Audemars Piguet Royal Oak 5402 'Intermediary Series'

The Gerald Genta designed Royal Oak is one of the most iconic and enduring watch designs of the past century and it all began with the legendary reference 5402ST.

As the story goes, Gerald Genta was tasked by Audemars Piguet to come up with an “unprecedented steel watch”. The resulting Royal Oak features the now well-known circular steel case with an octagonal bezel, eight visible screws, and an integrated steel bracelet.

The original release of the reference 5402 in 1972 consisted of a run of 1,000 pieces. Watches from this first run are referred to as ‘A-series’ as the engraved serial numbers on the caseback began with the letter A. Later on, Audemars Piguet produced another 1,000 pieces of the A-series and continued with consecutive B, C, and D series. Among all the executions of the ref. 5402, the early A-series are considered the most collectible due to the short production run.

But, there is yet another, lesser known series, that is the true holy grail among the various executions of the reference 5402. Over the course of about a year, right in between the A and B range, Audemars Piguet created a short run of 5402 Royal Oaks without such serial on the caseback. These ‘intermediate series’ Royal Oaks were produced only in 1975 and 1976, making them the rarest execution of the legendary reference 5402.

This exquisite example of an intermediate series 5402 dates back to 1975 and features the iconic 39 mm octagonal stainless steel case designed by the legendary Gerald Genta. The watch comes with the original stainless steel integrated bracelet and a service clasp.

The original ‘AP-down’ dial on this 5402 features Audemars Piguet’s characteristic ‘Petite Tappisserie’ pattern and has turned to a warm charcoal gray color with beautiful tropical accents.

This rare intermediate series 5402 is in excellent condition with a sharp case and bracelet. The watch comes with the original box and an extract of the Audemars Piguet archives.