150 Pieces, 150 Years: The Royal Oak RD#5, 2025.
AP Royal Oak RD#5 “Bleu Nuit, Nuage 50” dial
To be revered as the most exquisite timepiece manufacturer in the world, some would say it could take 100 years. Audemars Piguet has simply defied time and the meaning of luxury wrist-wear lasting over 150 years, yet we still find peaks of innovation within the brand to this day. AP’s Research & Development team introduces to the market an all new Royal Oak Jumbo, the “RD#5”. The classic AP chronograph is met with a modern twist with RD implementing many new elements in a Royal Oak model never seen before. This special RD#5 Royal Oak is under tight exclusivity at only 150 pieces, one for every year of AP’s 150 years of elite watchmaking.
This Anniversary edition watch is a Jumbo Royal Oak with a 39mm diameter and 8.1mm thickness to the piece. AP Chief Industrial Officer offered some insight into the innovation of the RD#5 and some improvements made to the pushers. The watch’s pushers are sleek, seems very minimal and in fact is inspired by the buttons of smartphones. AP’s CIO, Lucas Raggi, made a statement on how RD developed and innovated this new concept -
“It might surprise you, but a lot of innovation comes from frustration and in this case, frustration came from vintage chronographs in which the sensation on the pusher was wonderfully soft. Maybe they were not so waterproof, with many gaskets, and needed to be adjusted one by one, but we wanted to get that feeling back. So, it all started with what we should do in a chronograph movement to select and control the sensation and force of the pushers, rather than have it be a result of the mechanical construction. So we had to rebuild the whole thing from zero.”
This limited RD#5 features an all new self-winding Calibre 8100 chronograph movement, tightly built within 31.4mm by 4mm. This watch also holds a new chronography zero-reset system, replacing the traditional hammer and heart cam design and utilizing a rack and pinion system. For this, each chronograph hand is associated with a rack and these racks create an energy reserve for the watch itself. Traditionally, this energy would be lost in a normal caliber.
Working back around to those new and improved pushers, the flyback and reset mechanisms work with just a light push. The interworking and movement of this timepiece is constructed of titanium as well, a difficult element for caliber parts.
Finished in titanium and Bulk Metallic Glass (BMG), this piece also showcases a beautiful dial in what AP calls “Bleu Nuit, Nuage 50”. Adding emphasis on luxury, AP chose to swap their traditional bold logo for a script “Audemars Piguet” finished in white. I mean seriously, this watch is the definition of Elite. The Jumbo sizing makes this AP a new love for collectors and enthusiast. The hour and minute hands of the watch are made of white gold paired with titanium chronograph hands.
When receiving this piece, if lucky enough, you will find a special engraving on the backside featuring the number of your timepiece over 150. Owning this piece is owning heritage, a part of 150 years of excellence from one of the premier watchmakers of the world. Expect this watch to retail for around $312,000 and may only be available at an AP authorized dealer.
