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Audemars Piguet Royal Oak 41mm Rose Gold
Ref. 26240OR.OO.D315CR.01
The Royal Oak turned fifty in 2022, and Audemars Piguet used the anniversary not merely to commemorate Gérald Genta's original brief — to produce a luxury sports watch in steel, at a price the market considered absurd — but to quietly refine everything that had accumulated over five decades of production. The 26240 is the result: broader polished bevels on the octagonal case, thinner initial lug links that draw the profile down against the wrist, and a dedicated anniversary rotor on the calibre inside. That calibre, the 4401, is where the engineering sits. It is a flyback chronograph built around a column wheel and vertical clutch — the architecture that eliminates the jump at the start of a timing sequence — with a 70-hour reserve and an openworked pink gold oscillating weight visible through the caseback. The dial it drives is the Bleu Nuit Nuage 50, a shade developed specifically for this reference, laid over Grande Tapisserie guilloché and read through solid pink gold hands and applied indices. On the alligator strap rather than a solid gold bracelet, the weight distribution is notably balanced for a full gold case at this size, and the redesigned pink gold AP folding clasp is a genuine improvement over what the 26239 series offered — more comfortable through a long day, more positive in its action.
- Reference
- 26240OR.OO.D315CR.01
- Brand
- Audemars Piguet
- Collection
- Royal Oak
- Case size
- 41mm
- Case thickness
- 12.4mm
- Case material
- Rose gold
- Case shape
- Octagonal
- Dial
- Blue
- Crystal
- Sapphire
- Movement
- Automatic
- Calibre
- 4401
- Functions
- Chronograph, Date, Small seconds, Skeleton dial
- Water resistance
- 50m
- Bracelet / strap
- Leather strap
- Strap colour
- Blue
- Clasp
- Folding clasp
- Lume
- Luminous
- Condition
- Pre-owned
- Retailer
- Mappin & Webb
Learn more about Audemars Piguet
Jules Louis Audemars and Edward Auguste Piguet, both from the Vallée de Joux, formalised their partnership in 1875. The valley was then the centre of complicated movement work, and the pair spent their early decades supplying calibres to other houses — Tiffany among them — rather than selling under their own name.
The firm remains privately held by descendants of the founding families, an unusual survival in an industry consolidated into three or four groups.
Its defining moment came in 1972, in the depths of the quartz crisis, when Audemars Piguet released the Royal Oak: a steel watch priced above gold ones, with an octagonal bezel, exposed screws, and an integrated bracelet, drawn by Gérald Genta reportedly overnight. It was widely mocked at launch. It created the luxury sports watch category and now underpins the entire company.
The Royal Oak Offshore of 1993 pushed the same design larger and louder, and drew similar early scepticism before becoming a pillar in its own right. The Code 11.59 collection, introduced in 2019, was the house's attempt to prove it could sell something else — a mixed reception commercially, though the movements inside are serious.
Underneath the modern noise, the complication pedigree is intact: minute repeaters, perpetual calendars, and some of the thinnest tourbillon movements built anywhere.
- 1875
- Jules Louis Audemars and Edward Auguste Piguet begin working together.
- 1881
- The firm is registered as Audemars Piguet & Cie.
- 1972
- The Royal Oak launches, inventing the luxury steel sports watch.
- 1993
- The Royal Oak Offshore extends the line.
- 2019
- Code 11.59 debuts as a new collection.
Also in 7 collections
This watch appears in the Audemars Piguet Royal Oak range (9), Back in Stock (4,405), Automatic Watches (1,634), Chronograph Watches (1,132), Leather Strap Watches (942), Blue Dial Watches (834) and Pre-Owned, Ex-Display & Vintage Watches (326).
What the specifications mean
A mechanical watch for everyday wear.
Strengths
- Sapphire crystal, which resists scratching
- Luminous hands and markers for low light
Worth knowing
- 50m suits rain and handwashing, not swimming
Audemars Piguet Royal Oak alternatives
Watches from other brands at a similar price, style and size, so you can see what else your budget can buy.
| Specification | 26240OR.OO.D315CR.01 | 116508 | 5905P-001 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | £74,450 | £74,450 | £65,450 |
| Case size | 41mm | 40mm | 42mm |
| Water resistance | 50m | 100m | 30m |
| Movement | Automatic | Automatic | Automatic |
| Strap | Leather strap | Stainless steel bracelet | Leather strap |
| Power reserve | — | 72 hours | 55 hours |
| This watch |
|
|
Your new watch
Frequently asked questions, and things you should know about this watch
Can I swim with it?
Showering yes, swimming no. 50m covers splashes and brief immersion, but a swimming stroke generates well above the pressure that figure describes.
Water resistance explainedWill the glass scratch?
Unlikely. Sapphire is second only to diamond in hardness and shrugs off everyday marking.
Sapphire, mineral and acrylic comparedDoes it need a battery?
No. It is automatic — the motion of your wrist winds it, and there is no cell to replace.
Quartz, automatic and solar comparedIs it a men's or women's watch?
Listed as men's.
Cheapest place to buy
Mappin & Webb is the only UK retailer we track stocking this reference, so there is nothing to compare it against today.
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