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Audemars Piguet Royal Oak "Jumbo" B-Series

5402ST

£48,500

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Now available, a beautifully preserved Audemars Piguet Royal Oak 5402ST “B-Series”, complete with its Extract from the Archives confirming an August 1976 registration date. In a rather poetic twist, this example carries the serial “No B 1976” as well - a tiny, serendipitous detail, but exactly the sort of thing collectors quietly fall for.

The 5402 is, of course, the reference that changed everything. Gérald Genta’s 1972 design didn’t just introduce a new watch - it introduced a new category. The idea of a luxury stainless-steel sports watch priced above gold was borderline absurd at the time, and yet the Royal Oak rewrote the rulebook overnight. Every major maison has spent the decades since answering the question it posed. To handle an early 5402 today is to hold the starting point of modern integrated-bracelet design, and the reason so much of contemporary watchmaking looks the way it does.

This B-Series example sits firmly among the more desirable executions, with that wonderfully fine, original petite tapisserie dial. It has aged with real charm - warm, bronzed tones forming around the markers and across the dial, the sort of patina that collectors are going wild for at the moment. The case and bracelet remain outstanding: crisp edges, excellent proportions, and a bracelet with zero stretch, which is becoming genuinely unusual for watches approaching their 50th year. It retains its original dial and hands; the crown was replaced during AP’s 2020 service to preserve water-resistance, exactly as you’d want.

All told, it’s a rare opportunity to acquire an early Royal Oak that hasn’t been over-polished, over-loved, or over-restored - made all the more charming by that matching 1976 serial. For collectors who appreciate originality and story as much as aesthetics, this one will feel especially satisfying. The watch comes complete with its above-mentioned Extract from the Archives, and is available for viewing in London and purchase worldwide. Please get in touch for further information.