Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Chronograph Automatic “Novelty Boutique White Hands Edition” in Stainless Steel, 39mm, featuring a Striking Blue “Clous de Paris” Grande Tapisserie Dial with Contrasting White Chronograph Indications, White Gold Applied Hour Markers and Signature Royal Oak Hands with Luminescent Coating, Three Recessed Chronograph Registers, Date Aperture between 4 and 5 o’clock, Self-Winding Audemars Piguet Caliber 2385 Automatic Chronograph Movement with 37 Jewels, Iconic Octagonal Bezel secured by Eight Hexagonal Screws, and fitted on its Integrated Stainless Steel Royal Oak Bracelet with Hidden Fold-Over Deployant Buckle. Rare, Discontinued and Highly Collectible Boutique Configuration.

The Royal Oak remains one of the most important and instantly recognizable designs in modern watchmaking. Conceived by the legendary Gérald Genta, its revolutionary combination of an octagonal bezel, exposed hexagonal screws, sharply defined case geometry and fully integrated bracelet permanently changed the perception of the luxury sports watch. In this 39mm chronograph configuration, those famous proportions are paired with the added complexity and visual energy of a mechanical chronograph while retaining the beautifully balanced architecture for which the earlier Royal Oak generations are so admired.

What immediately separates this Boutique White Hands Edition is its dial. The deep blue Grande Tapisserie surface provides the unmistakable Royal Oak texture, while the bright white hands and chronograph indications create an unusually crisp contrast against the blue background. Three recessed registers are arranged in classic tri-compax fashion, with the 30-minute chronograph counter at 3 o’clock, running seconds at 6 o’clock and 12-hour chronograph register at 9 o’clock. The date is discreetly positioned between 4 and 5 o’clock, allowing the chronograph layout to remain visually dominant. White gold applied hour markers and Royal Oak hands with luminous coating complete a dial that is simultaneously technical, sporting and unmistakably Audemars Piguet.

The case and bracelet are themselves an extraordinary demonstration of Audemars Piguet finishing. The 39mm stainless steel case combines precisely executed satin-brushed surfaces with highly polished bevels, allowing light to trace the complex geometry of the Royal Oak from virtually every angle. The octagonal bezel and its eight exposed screws remain one of the most recognizable signatures in horology, while the integrated Royal Oak bracelet continues the alternating brushed and polished finishing through each articulated link before terminating in a concealed folding deployant clasp.

Powering the watch is the highly regarded Audemars Piguet Caliber 2385, a sophisticated self-winding chronograph movement containing 37 jewels and operating at 21,600 vibrations per hour. The movement incorporates a traditional high-grade chronograph architecture and is fitted with a 21kt gold oscillating rotor, while its components receive the type of elaborate finishing expected from Audemars Piguet, including rhodium plating and oeil de perdrix decoration. Its relatively thin construction was particularly important in allowing AP to incorporate a full automatic chronograph into the elegant proportions of the 39mm Royal Oak case rather than sacrificing the sleek profile of Genta’s original design.

There is also something particularly special about this generation of Royal Oak Chronograph. At 39mm, it retains proportions closely connected to the classical Royal Oak aesthetic, giving the watch a beautifully integrated appearance where the case, bezel, dial and bracelet feel like a single continuous design. Combined with the blue Grande Tapisserie dial and distinctive white-hand treatment, the result is considerably different in character from the many Royal Oak Chronographs that followed.

And this is where the “Novelty Boutique White Hands Edition” becomes particularly interesting to the collector. The Royal Oak Chronograph itself is an icon, but not every Royal Oak Chronograph was produced in the same configuration, and this unusual blue-dial Boutique execution with its contrasting white hands has become one of those references that seasoned AP collectors immediately recognize. It combines the coveted 39mm proportions, integrated stainless steel construction, legendary Gérald Genta design language, Caliber 2385 mechanical chronograph and a dial treatment seldom encountered in the broader Royal Oak family. Now discontinued, examples have become increasingly difficult to find, particularly complete and well-preserved pieces. For the collector who wants a Royal Oak Chronograph with genuine individuality and a configuration that cannot simply be ordered from the current catalog, the Boutique White Hands Edition represents a fascinating and increasingly elusive chapter in the history of the Royal Oak.

REF# 26300ST.OO.1110ST.08