lugs welded to the bezel and double curved sapphire crystal that changes the dial's appearance at every angle. photos genuinely don't do the code 1159 justice and AP has steadily improved the collection since its launch. Smoked and embossed dials, increasingly serious complications, including an open worked perpetual calendar version introduced in 2026, and critically for value hunters, stainless steel and ceramic references introduced in 2023, which brought the line's entry point down from precious metal only territory. Inside the standard code 1159 self- winding, you're getting AP's modern in-house automatic movement, the same caliber family that powers the current Royal Lo self-winding. That matters. This isn't a lesser AP mechanically. It's the same manufacturer content, just in a different suit. So, who's it for? The Code 1159 is for the collector who already has the sports watches covered, maybe a Submariner and a GMT Master already in the box, and wants genuine Holy Trinity finishing in a dressier and dynamic package. It's also one of the few current APS that you can realistically buy at retail. And on the pre-owned market, most models typically trade below their original retail price. And this is exactly why it's interesting. You're getting the most finishing per dollar in the entire AP catalog. But if the Code 1159 is AP at its most refined, the next watch is AP at its loudest. Number five, the Royal Oak Offshore. Today, the Offshore lineup runs from 42mm chronographs and divers down to 37mm chronographs. and AP has continued to keep it fresh, including a run of colorful new chronographs and divers in 2026. The Diver deserves special mention for Rolex collectors. With 300 meters of water resistance and an internal rotating bezel, it's the closest thing AP makes to a true Submariner alternative, except with a gorgeously finished in-house movement and mega tapestry dial that you can spot across the room. Who's it for? The Offshore is for the collector who wants presence. If your taste runs Sea Dweller and Yacht Master 2 rather than Datejust, the Offshore is in your lane. It's also the most genuinely sporty AP, the one that you can actually take into the water without wincing. So, what to consider before buying? Size and thickness are real. The chronographs wear tall, and if you're used to a 40mm Rolex, you should really try an offshore on your wrist before committing. On the pre-own side, the offshore market is broad and reference sensitive. Limited editions and certain colorways carry a strong collector demand, while more common references are more accessible. Condition matters even more here than on the standard Royal Oak because those broad brush services and rubberclad pushers show wear honestly. Now, the next watch is the one we'd call the sleeper of the AP's modern catalog. It's the Royal Oak most people should actually buy first. Number four, the Royal Oak self-winding. The time and date Royal Oak in 41 and 37 mm. Here's the thing nobody tells you when you start looking at AP. The current version of the famous Jumbo, the watch everyone pictures in their head, is an ultra thin, no seconds heritage piece with real quirks as a daily wear. The self- winding is the Royal Oak built for actual life. The current 41 millimeter runs on AP's modern in-house automatic caliber with a date, center seconds hand, and a longer power reserve than the older generation. The 37mm brings the same design language to a smaller wrist, and it has quietly become one of the most in demand sizes in the entire lineup. And you still get everything that makes the Royal Oak a Royal Oak. Gerald Genta's 1972 integrated bracelet architecture, the octagonal bezel with its eight hexagonal screws, the tapestry dial, and excellent case finishing, brush surfaces meeting polish bevels. That remains the benchmark of every integrated bracelet sports watch is measured against. Who's it for? Honestly, most people watching this video. If you're a Rolex collector whose daily rotation is a Submariner date or Datejust, this is the AP that slots directly into your life. What to consider? Demand. The steel self- winding, especially in blue, is one of the most requested watches at this level. And at authorized dealers, allocation has historically been difficult for new customers. That's exactly why the pre-owned market matters here. It's often the practical route to actually getting one. And it's where you can choose your exact dial and condition rather than taking whatever comes first from the dealer. One quick buying note on any pre-owned Royal Oak, scrutinize the case edges and bracelet. Crisp, unpolished lines are where the value lives, and authentication matters immensely at this price point. So, always buy from a source that guarantees it. So, if that's the daily driver, what happens when AP puts serious watchmaking into the same case? Number three, the Royal Oak self-winding chronograph. For Rolex collectors, the mental comparison is obvious. This is the AP equivalent of the Daytona, but the current 41mimeter generation makes a genuinely strong case on movement craft alone. It is integrated column wheel operated flyback chronograph designed from the ground up as a chronograph rather than having a module bolted onto a base movement. Its modern horology chronograph architecture is visible through the sapphire case back and it offers a level of finishing that the Daytona simply doesn't attempt. And in 2026, AP renewed the smaller 38mm chronograph line with a new generation in-house caliber, which replaced a movement that has had since the late 1990s. Who's it for? The collector who already loves chronographs. If a Daytona is the crown of your Rolex box, then this is a natural AP counterpart, but with more wrist presence and more visible movement finishing. It's also a pick for someone who wants a Royal look that does something without jumping to grand complication pricing. What to consider? The Royal Oak chronograph wears larger and thicker than the time only models. That's not a flaw, but it's worth trying one on before you finalize your decision. When it comes to value, pre-owned steel Royal Oak chronographs have historically commanded strong demand. But just like the rest of the steel sports segment, prices have come down from the frenzy of just a few years ago. For buyers, that cooling is actually good news. This is a much more rational moment to buy a Royal Oak chronograph than it was at the peak. Now, we step into a different territory entirely. The next watch isn't just a great AP. It's the complication AP has arguably done better than anyone else for over a century. Number two, the Royal Oak Perpetual Calendar. AP's perpetual calendar tracks the day, date, month, leap year, and moon phase, and it mechanically accounts for different lengths of the months, which means that if you keep it wound, it won't need a manual correction until the year 2100. The previous 41mm generation, including the version that inspired the famous John Mayer collaboration, is now a discontinued reference that solely exists on the pre-owned market. And this is exactly the kind of thing serious collectors hunt for. And the story got even better recently. In 2025, for its 150th anniversary, AP introduced a new generation perpetual calendar movement with a genuine usability breakthrough. Every calendar function adjusts through the crown alone. AP effectively solved that. And in 2026, they followed up with the open worked versions of the same movement. That's a brand investing in its signature complication, which is exactly what you want to see as a long-term owner. Who's it for? Any perpetual calendar, especially one from AP, is for the established collector who is building towards a centerpiece. This is the watch that anchors a collection. The one that represents AP at full strength, iconic case, top tier complication, and extensive hand finishing. So, what to consider? A Royal Oak perpetual calendar is a six-figurer conversation in most configurations. Servicing a perpetual calendar is a specialist job with real cost, and it's arguably a watch you should plan to keep wound or on a winder to take advantage of its signature complication. On the pre-owned side, provenence and completeness, box, paper, service history, move the needle significantly at this level. This is precisely where buying from a trusted source with authentication guarantees stop being nice to have and becomes a true necessity. And this brings us to number one, the most famous Omar Pig ever made. The watch that saved the company and the one we told you at the start was the trickiest one on the entire list to buy. Number one, the Royal Oak Jumbo Extra Thin. In 1972, with the Swiss industry reeling from the quartz crisis, AP launched Gerald Genta's reference 5402, a stainless steel watch with an exposed screw octagonal bezel, an integrated bracelet, and a price near gold watch territory. At the time, it was called a commercial suicide. Instead, it invented the luxury steel sports watch, and every integrated bracelet design that followed from the Nautilus onward exists in its shadow. The current reference 16202 is the direct descendant 39 millimeters ultra thin powered by AP's modern extra thin in-house movement which was introduced for the model's 50th anniversary in 2022 and replace a movement architecture that had served for decades. On the wrist, it's unlike anything in Rolex's catalog. The bracelet drapes like fabric and the finishing catches the light in a way that explains the entire integrated sports watch category in one glance. This is the reference that defines the brand on design importance and collectability. Nothing else at AP even comes close. So why is it the trickiest to buy on the list? Three reasons. First, wearability quirks. It's time only. No seconds hand, no date in the classic configuration and extra thin construction means it demands a bit more are than a tool watch. This is not the AP you knock around. Second is a matter of availability. At retail, it has long been one of the hardest allocations in watches, which pushes most real world buyers to the pre-owned market or its discontinued predecessor, reference 15202, has its own devoted collector following and pricing dynamics. And third, condition sensitivity. Nowhere in the AP catalog does polishing hurt more. Those razor thin case bevels are the watch. An over polished jumbo is permanently diminished, no matter how clean it looks in photos. So, who's it for? The collector who's ready for a grail. someone who understands they're buying a piece of design history first and a daily watch second. Let's put all six side by side. Wearability, the Royal Oak self-winding winds. It's the one built for daily life. The jumbo and the chronographs each have quirks. The offshore demands wrist real estate. Movement craft, the perpetual calendar takes it. With the flyback chronograph close behind, but note the code 1159 and self- winding share the same modern manufacturer calibers. There's no weak movement on this list. Collectability and design importance. The jumbo and it's not close. The perpetual calendar is second. Pre-owned value picture. This one's more nuanced. The Steel Royal Oaks have the strongest demand track record. The Jumbo and Perpetual calendar sit at the top for long-term collector interest. The Offshore is reference dependent. And the code 1159 is the value by precisely because the market hasn't caught up to the watchmaking. Drop a comment. Which AP would you add to your collection from the list? And did we get the ranking right? If this helped, subscribe. And if you're weighing AP against the other side of this conversation, watch our Rolex versus Audemars Piguet breakdown next. We'll see you in the next one.

Read the full guide by visiting our Audemars Piguet Buying Guide