First off, lemme tell ya, the price range is NUTS. We’re talking like, you could buy a decent car, maybe even a small house, for some of these things. One source I saw said the *average* is fifty grand! FIFTY GRAND! For a watch?!?!? My mind is kinda blown. But hey, if you’re rolling in dough, who am I to judge? Then again, I saw somewhere else that you could snag a Royal Oak Quartz for “less than $20,000.” *Less than*…still a LOT of money, let’s be real. But maybe relatively reasonable in the Audemars Piguet world.
The Royal Oak seems to be THE thing, though, right? Like, every site I looked at mentioned it. They’re iconic, apparently. I’m guessing that’s the gateway drug into the whole AP obsession. Luxury Time NYC seems to be pushing that one, along with the Royal Oak Offshore and, uh, Code 11.59? The names are kinda weird, not gonna lie. Code 11.59 sounds like a secret government operation.
And listen to this. You can even buy pre-owned ones. Watchfinder seems to be pretty confident about their stuff, offering a 24-month warranty and a “price match promise.” So, like, if you’re not totally swimming in cash, that could be a way to get your hands on one of these fancy wrist clocks. Though, you know, buying used… I don’t know, feels a little weird when you’re talking about something that costs more than my car. But hey, to each their own!
Oh, and if you’re REALLY into the whole vintage vibe, Tropical Watch seems to be the place to go. They’re all about the “authentic vintage Rolex and luxury brand watches.” I saw a Royal Oak 18K YG (that’s yellow gold, for the uninitiated like myself) with a Grey Tropical Dial for…wait for it…$77,550! Seriously?! That’s like, more than the down payment on a house in some places! But it has a “tropical dial,” which I’m guessing means it’s been exposed to the sun or something? Sounds kinda cool, actually. Adds character, I suppose.
Then there’s WatchGuys Gold. They’re apparently located in Los Angeles (613 S. Hill St., to be exact), and you need an appointment to even look at their stuff! Talk about exclusive. I bet they’re the ones selling those iced-out, blinged-out APs. I’m not really into the whole “gold everything” look, but if that’s your thing, go for it.
Okay, so basically, Audemars Piguet watches are expensive. Like, REALLY expensive. The Royal Oak seems to be the go-to model, but there are tons of variations and price points. You can buy them new, pre-owned, or even vintage. And if you’re in LA, you can make an appointment to check out some super flashy ones.
