What's up guys?
My name is George and I'm here today with CRM Jewelers to review the Audemars Piguet
Royal Oak Openworked, and this AP is one of my favorites, so I'm really excited.
The Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Openworked is one of the craziest APs on the market.
There is the Tourbillon, of course, but this to me is a nice blend.
In the middle of the line, not too crazy, but still pretty rare and still kind of crazy
in a sense.
For how crazy this watch though, I'm a little bit disappointed with the box.
It's nothing too special, it looks like very normal AP box.
If you look at watches way cheaper than this, they have crazier boxes.
That's something I think AP really needs to kind of figure out or maybe change the box
on.
But that's something that did dissuade me a little bit.
Other than that though, this watch is amazing.
If you look at the finishing on the movement on this piece, it is amazing.
I mean, incredible.
The satin finish on this watch.
Under loop, I feel like nothing in this price range can even compete.
I mean, this is AP at its best.
And that's the point of an Openworked watch.
It's supposed to kind of expose the watchmaker, and kind of show the world what they have,
what they can do, and that's what this piece does.
Right off the bat, it's the first impression it gives off.
The main feature of this skeletonized AP is the dual balance wheel.
Basically, it's there to improve accuracy, and that's really something that a lot of
people don't understand.
When they first look at it, non-connoisseurs, they may things it's a Tourbillion.
It's not a Tourbillion guys, it's a dual balance wheel.
No AP in this price range is going to be a Tourbillion.
Let's get that right off the bat, let's get that straight.
But something about this watch that I really like that they've improved as they've increased
the size.
Look at the older one, it was like a 39 millimeter, which is a great size, don't get me wrong,
I personally like that kind of size.
But for AP, a Royal Oak, I think 41 is the sweet spot.
So on the wrist, this watch wears amazing.
So something that stands out for me on this watch is when you grab it you hold in your
hand, or even put it on the wrist, this watch feels its price.
These right now on the gray market are going from 140,000.
Now if you look at other brands such as, let's say, Richard Mille or even Hublot for example,
they have some pieces in that upper echelon retail.
Of course, they're upwards of 100,000 easily.
But they just don't feel expensive.
This watch, we you look at the finishing, the details, everything, the bracelets, just
the way it feels on your wrist, the heft.
This watch feels like $140,000, on your wrist.
And for a lot of watches in the upper price range that upper echelon, it's kind of tough
to really justify the price.
But this, when you look at it and it's on your wrist, it just looks crazy.
It looks like a car on your wrist.
So that's something that this AP definitely has in his favor versus its competitors.
If you know me and my tastes and watches, you know that I kind of typically tend to
critique AP a little bit, a little harshly.
Mostly because AP has relied on the Royal Oak line for so long.
They haven't really done anything innovative.
But this watch, when it came out, I could see why there's a six to seven-year waiting
period to get this piece from an authorized dealer.
These are not actually limited edition pieces in the sense that they're numbered, but they're
low production, they're not making too many.
They're not really exactly saying how many they're making.
But based off the waiting periods to get this and the price in the gray market, you know
that there is a demand, and I definitely understand why.
I mean, this is a Royal Oak to me that stands out the most, and it is the most adventurous
in the line.
So real quick, I want to mention the investment potential of this piece.
So you go back on our channel, and look at the basic review we did in 2017 back on this
watch, the retail back then was 76,000, but in the gray market there was so hard to get
that they were trading from 90 to 100 depending on box, papers, condition.
Now in 2020, this watch is trading for $140,000.
So this is something that has come up to us a lot is, watches are not investments.
That is incorrect.
I mean, this watch is living proof that you can buy this hard asset, enjoy it on your
wrist, and make money later when you need to sell it.
If you bought this watch in 2017, even not at retail, even at that gray market price,
and you held it for three years and want to sell it today, you're going to be making 40
to 50% on your money.
Which is better than the stock market in some cases.
And remember guys, the stock market you get a piece of paper, this is a gold watch on
your wrist that looks incredible.
It looks like a piece of art on your wrist.
Not many things you can do that with in the world.
We've been preaching that watches have been investments since the beginning, since 2014.
We actually wrote a blog post about a 50-year period where we talked about Rolex increasing
in value throughout time.
We'll link it below, but guys, check it out, I mean, this is something we've talked about
for many years, and it's real guys, don't listen to anyone that says, "Watches aren't
investments."
Maybe if you buy the wrong watch, maybe it is.
But if you buy the right thing and stick with good brands, you're definitely make some money.
And like I said before, it's something you can actually enjoy.
Something to keep in mind is, when the global crisis started around January 2020, the watch
industry was predicted to kind of go down.
We thought that the market was going to crash, but actually the market dipped slightly and
then went back up in a couple months.
And I think that's due to the demand of gold.
Because of the hyperinflation, gold is up 27%, and the AP we're holding in our hand
right now is a gold piece.
So because of that, the demand for gold has gone up, therefore the market for watches
has been pretty stable and actually is slowly increasing.
Who should buy the Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Openworked?
Well, a lot of people.
I mean, this is a watch that appeals to many kinds of people.
Collectors or even non-connoisseurs that want a crazy looking watch on their wrist, this
can do that.
It's really slim, very slim profile that fits under a suit but can also be worn with shorts
very casually.
I think this is a piece that most people that are looking in the higher end echelon of watches
will want to consider.
And, I mean, guys, what can I say?
I mean, this is AP at pretty much its best.
I mean, of course, there're the Tourbillons and the Concepts and all that, but for a price
point around 140,000, I mean, it doesn't get really any better than this.
In conclusion, the AP Royal Oak Openworked is an investment.
It is something that feels like $140,000 on your wrist, and it's a crazy AP, guys, you
can't go wrong with it.
With that being said, thank you so much for watching.
This has been George from Avant Garde.
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