What’s particularly interesting about Phillips’ traditional late spring auction this year is that it is preceded by an “appetizer” sale on May 6 with a catalogue so rich it could arguably serve as the main course. One day before Geneva XV begins, Phillips will present The Royal Oak 50th auction, a collection of more than 80 examples of the 1:1 fake Audemars Piguet Royal Oak. Gérald Genta’s beloved watch design marks its golden jubilee anniversary this year.
The Royal Oak examples crossing the auction block illustrate many riffs on the Royal Oak theme, variations that AAA replica Audemars Piguet CA offered across many decades. For example, the first lot presents one of my personal favorites: Reference 15100ST “Time for the Trees.” The hallmark tapisserie blue dial on this version of the Royal Oak is embellished by the profile of a tree in relief. This limited edition commemorates perfect fake Audemars Piguet’s financial support for replanting of trees around the globe in the late 1990s and early 2000s, a pet project of chairperson Jasmine Audemars. The auction estimate for this lot is CHF 15,000 – 20,000.
The cheap fake Audemars Piguet Royal Oak collection has also featured experiments in textured finishing such as Carolina Bucci’s highly popular 2016 Florentine metalworking on the case and bracelet that the brand dubbed Frosted Gold. The 20-year anniversary of the best copy Audemars Piguet Royal Oak involved an even earlier application of the textured design motif. Lot 10, for example, is a Reference 14802PT with “Tuscan-finished” dial. This super clone watch ca was one of only 20 produced in platinum and carries an estimate of CHF 250,000 – 500,000.
Without a doubt, the historical highlight in the Audemars Piguet Royal Oak replica for sale 50th catalogue is lot number 8, a Reference 5402ST “Series A.” This particular watch is numbered “2.” It is the second Royal Oak ever produced and the earliest Audemars Piguet Royal Oak fake online offered at a public auction. The consignor obtained this watch from a retailer sometime after it was exhibited at the Royal Oak’s debut during the 1972 Basel Fair. This copy Audemars Piguet, in unworn condition, carries an estimate of CHF 200,000 – 400,000.
The hundreds of lots in Phillips’ back-to-back May auctions are connected to history in so many surprising and interesting ways that it is difficult to do them justice. As is frequently the result of the Bacs & Russo team’s curation, with these catalogues the collecting public has a chance to obtain and/or appreciate replica watches online sale that illustrate the depth and breadth of watchmaking over many decades.
It is remarkable that Phillips was able to assemble this assortment through a period of relative turmoil. We can certainly hope that the Geneva Watch Auction XV and the wholesale fake Audemars Piguet Royal Oak 50th will mark a waypoint to more tranquil and peaceful years in the near future.