Authenticate Audemars Piguet Royal Oak
Genta's steel sports watch, and the reference the whole maison now rests on.
Introduced 1972Le Brassus5 references
The Royal Oak's octagonal bezel is secured by eight hexagonal screws that pass through it into the case, and on genuine production they are seated to a consistent depth with their surrounds flush. The bezel's top surface is brushed, its edges polished, and the boundary between them is a line rather than a gradient.
The tapisserie dial is engine-turned rather than stamped, which gives it a depth that changes with the viewing angle. Grande Tapisserie, Petite Tapisserie and Mega Tapisserie are different pitches used on different references, so the pitch should match the reference.
The integrated bracelet is the model's other expensive component. It tapers steeply, articulates without rattle, and meets the case with no gap. Its clasp is machined and closes with a defined action.
References differ in case width, dial pitch, movement and whether the back is solid or open, so establishing the reference before checking anything else avoids reading a genuine watch against the wrong rules.
15202 · 15400 · 15500 · 15510 · 16202
Establish which of these you are holding before judging it. A genuine piece read against another reference's rules will look wrong when it is not.
What a Royal Oak does on the secondary market
Among the strongest in watchmaking, with steel references trading well above retail. Completeness and originality set the top; polished cases, which soften the bevels permanently, discount sharply.
An orientation for honest, unrestored condition — never an appraisal, and never a quotation.
Questions we are asked
- How do I spot a fake Royal Oak?
- Tilt the dial. Genuine tapisserie is engine-turned and shimmers as the light angle changes; a stamped or printed grid stays flat. Then look at the case under an angled light — the brushed-to-polished boundaries should read as lines, not gradients.
- Does polishing hurt a Royal Oak's value?
- Considerably. The case's hand-applied bevels are its defining feature, and polishing rounds them permanently. An unpolished case is a material part of the price.
Lovenhall WatchRead the watch itself
The checks tell you how it was made. The instrument tells you what it appears to be, and roughly what its kind fetches.