Audemars Piguet Royal Oak 50th Anniversary 37 mm

It has been 50 years since the release of the Royal Oak. A modern icon design by Swiss watch designer Gerald Genta who’s inspiration came from an antiquated diving helmet. So it is no surprise that Audemars Piguet has release all new Royal Oaks which feature a special 50 years oscillating weight made entirely out of gold. This Oscillating weight (rotor) is only available for the 2022 models.

Besides the special oscillating weight, the standard Royal Oak packs an all new caliber plus designs updates to the case and bracelet. The standard Royal Oak is offer with the typical dark blue dial, a white dial and now, a light blue dial that really looks stunning!

The Royal Oak I am reviewing today, is the 37 mm reference number 15550ST in light blue (this color is also offer as a 34 mm and 38 mm chronograph). The case is fairly slim at 9 mm in thickness and form lug to lug it has an overall measurement of 46 mm. The main design update of the case is the polished bevel edges on the top and bottom which have been enlarge.

The case is crafted in stainless steel and paired with an updated bracelet which tappers not just from the front but also from the side. So each link gets slightly thinner as is gets closer to the folding clasp.

The dial also received minor changes. The AP logo that typically is added above the name has been removed as well as the Automatic phrase that you typically see over the 6 O’clock. Minor changes that make a big impact on the overall look. Another interesting update is the minute tracker which instead of being printed on the flat area of the dial, AP now printed on the Tapisserie surface.

Under the hood, this updated Audemars is using caliber 5900. This automatic movement is composed of 186 parts and works at 4 hertz using 29 jewels. The movement has a power reserve of 60 hours and features date indicator, hacking seconds and 50 meters of water resistance.