Front view
Dial, hands and bezel as delivered.
Case-back view
Case-back engraving and, where fitted, the sapphire display.
Movement
Calibre with its finishing and decoration.
On the wrist
Worn shot for proportion and strap drape.
Audemars Piguet · Royal Oak
Audemars Piguet Royal Oak 41 mm Blue 18k
Reference 34778OR.28
Reference at a glance
- Brand
- Audemars Piguet
- Collection
- Royal Oak
- Model
- Audemars Piguet Royal Oak 41 mm Blue 18k
- Reference number
- 34778OR.28
- Year / era
- 2017 · 2010s — modern production
- Complication
- Flyback chronograph
- Movement
- In-house automatic with 22k gold rotor
- Case material
- 18k rose gold
- Dial type
- Blue "Grande Tapisserie"
- Strap / bracelet
- White rubber velcro strap
- Water resistance
- 100 m
- Limited-edition status
- Limited edition of 50 pieces
Case, dial & bracelet
- Case dimensions
- 41 mm
- Case thickness
- 9.4 mm
- Case material
- 18k rose gold
- Bezel
- Emerald-set
- Crystal
- Sapphire with internal AR treatment
- Dial
- Blue "Grande Tapisserie"
- Hands
- Rhodium-plated baton hands with luminous fill
- Indexes
- Applied Roman numerals
- Bracelet / strap
- White rubber velcro strap
- Clasp / buckle
- Pin buckle in matching case metal
- Water resistance
- 100 m
Movement
- Movement / calibre
- Calibre 11A — In-house automatic with 22k gold rotor
- Movement type
- Automatic, self-winding
- Frequency
- 21,600 vph (3 Hz)
- Power reserve
- 55 hours
- Number of jewels
- 33 jewels
- Complications
- Flyback chronograph
- Functions
- GMT second time zone, date
- Watchmaker
- Assembled and regulated by a single watchmaker, who signs off the piece before casing.
Production & market
- Production period
- 2017 – 2024
- Limited-edition quantity
- 50 pieces
- Current market information
- Values have stabilised after the 2022 correction; condition and box-and-papers drive the premium.
Designer
Gérald Genta
Gérald Genta (1931–2011) trained as a goldsmith in Geneva and became the most influential watch designer of the 20th century. Working freelance, he sketched the Audemars Piguet Royal Oak overnight in 1970, followed by the Patek Philippe Nautilus, the IWC Ingenieur SL and the Bulgari Bulgari — defining the integrated-bracelet luxury sports watch as a category.
Historical significance
Audemars Piguet Royal Oak 41 mm Blue 18k sits within Audemars Piguet's Royal Oak line, introduced in 2017. It carries the house codes established since 1875 — 18k rose gold case, blue "grande tapisserie" dial and in-house automatic with 22k gold rotor — and is one of the references collectors use to date the evolution of the collection.
Interesting facts
- Early production dials show a slightly different minute track, and collectors pay a premium for them.
- The bracelet tapers across its length, which is why the profile looks thinner on the wrist than the specification suggests.
The House
Audemars Piguet
Brand facts
- Founding year
- 1875
- Founder
- Jules Louis Audemars & Edward Auguste Piguet
- Headquarters
- Switzerland
- Tier
- Ultra-Luxury & Haute Horlogerie
- Major collections
- Royal Oak, Royal Oak Offshore, Royal Oak Concept, Code 11.59, Millenary, Jules Audemars, [Re]master01
- Signature technologies
- Shock-absorbing movement mounting · Composite and ceramic case materials · Certified chronometer regulation
- Famous movements
- In-house tourbillon, manual-winding · In-house automatic with 22k gold rotor · In-house manual-winding, hand-finished · In-house automatic micro-rotor
- Notable watches
- Audemars Piguet Royal Oak 44 mm Ice Ceramic (1993) · Audemars Piguet Royal Oak 37 mm Salmon Ceramic (1959) · Audemars Piguet Royal Oak 39 mm Slate Ceramic (1972) · Audemars Piguet Royal Oak 40 mm Black Ceramic (1980)
Brand history
Audemars Piguet has spent more than 151 years refining a single idea: a watch should outlive its owner. From the earliest workshop pieces to today's Royal Oak, the house has balanced technical ambition with a recognisable design language, and its collections remain among the most closely followed by collectors worldwide.
Jules Louis Audemars & Edward Auguste Piguet established Audemars Piguet in 1875, working from Switzerland at a time when precision was measured by hand. The founder's obsession with finishing and accuracy still defines every Audemars Piguet calibre produced today.
Historical milestones
1875
Jules Louis Audemars & Edward Auguste Piguet founds Audemars Piguet in Switzerland.
1899
Audemars Piguet earns its first international recognition for precision timekeeping.
1969
The quartz era forces Audemars Piguet to redefine mechanical watchmaking.
1990
Audemars Piguet enters the modern collector market with its signature lines.
2024
Audemars Piguet continues to produce Royal Oak, Royal Oak Offshore, Royal Oak Concept and other icons in limited numbers.
More Royal Oak
Audemars Piguet Royal Oak 41 mm Mother-of-pearl Quartz
Ref. 28685OR.97
Audemars Piguet Royal Oak 44 mm Ice Ceramic
Ref. 60433OR.12
Audemars Piguet Royal Oak 37 mm Salmon Ceramic
Ref. 49350OR.39
Audemars Piguet Royal Oak 39 mm Slate Ceramic
Ref. 90089OR.65
Audemars Piguet Royal Oak 40 mm Black Ceramic
Ref. 33695OR.95