Kensington Watches
Audemars Piguet Royal Oak 34mm Stainless Steel

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Audemars Piguet

Audemars Piguet Royal Oak 34mm Stainless Steel

Ref. 77350ST.OO.1261ST.01

Until 2020, if you wanted a Royal Oak smaller than 37mm, you accepted a quartz movement — that was simply the arrangement. The 77350ST changed it, becoming the first self-winding Royal Oak ever produced at 34mm. The Calibre 5800, supplied by Vaucher Manufacture Fleurier and finished with a 22-carat gold openworked rotor, is what made it possible: a thin, high-grade automatic that fits within the 8.8mm profile without the case climbing off the wrist. That flatness is the detail that earns its keep daily. Gérald Genta's integrated bracelet and eight-bolt bezel give the watch a presence well beyond what 34mm usually projects, but it still slides under a cuff in a way the larger automatics in the family will not. The Grande Tapisserie guilloché on the silver dial shifts from near-flat grey in shade to something closer to woven silk in direct light — a surface that rewards attention without demanding it. Sizing the bracelet requires removing pinned links rather than using a micro-adjustment system, so it is worth having Audemars Piguet fit the optional 1.5-sized links to land on the right circumference. Once set correctly, the taper of the bracelet into the case reads as a single unbroken form.

Reference
77350ST.OO.1261ST.01
Brand
Audemars Piguet
Collection
Royal Oak
Case size
34mm
Case thickness
8.8mm
Case material
Stainless steel
Case shape
Octagonal
Dial
Silver
Crystal
Sapphire
Movement
Automatic
Calibre
5800
Functions
Date, Skeleton dial
Water resistance
50m
Bracelet / strap
Stainless steel bracelet
Strap colour
Silver
Clasp
Folding clasp
Lume
Luminous
Condition
Pre-owned
Retailer
Mappin & Webb
Additional specifications
Power reserve
50 hours
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.

All Audemars Piguet watches

Also in 7 collections

This watch appears in the Audemars Piguet Royal Oak range (9), Back in Stock (4,405), Stainless Steel Watches (2,927), Automatic Watches (1,634), Watches Under 37mm (1,553), Silver Dial Watches (653) and Pre-Owned, Ex-Display & Vintage Watches (326).

What the specifications mean

A mechanical watch for everyday wear.

Strengths

  • 34mm wears small and slips under any cuff
  • Sapphire crystal, which resists scratching
  • Luminous hands and markers for low light

Worth knowing

  • 50m suits rain and handwashing, not swimming
Best forSmall wristsEveryday wear
Less suited toSwimming

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.

Royal Oak 34mm Stainless Steel compared with 2 alternatives from other brands
SpecificationThis watchRoyal Oak 34mm Stainless Steel77350ST.OO.1261ST.01RolexDay-Date 361803/8Patek PhilippeTwenty 4 36mm Rose Gold7300/1200R-001
Price£37,000£37,950£43,550
Case size34mm36mm36mm
Water resistance50m50m30m
MovementAutomaticAutomaticAutomatic
StrapStainless steel bracelet—Stainless steel bracelet
Power reserve50 hours44 hours45 hours
This watch
  • Wears larger
  • Costs more
  • Rated shallower

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 explained

Will the glass scratch?

Unlikely. Sapphire is second only to diamond in hardness and shrugs off everyday marking.

Sapphire, mineral and acrylic compared

Does 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 compared

How long does it run for when it's not worn?

About 50 hours fully wound — enough to survive a night off the wrist, but not a full weekend.

Is it a men's or women's watch?

Listed as unisex, and at this size it suits any wrist that takes the dimensions.

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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