How this royal oak changed my outlook on AP forever.
The steamy love story between me and the Audemars Piguet Royal Oak 14486ST is one forged by the passionate flames of size and proportions - not too dissimilar from a lot of people’s love stories if you think about it… I have always respected and lusted after the Royal Oak, and for a long time I thought that was the dream. However, once I got deeper into the world of watches and was actually able to see dream watches like this in person, I was left a little bit underwhelmed if I’m being honest. Every time I got a chance to handle a Royal Oak in person, it just never felt as special as I hoped. It’s like taking a supermodel on a date - (because I’ve definitely done that) - it’s amazing in theory until you’re at this fancy restaurant and she’s doing coke in the bathroom. (wow these articles are gonna get me in trouble)
Does it get any better than this?
So here’s where the story takes a turn for the better. I recently got to experience the Royal Oak reference 14486ST. This one in particular is a virtually untouched gem from 1987. As soon as I locked eyes with it, I knew we were destined for love. Compared to today’s larger, sturdier, and more highly executed royal oaks - this one had some of that “wabi-sabi” everyone talks about. It was smaller, a bit more plain, and not as highly finished - but all of these imperfections were put together in a package that had nearly perfect proportions. Something that seems like a lost art in today’s world of watches.
It’s not about the size of the boat…
You need to trust me when I tell you that nothing matters more when you’re buying a watch than PROPORTIONS. That is why I so heavily encourage taking a look at watches in person, something can look really cool in photos, but if it doesn’t look “right” on you, then that’s money down the drain, at least in my opinion. There’s a reason tailored suits and clothes just look better than whatever bullshit you can pull off the rack at the Gucci store. Beauty in design is never obvious, it’s subtle. My qualms with the modern Royal Oak (most of them) is that they sacrificed a bit of their beautiful, original proportions in exchange for a more mass appealing, larger size. I totally get it from a business/evolution standpoint, but if I had $40,000 to spend on a Royal Oak, I would take the 14486ST over almost any brand new reference (assuming I couldn’t spend it on a trip to Miami, of course.)